There are a lot of positives about Atlanta as 379Robocat has pointed out. We do have a great close airport, good rail service, thousands of close hotel rooms, great game venue and venue for the Saturday social. The GA Dome & World Congress Center are a good fit for First. I think that almost any dome & convention center (pits) are going to have a long walk between them for an event with 335+ teams. This walk was improved last year compared to 2004. Food & drink prices are high inside the dome as with any big city arena, but right next door there are many different fast food and sit down restaurants in the CNN Center.
The Championship event may be in Atlanta for the next few years but other locations should be considered and I am sure they are. I suppose that Atlanta has the best combination of what First is looking for, right now. No venue is going to have everything you want. Having the event further west will make for shorter and less expensive travel for the western teams but until First finds a better venue for the Championship why should the event be compromised? I wonder if the GA Dome & GWCC are giving First a rental discount just to help keep the event here? If a better venue is found, lets go and see other parts of this great country.
However, 379Robocat is also correct that there has not been much to do downtown. There are great places to see around Atlanta but without your own transportation seeing them is not possible unless they are on the Marta rail line. Atlanta is trying to correct this with the addition of the Georgia Aquarium this year and late this year the Coke museum is moving over to the Centennial Park area. Atlanta tried to get the Nascar museum but that was recently awarded to Charlotte.
See everyone in about 11 days.
Dave
