We didn't see much of her during the Olympics as she was a volunteer. She
was up, dressed in her uniform and cowboy-type hat, and out early each
morning. Remind us to tell you of the hottest night of our life - - - -Olympics - Atlanta
Background
Its 1996 and Jackie and I are preparing to visit Dave, my first cousin, and his wife Connie in Quinter Kansas for a Gillespie Cousin Reunion - leaving in about 10 days. Jennifer has been coaching volleyball at Georgia Tech for some time and has purchased her first home, a condo in Mid-Town Atlanta. Jeffery recently moved to Atlanta also, having been transferred from Baltimore by IBM and is living in the "hood".
We get a call from Jeffrey. "You Got To Come To Atlanta - "This Is the Biggest Party In the World. You Can't Miss This!"
Of course, he's talking about the Olympics. Given his enthusiasm, a potential place to sleep at Jennifer's, and the fact we may never pass this way again (an Olympics we can attend), we internalize the pro's and con's, review our bank account, and a day later, head for Atlanta.
This was a pre-digital camera period for us and we were not prepared to take meaningful pictures, so we apologize in advance for the quality, disorganization and the small number of pictures.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> - - - - - - -<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
So, we have a place to stay , Jennifer's
condo.
We didn't see much of her during the Olympics as she was a volunteer. She
was up, dressed in her uniform and cowboy-type hat, and out early each
morning. Remind us to tell you of the hottest night of our life - - - -
As you might guess, attendance /
appearances were made by the famous and infamous. We crossed paths with
the Reverend Jessie Jackson on the street. 
There were any number of headquarters around town for the different countries represented by teams in the Olympics - as this one for Canada.
One of the most amusing sites was the New Mexico "Embassy" right down the street from Jennifer's. Folks from New Mexico had written the US Olympic Organizing Committee for tickets. Their application and money was returned because only United States residents could obtain tickets through the USOC - and New Mexico residents would have to apply for their tickets their country's Organizing Committee. After the USOC was embarrassed in the papers and TV, the New Mexico folks got their tickets, but could not resist the temptation to establish their own
New Mexico "Embassy" in
Atlanta. 
The
Flag of Nations was a centerpiece and attracted a number of photographers.
So we need tickets. There is only one realistic option at this late date - after all, folks have bought tickets for events for months and years in advance - scalpers. They are everywhere, but the vast majority of the "legitimate" ones are gathered on a single intersection on Peach Tree, and are easily spotted by the crowd around them . Watch out for a couple "stand-alone" scalpers - their tickets are probably counterfeit. The closer the time to an event, the lower the price. The best price is just after the event starts. We bought all the tickets we could afford from scalpers.
Well, we got to a number of events - the
"cheap ticket" ones. The only one we paid a bit more for was the
volleyball game
between the two top rated teams in the world - Russia and
Cuba.
What
a game! 
As Jennifer played volleyball for GT and then coached, she broke away from her Olympic volunteer duties for a short time to attend this game with us.
And there was field hockey at Morris Brown University (Try walking from Morris
Brown to Mid-Town on 90 degree heat sometime because MARTA was broke down!)
And there was 
Team Hand Ball. We had never heard of this sport, but they were the
cheapest tickets in town, so we went. The announcer said this sport
was developed in Europe for no other reason than to keep football (soccer)
players in shape during winter. Don't ask us for all the rules - but it a
very exciting sport!
Here
we are in the bleachers. The Team Handball was inside a beautiful building
Along with a number of other smaller in-door events. 
And there was cycling. This was free, but amounted to a long walk,
standing a long time in the heat, for less than 30 seconds of frantic activity
as they blew by. We enjoyed it none-the-less.
All around the central Olympic area there were any number of statues and works of art - most of which remain today - although they may have been moved.
I wish our pictures were as impressive as the art.
Of course business was also a primary part of the Olympics. Everyone had to have Olympic pins. I even got a few. Pin fever is the only way to explain this phenomenon. The is little reason to have one - or twenty - but everyone buys, sells and trades them. Its a major industry at all Olympics. See the "Pin University" below.
Or you could go to the Swatch center, with their 10 plus storey watch. However the most fascinating display of all (and I watched it as often as I could) was the Budweiser "waterfall". Imagine if you will, a waterfall where the fall of the water is somehow interrupted so that it takes shape as the water falls perhaps fifty feet. Even with the poor quality of the picture above, you can see Olympic rings as the water falls. Imagine seeing figures, icons and such in this display.
Centennial Park
Other than the events, the center piece of the Atlanta Olympic was, and remains, Centennial Park. Unfortunately, two days before we arrived a small bomb was set off in the park. Sad to say, although we don't remember if anyone was killed, a number of folks were injured. We remember a guy was hounded by the FBI, seemingly for years, but was not the culprit - but we don't recall if the actual bomber was apprehended. This was the
impromptu memorial.
All the sidewalks were brick.
we didn't know it but one could buy a brick to help sponsor the Olympics.
As you see below, there were thousands of these bricks at Centennial Park.
A very popular part of the Park was the dancing fountains. Popular doesn't begin to describe either the park of its fountains. On one visit the park was announced to have 250,000 people in it! This is the first, and we hope the only time, where one could not control where one went. You were truly swept along with the tide of people and went wherever the tide took you. We spent the better part of an hour working our way slowly, very slowly, to an exit. This was the most frightened I've ever been in a crowd - you had absolutely no control of your movement.
Oh, they gave out sample of sunburn lotion to each Park visitor at the gates during one visit. Take a moment to think what 250,000 people in 90 degree heat, jammed shoulder to shoulder, each smeared with sun tan lotion, smells like!
The Fountains were not always crowded.
But then again, they did attract a large group of sweaty people.
Including an other hot visitor.
Although this looks quite a bit like a location within Dante's Infernal, this is
a shot of the fountains a night.
Ah, downtown Atlanta, near the CNN Building, at night.
And with last videos being taken, Jackie and I get ready to leave the "biggest party in the world" for Kansas.
Thanks kids for a wonderful, once in a life time experience.