Blast from the Past: Atlanta gets the (Nashville, Carl: house, to live in)

[waronxmas]

I was digging around on YouTube and found this great video of Atlanta winning the Olympic bid in 1990:


YouTube - Announcement Atlanta 1996 Olympics Part 2 Sept 1990

In the video, Chuck Dowdle said it exactly right that when Atlanta won the olympic bid it would be the most important day in the city's history right along with Sherman burning this place down. Though it may seem unbelievable today, people often forget that at the time this announcement was made Atlanta was in the same league as Birmingham, Nashville and Memphis fighting for just the dominance of the American South. Now, we're a world city and unquestioned economic powerhouse of the South.

Aside from all the obvious things that Games brought, there are the smaller intangible things that people often forget. How this city was edge for years in the lead up to this moment and how strong the energy was. How I as an 11 year old black kid who grew up on the southside thought for the first time "Wow, you mean people from all over the world are going to come here?!?" It was a ground shaking moment

There are also a few other gems in the video. A traffic free spaghetti junction, the old Atlanta skyline with no skyscrapers in Buckhead and only one significant one in Midtown (LOL), and how many reporters from WSB are still on the air.

Hard to believe this was almost 20 years ago

[atlantagreg30127]

I remember the announcement day vividly, myself. Freaked everyone out. They were like, "Wha.. hu.... we did????". LOL

Remember that promo video, too (and the light traffic shown in it). Good find.

[brettk]

If someone had purchased up all the open land around ATL the day of that announcement, they'd be a very rich man today.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

original quote has been deleted

Compared to what? All of the other Olympics you've attended? Whatever.

It was a fantasic Olympics...probably the only one I'll ever see in person, and to telelvision viewers around the world it was no better or worse than any other. I don't think there has ever been a city as excited to win the bid as Atlanta. What a great time to live in this city.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Compared to what? All of the other Olympics you've attended? Whatever.

It was a fantasic Olympics...probably the only one I'll ever see in person, and to telelvision viewers around the world it was no better or worse than any other. I don't think there has ever been a city as excited to win the bid as Atlanta. What a great time to live in this city.

Come on now, did you really expect anything different from our resident Debbie Downer

Were there problems with the Atlanta Olympics? Of course their were, but every city has problems putting on the Olympics. Just look at the recent example in Beijing, even though everyone loved their opening ceremonies and the architecture of the venues, the smog was as thick as smoke and the algae in the bay was disgusting.

As for Atlanta though it has plenty to be proud of from the games:

-Atlanta made a $10 million profit from the games and had ZERO debt at the end of the games. The only other city since 1976 to do that is Los Angeles (who also was criticized for their commercialization of the games.)

-Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic FL. CLASSIC!
-Carl Lewis' last olympics
-Michael Johnson tearing up the track at Olympic Stadium
-Keri Strug and her broken ankle, one legged landing
-World debut of the American Women's Soccer team's dominance

and tons more.

The terrorist attack was a big negative, but I think the whole world was amazed at the way we just picked ourselves up and went on with the show.

So to those who say the games "sucked" or were a "failure", well I just say poo to you

[JasonPaul]

Yeah it was great. The torch was ran right by my house and I sat there and watched it go by, it was awesome. I just wished I could have attended more events, I only got to go to two of them. Remember the mascot, Izzy? Damn that was a bad choice though.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by JasonPaul

Remember the mascot, Izzy? Damn that was a bad choice though.

Never speak of that foul beast again!

[johnatl]

I remember the day we were announced the winner almost like it was yesterday.

I was working Downtown back then, and was actually on the train to work. MARTA had piped in the coverage over the PA system. When it was announced "At-lahntah," the entire train car just went nuts. Jumping up and down, strangers hugging strangers, etc.

Just a slight clarification waronxmas - We were already LIGHT YEARS ahead of any of our peers (Birmingham, Nashville, etc.) at that time. You need to go back a couple of decades to when we were still equals.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by johnatl

Just a slight clarification waronxmas - We were already LIGHT YEARS ahead of any of our peers (Birmingham, Nashville, etc.) at that time. You need to go back a couple of decades to when we were still equals.

Yes!

I was going to write the same thing...but I didn't have the time earlier!

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Never speak of that foul beast again!