A Historic 6 Miles

So Saturday's long run was another view of what's around me.  I had been thinking about where to go run, and really wasn't sure.  It seemed every place was so far away.  Well it turns out, it may be far away in a car, but close on foot.

Pre-run hair

I decided to run in Cabbagetown, so I started at the Stacks (Formerly the Fulton Cotton Mill).

Stacks (D took this in January)

As I was walking, I knew I would walk through the Krog Street Tunnel but past that, I wasn't sure where to go.  Cabbagetown is interesting but it is mostly residential so it really made no sense to run it when I could have just gone through my neighborhood.  So I decided I would go through Old Fourth Ward.

I walked through the tunnel and looked around because when I run the Romp and Stomp, I don't really look at it.  You can see they are still advertising the Chomp and Stomp from November.  The Graffiti in the tunnel is pretty cool, usually.

Krog Street Tunnel

Side wall outside of the tunnel

Inside the tunnel

So I started the run on the other side of the tunnel and ran up Krog. I ran past Rathbun's and Rathbun's Steak.  I don't know if it was because I wanted a steak, or what, but I could smell meat at 750 am.  MMM meat.  I ran up Irwin and turned North and realized I was going to cross Freedom Parkway, which I didn't really want to do so I turned West toward downtown.  I had to run through 2 yards because I ended up at a dead end but was close to the Freedom Pkwy Trail (I could see it), so I got on that.  I ran that for about .25 miles.  I see this sculpture every day.  It is really cool.  My camera was acting wonky.

Homage to MLK Jr. Bronze Sculpture

I ran to the end of the trail and decided to run down to the MLK Historic Site.  When I got there, for some reason, I decided to go straight away from it.  I was going to run one street more South but there was a ton of construction.  I turned down a side street.  There were a lot of people getting meals at a shelter.  Everyone had coffee. It was very communal.  I can't explain it but it wasn't depressing.  Everyone seemed upbeat.

I continued my run and got closer to downtown.  I ran through the Grady Hospital Campus.  I get lost here every time I'm in the car.  On my feet, there was no difference.  I still find it peculiar Coca-Cola Rd (or Way or Drive) is right here, when the HQ is not.  I pondered that and then saw "Jesus Saves." If you are ever on the Connector in Atlanta at rush hour, you have likely seen the steeple of this church (Big Bethel AME). The interstate sits above the street so that's about all you see.  In a car, in the city, I don't pay attention that much to buildings, so I never knew where it was.  I do now.  From looking up what the name of the church is, I found out this...Founded in 1847, Big Bethel is the oldest predominately African-American congregation in the metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia area. It also housed the first Black Public School.  An interesting read is here.

Big Bethel AME

I ran through the Sweet Auburn District and back towards the MLK Historic Site. I slowed down majorly here because I was taking pictures.  I saw both Ebenezer Baptist Churches, MLK's and CSK's crypt, the SCLC headquarters, SCLC-W.O.M.E.N, Inc., the house of the  principal of the HS MLK went to, and some other things.  There is a lot of history in this small section of town. The reason is because of the Jim Crow laws, blacks were segregated to certain areas, so this is where the black businesses, churches and places for social change set up. I actually didn't have a clue the significance of what I see every day. Well, I knew the MLK Jr. stuff, but I didn't know about all the different churches, the fire station, etc. I didn't know you could see the Kings' Tombs from the street.

Ebenezer Baptist Church, where MLK Jr. was ordained and preached

The other Ebenezer Baptist Church (across the street from the first one)

Eternal Flame and the Tombs of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King

Harper House, built in 1895

Details on the Harper House

The Bryant-Graves House (the brown house)

Information on Bryan and Graves

When I finished up running through all that, I found the water tower.  I only know what it is from Foursquare.  I always wondered what it was because it looks like something from the Civil War.  I was only at 4.4 miles.

Old Fourth Ward Water Tower

I decided to run to another section of town called Inman Park.  But Irwin Road was incredibly busy so I ran mostly in one of the neighborhoods.  It was quite boring to be honest.  It was hilly and I was close to being done so I wanted to be done.  I finally figured out I would be done and I turned back to the tunnel.  And then 6 miles was completed.

Krog Street Tunnel

 

Krog Street Tunnel

The light at the end of the tunnel