AMS Meeting Atlanta

Prior to going to Disney my boss asked me if I was willing to go in his stead to the AMS conference in Atlanta.  This being the first time I have attended since I was in college it was a blast.  Now mind you, you have to be a weather need to really get anything from the conference. I have degrees in meteorology so this was an easy sell.  With it being on the way back from FL and the following week after our vacation we went directly there since we were in a car going to Fl.  

We arrived to downtown Atlanta the day before the conference as a whole was to begin and mind you I hate a this city....  

We stayed in the downtown so that we could have access to the convention center without issue and access to the touristy things when we weren't at the events.  Unfortunately, due to the fact that Atlanta does a poor job with their sidewalks and the city itself is on a "hill" it made it difficult when your mother has a hard time walking and is in a wheel chair. 

The day after we arrived was Super Bowl Sunday so we spent the day at the sights seeing the Olympic Park and Coke World.  After doing a part of our day in the touristy things I went off to meet a fiend in Buckhead to watch the game at Twin Peaks...little did I know we would run into an Atlanta icon...Chipper Jones.

The conference itself started the next day and was four days FULL of VERY informative sessions on the science of weather and the new advances from college, private industry, and National Weather Service entities.   My favorite sessions included a half day symposium on the Fujita scale and changes to the scale people would like to do as well as scientific techniques that could make for better understanding of what the true classification of the Tornado should be.  Another was the entire day spent discussion major events from 2013 and what was done scientifically and otherwise in response to those disasters. Of course the biggest event I went to (I have to say this...lol) was the Family of Services and Partners Meeting for the National Weather Service where we talk to our private industry partners on the advances we are doing in our offices to make their lives "easier".

Of course as a weather need we also had the opportunity to see some of our faves in the industry from Josh Wurman, Mike Better, Dr Greg Forbes, and Ryan Maue.  Of course the best part is being a part of the AMS website for a year since they snapped you while being in line to get your book signed by your Director.

No trip to Downtown Atlanta would be complete without seeing the obvious epicenter of the city, CNN Center, or the icon of the city, The Varsity.  CNN center has a great VIP tour you must take which gives you an up close view into the daily operations of the television station with visits to their control rooms and right outside their many broadcast areas.  The Varsity is an icon for a reason unto itself...it is built into what could have only been a roller rink in its earlier days and is now a drive in fast food joint...it is without a doubt a don't miss on a vacation to Atlanta.