[dangerousdave]

While our team is happy to have the National's in our area we certainly understand others wanting them near their home. Here is some Georgia Dome news that just appeared in the Atlanta newspaper today.

"Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank plans to invest up to $150 million in the state-owned Georgia Dome. While a big reason is to help the city land the Super Bowl all who use the dome will benefit. Mr. Blank said "But the reality is that if we don't get the bid, this is the right thing to do for Atlanta and our community."

While these improvements will not be immediate they will help the GA Dome stay a state of the art facility to help keep up with the needs of First Robotics. At least 70% of the income for the GA Dome comes from the Falcons so it is very likely that Mr. Blank's needs will be addressed.

Also, late this year Atlanta's new aquarium will open. This should help address the concerns about things to do in downtown Atlanta.
Thanks to a generous gift from Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, the Georgia Aquarium will be one of the largest and most exciting aquariums in the world, featuring more than 55,000 animals from 500 different species in over 5 million gallons of water. The Georgia Aquarium is located in downtown Atlanta, next to the new World of Coca-Cola, and across the street from CNN Center, the Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park and Imagine It! Atlanta’s Children’s Museum.

Some facts from the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

Atlanta is 1st in:

Fastest Growing Online City
Source: Nielsen/NetRatings 2003

Airport for non-stop service to United States Destinations
Source: Back Aviation Solutions and OSG, 2003

Airport in Number of Passengers
Source: The Atlanta Journal Constitution, February 16, 2005

America’s Hottest 50 Cities
Source: Expansion Magazine, January, 2004

Most Affordable Market
Source: Business Week, Jan. 3, 2005

Technology Accessible (2nd)
Source: Popular Science, 2005

Georgia Dome - the largest cable-supported domed stadium in North America

Convention information for 2004

3,041,387 Convention attendance
92,359 hotel rooms at 745 properties
more shopping center space per capita than any other U.S. city except Chicago

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
80 percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour flight of Atlanta

See everyone at the GA Dome next month!