February 7, 2008

World of Coca-Cola

The World of Coca-Cola is the largest museum for Coke and all the products of Coca-Cola. The museum has moved to a new venue at Pemberton Place, across from Centennial Park in Atlanta. Given the Holiday season, the place was so crowded and thanks to the city pass, we did not have to wait for a long time.



I have to mention that tourist spots in Atlanta had the most security I have ever seen other than airports. We have to walk through a metal detector, leave my tiny swiss army knife outside and can't even have chewing gum on you. That seemed a little too much. So anyways, after a long line to pass the security check, we were let into the lobby (below).



Then at some specified intervals, all of us were herded into a corridor - called the loft, which has coke ads from all over the world. We had to stand here for another 15 minutes, trying to read these ads and watch little facts about coke on big flat screen monitors. Again we were all herded into the Happiness Factory Theater, where you get to watch a lame animated shameless self promotion movie. Opening from the theater, is the hub, with few exhibits and the Coke Polar Bear (not a real one).



The place got interesting after this, you can see a working bottling unit, and video feeds from real factories. Adjacent to this is a milestone gallery and a display of coke products. There some pretty neat coke bottles, some from China & nearby countries and those that were made specially for night clubs. I would like my coke in such a bottle. On level two, there is a pop art gallery with works by Andy Warhol and other coke fans, and more coke products from around the world.

The last stop was the tasting room, where they had tasting stations from all over the world, with 70 different products. We each tasted about 12 products - it was the place to spike your blood sugar. There were also stations where you can sample products that are in the making, a Christmas special peppermint flavored drink and a coffee flavored one. The entire experience ended in the gift store (of course), with so many coke products that you never want to see in one place, unless you get high on coca-cola. They were also very expensive, that our only souvenir was the sample coke bottle that they give out. Well, something for all the lines and waiting I suppose.



We had another long walk back to the car and headed to Alpharetta, to see our friend Ramya, who is behind our detour to Atlanta. She made Poori & Masal for dinner, Strawberry delight for delight - it was loaded with nuts & an instant hit. I was super tired and hit the bed early. However, Amy had declared herself the center of everyone's attention and kept everyone busy with petting her.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for the comments, we appreciate them!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...