What was the '96 Olympics like?

[pinetreelover]

I read a study on pediatric asthma ER visits once that used the two weeks of the Atlanta Olympics as a control period in the study. The study authors were looking at the impact of air quality on pediatric asthma and the automobile traffic in Atlanta dropped off so much during the Olympics that they were able to use that period to compare to "regular" days. It was that significant of a drop off in traffic - pretty impressive.

My Husband and I bought the cheapest ticket package possible and attended some pretty offbeat events (handball...) but we wouldn't have traded those two weeks for anything! So much fun and such a special time for our city!

Good luck!!!

[jeoff]

It was great. Atlanta was a pedestrian city for a couple of weeks. I saw women's volleyball, equestrian, and the Gold Medal round for baseball. The women's volleyball was nice, saw two strong teams play (maybe Cuba and China) and two weak teams Canada and Peru, I'm pretty sure. Win or lose, the Peruvian fans were easily the most enthusiastic--flags, cheers, and noise--a very positive bunch.

The time I felt most proud was during the Gold Medal round of baseball (at the old stadium). Cuba won the Gold --the US took the Bronze --just hearing how much the crowd cheered for all of the medalist, it just felt true to the Olympic spirit.

The equestrian (dressage?) was painfully dull.

Also went to some Paraolympic games Track-and-field at the Olympic Stadium and something at the coliseum at Ga Tech. There were showers on and of at the Olympic Stadium and it felt a bit like a highschool meet.
The bad? The bombings, of course. Izzie-What-is-it--one of the worst Olympic mascots ever. The opening ceremonies were bad (solid chrome pickup trucks, cheerleaders, and southern belles--looked Dollywood rejects). The closing ceremony was much more sincere and organic--with the athletes taking the show over. The busses that the city leased from other states were their garbage, and predictably broke down. --and everyone got upset when the IOC head gave the Atlanta games a passive-aggressively negative review. Still, it was a great time to be in the city.

[Clayton white guy]

I worked at Rich's uptown at Lenox Square and it was CRAZY busy. They kept the store open late EVERY night and I would work open to close for extra cash (I was a college student and REALLY needed the money.) I met people from all over the world to trade the Olympic pins. Everyone was REALLY impressed with Atlanta too. They said that our city was beautiful, clean, and friendly. They marveled at our tree canopy and lovely neighborhoods. Amid all the business I even made it to Olympic baseball! It was a great time!

[jeoff]

The parking was also kind of funny--some of the cheapest parking was in the prime spots, right next to the popular venues. Folks were so sure that either there would be no parking available close in, or it would be very expensive, that folks overpaid for parking further out, leaving the parking lots closer in with empty spots and lower prices.