And it’s upon us! The week of the World Barista Championship, held in conjunction with the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s annual conference and exposition. So we thought we’d kick things off with some fun facts about the city you’re about to get to know well, Atlanta, Hotlanta, the ATL, what have you.
¢ Atlanta is host to well over 16.5 million visitors each year.
¢ Atlanta’s Varsity Restaurant has earned the distinction of serving the highest volume of Coca-Cola anywhere. It dispenses nearly 3 million servings of Coca-Cola annually.
¢ With a passenger terminal complex equivalent in size to more than 45 football fields, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport bears the proud distinction of being “the world’s busiest passenger airport.”
¢ The Capitol Dome is layered in 43 ounces of pure gold that was mined in Dahlonega, Georgia – the site of America’s first Gold Rush.
¢ There are approximately 55 streets with the name œPeachtree in Georgia.
¢ Atlanta is home to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the largest museum in the world solely dedicated to a famous civil rights leader.
¢ Atlanta’s population is 470,688; 4,917,717 (metropolitan area)
¢ Atlanta is the site of the 10th World Barista Championship!
Things You Should Know
Electricity: 110 volts, 60Hz, standard two-pin plug
Time Zone: GMT – 5
Country Dialing Code: 1
Area Codes: 404, 770, 678 (must be included when dialing locally)
Blog Update
After some discussion with the World Barista Championship board last week, it was determined that Barista Magazine will be managing the Official World Barista Championship blog! That special blog site is being built out right now, and will be posted tomorrow, so please check back ”we’ll provide links here.
We’re excited about this. Ken & Camera will be stationed on stage and around the World Barista Championship area, and I will be in the blogging room and wandering around the competition site looking for fun news and tidbits to report back on the blog. Of course, we will continue the tradition of news and photos of each and every World Barista Championship competitor, with extended coverage on Sunday for the final round.
Between the blog and the live feed, we ”the World Barista Championship Board, and Barista Magazine ”got you covered!
ATL Tacos, Coffee, Etc.
One more fast fact: our friend, Ben Helfen, of Octane ”one of the coolest cafes in the ATL ”has provided a brief guide to some good cafes, restaurants and other spots he likes to frequent in his city. Here it is. Thank you, Ben, because it’s always a pain in the butt to find a good taqueria when we’re on the road. You rock!
