Q: I have heard that Northside Hospital delivers the most babies in Atlanta. Is that true?
A: The stork doesn't need a GPS to find Northside Hospital, which actually delivers more than any other hospital in the U.S. The hospital says more than 18,000 bundles of joy are born annually at its three not-for-profit hospitals in Atlanta (which opened in 1970) and Forsyth and Cherokee counties. That's a lot of buns in the ovens.
Q: Why is there a classical arch in Atlantic Station?
A: It's not nearly as old as Paris' Arc de Triomphe and Rome's Arch of Titus, both of which it replicates. And it's not one of nearby Target's new store signs. The Millennium Gate, which you may have seen while working, visiting a museum in Midtown or shopping at Atlantic Station or IKEA, is an 101-foot arch (on its west side) that is the largest public classical monument built since the Jefferson Memorial in 1943. But love it or hate it, the arch originally wasn't planned for Atlanta. Longtime Atlantan Rodney Mims Cook Jr. – president of the National Monuments Foundation who has been described as a champion of classical architecture and is close to Prince Charles – first intended to build it in Washington D.C., but when that didn't work out, he raised more than $15 million to build it on land donated at Atlantic Station. The Gate, which opened in 2008, also houses a 12,000-square-foot museum about the history of Georgia and Atlanta and hosts events.
Q: Do the Atlanta Thrashers have cheerleaders?
A: At Philips Arena, I think we have the making of a new reality show – "Cheerleaders on Ice." But until Hollywood executives pick up on the idea, Thrashers fans can see the ladies on the Blue Crew in the stands and on the ice, distracting the male fans, leading cheers, distributing free stuff and quickly cleaning the ice surface during timeouts and intermissions. The 19 females on the 2010-11 Blue Crew had to prove their skating abilities as part of the tryout process (one member of the crew was a competitive figure skater). Some of them have been dancers with the Hawks and Braves. Off the ice, they're everything from pharmacy technicians and dental assistants to Pilates instructors and personal trainers. So remember guys, eyes on the action, not the hotties.
What do you want to know?
If you’re new in town or just have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Lori Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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