Monday, November 02, 2009

The Navel of the World.

It is a well-known fact in the northwest Atlanta suburbs that the Big Chicken is the Milliarium Aureum of the world. All directions can be given using le Poulet Gran, as we snooty East Cobb types called it, as the starting point.

For instance, to get to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago from my folks' place, you would go to the Big Chicken and turn right...

9 comments:

karrde said...

Funny note...

During my last year in Grad School, I lived on US-41. Thus, I would also have turned right to get to the Museum of Nat. History in Chicago.

Of course, nearly everything on US-41 was south of where I was, and the absolute North End of US-41 was only 50 miles to the north.

Anonymous said...

Right only if you're coming from 120E. If you happen to be coming from the Square, you turn left.

I wonder if 41 from end-to-end would be a Route 66 kind of trip.

Some I-95 Driver said...

Do they use the Big Chicken when giving directions in television ads?

In Maine, they have "The BFI", used as the navel of all direction-giving. On a business trip, I noticed several carpet ads and used car ads gave directions relative to "The BFI". At lunch, I asked my cow-orkers what "The BFI" was, and all they'd do was laugh and say "you'll figure it out".

So, on my way to LL Bean after work, I see this huge thing waaay off in the distance, visible from miles and miles away. As I got closer, I realized it was an extraordinarily large wooden Indian, perhaps 250 feet tall...

Anonymous said...

That's the Big Chicken?

At least the Indianapolis Big Chicken is a Big Chicken: http://www.mineart.org/photos/big_things/indianapolis/chicken2/IMG_0176.JPG

Apparently chicken technology has improved over the years.

Shootin' Buddy

John A said...

Well, I suppose it is more visible (even if less colorful) than our landmark business sign -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Blue_Bug

Atom Smasher said...

In Ypsilanti, Michigan, there is a water tower that is fairly phallic-looking, and it was not uncommon to be given directions relative to "the big d!ck". Well, not uncommon amongst me & my buddies, anyway.

Ross said...

While visiting a friend down in Marietta, I actually got takeout from the Big Chicken.

Armed Texan said...

You have to give directions by landmarks in Atlanta. Out of towners are confused by, "go north on Peachtree and then turn right when you get to Peachtree. Take that 1 mile then turn left and you find your destination at the corner of Peachtree and Peachtree."

Tam said...

The next time the Yankees invade, they'll have a harder time burning the place down because they'll get lost trying to figure out the differences between Peachtree Street, Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Creek, Peachtree Battle, Peachtree Heights East, West Peachtree, and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.