Last Stop – Centennial Park.

The scent coming from our Uber was pungent but having sat down already, we endured it for the 10-minute drive to Atlanta’s Edgewood neighborhood. Despite the chilly breeze, we put down the windows to breathe in fresh air and only after that could we talk. Faith, in her usual friendly manner, asked the driver what we could get up to in Edgewood. While he was answering, I looked out on the streets – they were scant. This wasn’t strange since it was Thanksgiving day and most Americans were indoors. The quiet streets and closed stores did little to deter us.

We wanted to do something, but didn’t have a single concrete plan besides, “leave the house.” As I brought my attention back to the conversation, I heard Martin Luther King’s memorial was close by, so Faith and I started there. The memorial was closed for the holiday but we could walk the grounds. It was here we met a female security guard who told us we could get a free tour if we came back during open hours. Free sounded good so we made a note to bring our friends (who for various reasons were not out with us) back later.

There’s a burning flame at the King Center called the Eternal Flame. It’s intended to signify continued support for love, equality, and freedom.As we walked, I noticed several streets had church buildings. I wondered how many of their pews still filled up with people on Sunday’s or Wednesday’s. Round the corner on Baker Street, we found a rack of community bikes and a map showing that we weren’t far from the famous Centennial Park. Happy to have found something to do, we rented two bikes and rode for 15 minutes to the park; stopping to ask directions along the way. I know how to ride bicycles but I navigate them at a basic level – most times I get off the bike to cross the street- so, it’s hard to look at a GPS and ride. Or is this hard for everyone?Faith made the hilarious decision to ride down the steep hill that led to the park’s entrance. Her bike was going fast enough that people in front of her had to step out of the way. I had already decided I would walk down the path but watching Faith cemented that decision. Laughing, + happy she wasn’t hurt, I walked my bike down the hill to meet her.Centennial Park was stunning in its shades of brown and orange from the fall leaves and was [as expected] more populated than our starting point earlier in the day. It might have been a good idea to start at the park but like I said, we weren’t following an itinerary. We rode around on our bikes, stopped to take pictures in places we found aesthetically pleasing, and for a few minutes, we contemplated riding the Ferris Wheel; but the thought of standing in line to do it without our friends was enough to make the decision. Instead, we spent a few more minutes in the park, returned the bikes to one of the elusive parking spots and called an Uber to take us home. We had two Thanksgiving dinners to get to, and I was ravenous.