Sunday, July 8, 2007
The Coke Side of Life
Posted by: lain // Category: This is awkward // 11:46 am
If you’ve ever visited Atlanta, chances are you’ve probably been to the World of Coke.
Well, the old one anyway. The new one opened up on the other side of downtown a few months back.
If you’re a local like me, you probably call it the Coke Museum. Which is why I’m always surprised when visitors call the Wren’s Nest when they’re really looking for the World of Coke.
It makes sense–The Wren’s Nest and The World of Coke are listed right next to each other in the directories and brochures given to tourists.
Easy mistake.
Yesterday we closed as usual at 2:30. Also as usual, Amelia and I stayed to work a little later. I answered the phone around 4:00.
A group from Texas had come all the way to Atlanta to see us, and they were surprised we closed at 2:30. Normally, I’m happy to give tours before or after museum hours, but yesterday I had to be out the door around 4:15.
“Well, what time do you open on Sunday?” the woman on the phone asked.
“We’re only open Tuesday through Saturday, unfortunately.”
She sounded disappointed.
A few minutes later the woman called back and pleaded– “Is their any chance you could open for just us on Sunday? Is there anyone there that can come in and show us around? Pleeeeeeease!?!?”
“Oh…oh alright,” I conceded. “What time?”
“How about 10:00 am?” Sigh.
Today I show up at 9:58 am. The group gives me a call. They are running late. Fine.
Twenty minutes later they call again– “Which entrance should we go in? We’re standing in front of the big red door. We parked on MLK. Martin Luther King.”
“Parked on …MLK? No, no our street is RDA! Ralph David Abernathy. And we don’t have a red door,” I replied, clearly knowledgeable of my place of business.
These people are confused!
I run to the front door. They are not outside.
Really confused!
At this very moment, an idea struck–
What if these folks are not at the Wren’s Nest, but at the World of Coke? And not the New World of Coke, either–what if they’re standing outside the Old World of Coke that has been closed since March?
There was an awkward pause on the phone, probably another tired sigh …and then I gave them directions to the New World of Coke.
But they interrupted– “Oh, we don’t need directions, just the address, thanks. We’ve got a GPS. What’s the zip? And which entrance should we meet you at when we get there?”
I told them the address and just to march right up to the ticket counter. They’ll show you the way.
Incidentally, we do have an item or two related to Coca-Cola here at the Wren’s Nest.
Can you spot one?
Coke and Joel Chandler Harris were Atlanta contemporaries. This morning, I’m feeling the connection. I guess you can’t beat the real thing.
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8 Comments
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First!
That was a good blog post on Coke. I don’t know who this “Joe S” character is, but he should take time to read the blog before commenting.
I didn’t even know there was a Coke museum in Atlanta, but it makes sense that there would be, and now I want to go.
Keep up the good work, Lain.
You’re weird, Joe.
Also, you’d be surprised how few people check blogs on the weekend.
Actually, you’d be surprised how contingent blog traffic is upon people being at work. Then again, you have a real job, so you might know exactly what I’m talking about.
what is the coca cola item? is that a coke bottle in the picture?
Yup. We have that one and two behind it. The one you can see clearly is the youngest one, probably from around 1905. It’s from before Coke developed the “curve” of the bottom 2/3rds of the bottle. I forget what it’s called.
The two older bottles don’t look like Coke bottles at all. They’re Hutchinson style bottles.
There are some fanatics about it that can tell you much more information, but that’s all I know at the moment.
I don’t know if it has become public knowledge but Wren’s Nest Director/Often Wren’s Nest Blogger Lain Shakespeare is now Country Club Swim League Champion Head Coach Lain Shakespeare after last night’s thrilling victory by the Druid Hills Dolphins over the 19-year reigning champion Ansley Golf Club. Congrats Director/Coach/Swim Guru/All-Around Great Guy Lain Shakespeare.
the least they could have done is visited the Wrens nest too since she pleaded and begged for a sunday visit. Maybe you should have told her about the rich history of TWN and Coke as evidenced by your picture….that would have got em there for sure! And you could have charged Coke museum prices to boot.
[...] Jeri lost power when a tree fell on her neighbor’s house, Amelia had to be at her other job, I was away at a meeting until about 4:00, and Nannie was busy picketing the new World of Coke because she likes Pepsi so much. [...]