first peek at atlanta

…. Scarlett slides into her rented Ford Escort and spreads the Rand McNally map across her lap, ready to discover Atlanta on her own terms. Pulling out from Virginia Avenue in Hapeville, she merges onto I-75/85 North and catches her first glimpse of Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. Its flying-saucer silhouette rises unexpectedly from vast, flat parking lots, looking as if it had just touched down from outer space. To her, it is strikingly beautiful, a modern architectural echo of Rome’s Colosseum.
…. At street level downtown is a letdown. Massive hotel blocks, colossal and square, with sharp wind tunnels slicing between them. She finds an unexpected comfort in the sight of mounted police patrolling downtown; the rhythmic clip-clop of the chestnut horses reminds her of home in North Carolina. [Chapter 5 — Saturday, March 3, 1984]