Atherton Park in Marietta, Ga

Atherton Park in Marietta is an interesting place to stop, sit, and relax and watch the people.

Atherton Park is named for Howard “Red” Atherton, one of the previous mayors of Marietta. Red was second in command at Atherton’s Drug Store. His daddy was the rude one who would run off a loitering teenager in a blink of the eye.

On the left is the Kennesaw House, which houses the Marietta History Museum. Straight ahead is the Marietta Visitors’ Center and what used to be the Train Depot.

Of course the train tracks are on the other side of the Visitors' Center - and you can hear them roar by about every 40 minutes or so.

The black wrought-iron chairs and tables are usually occupied by young people who look to be college students with a dash of bohemian. You usually see a few bicycles and motorcycles, and someone playing the guitar and a high percentage of them smoking.

I think the tables and chairs are owned by the coffee house. The backdoor to the coffee house is the white doors in the bottom photo.

Not only do you get to watch the interactions of the hip bunch but also young families going to the Kennesaw House or the Marietta Visitor’s Center which is a parade of yuppies.

This area is at the corner of two alley-type streets.. like on one side are back entrances and loading areas for the stores facing the West Park Square area in the center of town... it is just enough away from the mainstream of downtown to hear it but not be part of it.