Trip Report: My Visit To Atlanta To Honor Jimmy Carter…

My trip to Atlanta to honor former president Jimmy Carter turned out to be better than I could have imagined…and made me appreciate him more.

My Visit To The Carter Center To Honor Jimmy Carter

After a bumpy flight (with smooth service) to Atlanta, I ducked into a restroom and changed into my suit and tie…a small sign of respect for Carter and the office of the President.

Before
After

I had a bit of trouble finding my rental car, but was soon on my way from ATL Airport to the Carter Center across town.

The weather was very tolerable at around 45ºF and the rain had not started (yet). I knew it was coming.

I also knew that would probably work out to my advantage. I waited for 12 hours overnight in 2004 to file past President Reagan’s casket on a very pleasant Southern California June evening but hoped my wait would be much shorter here… especially because my departing flight left in seven hours.

Traffic through Atlanta was light and I soon myself near the Carter Center, though many road closures made it difficult to find a place to park.

I ended up parking on Highland Avenue in a parking lot that had a bar and liquor store in it.

…and an onery cuss living at a house next door.

He saw me, parking and gave me a good ol’ Georgia greeting.

“F*CK YOU N*GGER! WHAT THE F*CK YOU DOING HERE YOU STUPID N*GGER?”

I wanted to point out that honky or cracker would have better fit my skin tone, but I just ignored him and walked past him as he continued to call out such slurs.

Hey, I was in Georgia after all…Carter took over the governorship from Lester Maddox, who famously asked, “Why would we have different races if God meant us to be alike and associate with each other?”

I walked toward the Carter Center, which was surrounded by Atlanta Police cars.

Walking in, I eventually came to a tent staffed by the Secret Service, who were handling event security. After an airport-style pat-down, I walked down a path, down a set of stairs, and found myself at the entrance to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

There was no line…no wait.

Inside, I was warmly greeted by volunteer docents and invited to enjoy the museum before paying my respects to President Carter, who was lying in repose near the exit.

What a great idea…if there was a line (and during daylight hours there was a line)…letting people wait in the museum and occupy their time learning more about Carter’s life was a smart move.

I spent the next 90 minutes enjoying the museum…when I visit museums, I like to read every placard and view every picture. Here are some photos:

I signed the guest book and collected a card commemorating my visit:

At least in this post, I do not want to dwell on his presidency (a mixed bag) or on his post-presidency (also a mixed bag, with amazing humanitarian work, but also a very disappointing assessment of Israel). I do want to dwell on his mindset toward death, which he announced when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer:

“My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever l can, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”

Amen. That is our calling as humans!

(see this excellent NYT story on Carter’s views on death)

After filing past his casket (image below is a screengrab from the livestream…), I walked back out to the car. Thankfully Uncle Tom had gone to bed…

It was now only 1:30 am…I had some time.

First stop? Taco Bell, lol. The closest location that was open was in Decatur.

I did the same thing after paying my respects to George H. W. Bush in Houston…so much for kicking the Taco Bell habit in 2025…

The rains started shortly after…I was very thankful to have avoided the rain during my visit to the Carter Center, because it was relentless for the next several hours.

While I toyed with the idea of going to Waffle House instead just to try something different, I don’t eat Taco Bell at home so I’ll take it when I can get it…

Next, I pulled into a CVS Pharmacy parking lot in Decatur and took a two-hour nap…

At 4:30 am, I began the drive back to ATL, stopping at a gas station to put some gas in the rental car.

By 5:30 am I had parked the car, taken the train back to the airport, and cleared security…mission accomplished.