Where In The World Is Sum1?

Lazin' Around Lawrenceville

Date: Week of October 10^st

Locale:  Lawrenceville, Georgia

         This past week I was in Lawrenceville for another class.  Like my trip to Plantation, Florida, this was taught at a Motorola facility, which I believe makes it a little easier.  At least in some ways.  As long as you don't forget your badge! 

         The class was a Networking class, and for the second time in a row, I taught the second of our networking classes the week after one of our instructors had taught the first.  I might as well get used to it though, I'm doing the same thing the next two weeks....

         Lawrenceville is a small community about twenty miles north-east of Atlanta on I-85.  The hardest part about getting there was the traffic in Atlanta on a Sunday afternoon.  It was as bad as Chicago, worse in some ways.  I did manage to play tourist a little bit, on both Sunday when I arrived, and Friday once class was done.



Historic/Interesting Places Visited:

         Atlanta Botanical Gardens - http://atlantabg.org/  -  Would you be surprised if I said there's a Chihuly exhibit going on in the gardens?  It was a draw for me, and a nice, quiet afternoon walking amongst the plants and flowers.  My rental car had no form of Lumbar support, so by the time I managed to complete the short drive (long in time, short in distance), my back was aching.  The more I walked, the less it ached though, always a good thing.

         Oakland Cemetery - http://www.oaklandcemetery.com/  -  You might find it a bit macabre, but I enjoy visiting cemeteries.  This one is different and special.  Less than a mile from the heart of downtown Atlanta, this is a hidden treasure, and secret sanctuary. This garden cemetery was founded in 1850, and is the final resting place of many of Atlanta’s settlers, builders, and most noted citizens like Bobby Jones, Margaret Mitchell, and Maynard Jackson. It is also a showplace of sculpture and architecture, and a botanical preserve with ancient oaks and magnolias. Here in this peaceful place the full scope of the city’s rich and fascinating history unfolds before you.  Many of the older sites have beautiful, ornate statues; many Mausoleums are scattered about the grounds.  One section was set aside long ago for the burial of black people.  Remember, Atlanta is in the south, America was (and still is in many ways) segregated there.  This small area was the only area black people could be buried in Oakland Cemetery.  There's also a large area graves with plain markers;  these are the graves of thousands of Confederate Soldiers killed during the Civil War.  It's a beautiful place to visit, but very somber, as all cemeteries are to visit.

Noteworthy Restaurants:

         There are a lot of good restaurants in this area, I had the pleasure of visiting five of them during the week.  If I were to pick out one and talk about it, it would be -

         Tin Lizzy's Cantina - http://tinlizzyscantina.com/  -  They serve a wide variety of taco's there, so I had to try one, right?  Low Country Boil Taco - Grilled gulf shrimp, chorizo, grilled onions, roasted corn, tater tots, drizzled with spicy ranch and topped with red peppers.  I also tried their Cantina Skillet.  It was excellent, and I ended up taking leftovers with me for lunch the following day.

         This coming week I will be in Schaumburg delivering another Networking class before going to Santa Clara Callifornia to deliver Networking for the third week in a row!  This is a class I'm looking forward to for a couple of reasons.  I would love to visit Yosemite National Park, but I can't get there early enough on Saturday to allow me to spend an adequate amount of time there.  Instead, I'll visit Monterrey, and it's world renown aquarium.  I will also make a point of visiting Cannery Row, which was the inspiration for the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. Until next time, y'all keep on writing, share your Trinkets, (tell me when you release one!  lol), and stay warm or cool, since the seasons are changing.





Jim Dorrell