Atlanta Traffic

It’s a long holiday weekend with many people having a four day weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend. It is a ritual in Atlanta to go to the beach either along the Gulf of Mexico, or somewhere along the Atlantic. For those of us who decide to stay in the city and celebrate with fireworks at the local park, country club, or someplace else; it means that we have the roads to ourselves. Thrilled at the prospect driving along Atlanta’s freeways without being impeded with the usual traffic, I set out to go to the mall, the art gallery, and to go grocery shopping. People were in good moods wherever I went, chatting with complete strangers as they did when I first moved here twenty two years ago. The southern charm was back. Finally, after an afternoon of looking at Mediterranean art, a Thai lunch, window shopping, and feasting my eyes on the world’s delicacies I hit the freeway for the ten mile journey home. As if on cue, I was propelled into the hellish traffic that Atlanta has become infamous for. A ten mile back up because some fool does not have a clue how to merge or change lanes. In an instant the glow of Atlanta’s southern charm evaporated and all I could think of was how I wanted to find the person who cannot drive and lecture them on courteous driving. This is the South after all where courtesy is everything. After an hour of sitting in traffic I began to maneuver my way off the freeway and through the congested side streets. By the time I got home the frozen food in my car had thawed and the chocolate bars were soup. I calmed down and took a Scarlett O’Hara approach to it: “Tomorrow, after all, is another day.” I can only hope the same Southern charm that greeted me today greets me tomorrow; only tomorrow I’m staying off the freeway.

~ by Julie P on July 6, 2008.