World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia

Located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, the World of Coca-Cola is an interactive museum dedicated to everything Coke. From memorabilia spanning decades to a tasting room featuring Coca-Cola from around the world to a fully functioning bottling line producing souvenir bottles of Coke, the World of Coca-Cola is a fascinating place, not least of which, because it's an almost endless celebration of one of the biggest brands on the planet.

With Coca-Cola HQ located in Atlanta it's really no surprise to see the brand showcased like this here. In 2011, as part of Coca-Cola's 125th anniversary, the legendary secret formula was transferred from a vault at SunTrust Bank in downtown Atlanta to the World of Coca-Cola. Visitors can now view The Vault of the Secret Formula as a permanent exhibit, but you'll just have to take their word for it that it's actually in there. 

I genuinely enjoyed exploring the World of Coca-Cola. They do a good job of representing some of the history and quirks of their brand (New Coke, anyone?) while also playing into the novelty of having people essentially walk through a giant advertisement for a soft drink. A few highlights not to be missed are the Best Picture Academy Award for Gandhi (1982) on display (Coca-Cola owned Columbia Pictures at the time) as well as a variety of unique Coca-Cola memorabilia surrounding the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. 

Vault of the Secret Formula.

Bottling line at World of Coca-Cola.

Entrance to the Secret Formula Exhibit.

Best Picture Oscar for Gandhi.

5 Places We'll Miss Inside Medicine Hat High School

It's certainly no secret by this point that Medicine Hat High School is in the middle of a massive renovation / modernization that has already significantly changed the way it looks. If we're honest, it was clearly time for the high school to get an upgrade, but that doesn't change the fact that a lot of memories are tied to those old classrooms and hallways. That was really the motivation behind doing a pre-renovation photo series of the high school in the first place.

With just a few weeks left to pre-order my photo book MHHS As It Was, I thought I'd highlight 5 places that we'll miss, or at least 5 places around the old high school that we'll look back at nostalgically once they're all officially gone. Naturally, you'll find images of all these locations (and numerous others) inside the limited-edition MHHS photo book.

1. The North Foyer

As a place to hangout or the first place many of us saw entering the school each day, the North Foyer, with its large windows and wooden benches, was one of those quintessential old Hat High spots. A big part of its character came from years of students though - carvings into the wood made the space into a continually evolving yearbook. While I'm certain it was frowned upon, if you gloss over how many dicks were carved, it's kind of charming.
  

2. The Gymnasiums

The smell of sweat and the buzz of the lights were easily identified when entering either the North or South Gymnasiums. From gym class to pep rallies to final exams, these spaces, whether you enjoyed them or not, were part of everyone's high school experience at MHHS.

3. The Oldest Classrooms

While I'm not sure how fondly everyone looks back at all of their lessons and lectures, the oldest classrooms, themselves, became more interesting and distinct as the decades added up at Hat High. Old laminate flooring, vintage stained built-ins, mid-century lighting and ceiling tiles - all of these things characterized the oldest parts of MHHS. With the entire school being modernized, all of these details will only remain in photographs. 

4. The Skywalks

Love them or loathe them, the East and West Skywalks certainly made Medicine Hat High School unique. They framed the middle of the school and architecturally made the building a bit more interesting. The demolition of both skywalks early in the modernization process also signified how different the new high school was really going to be.

5. North Wing Tunnels  

The legends about the tunnels under the North side of the high school were often discussed in an increasingly dramatic fashion prior to anyone actually seeing them for themselves. In honesty, the tunnels weren't much more than a glorified storage area, but they were made notable by the countless grad classes and students who left their names and graffiti on the walls.

Explore more of the old MHHS by ordering your copy of the photo book here. You'll also find an original colour-coded map of the high school at the start of the book to retrace your steps.
    

Timelapse: Lightning Over Medicine Hat, Alberta

Hot summer days create some incredible summer storms. Last night that was the case in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Anticipating that the skies would be pretty active, I made my way to the top of the parkade in downtown Medicine Hat to capture some of the excitement. I was there for just under an hour and witnessed some really impressive lightning strikes. Check out the brief timelapse video below of some of the thunderstorm highlights.