Around Town

Coke claims to be the world's best known brand -- and they have their own museum in Atlanta to prove it. The World of Coca-Cola originated at Underground Atlanta in 1990. In 2007, the Underground Atlanta location closed permanently and the current one opened its doors.

CNN, the world's best known news brand, has their headquarters here. CNN Center isn't as flashy looking as World of Coca-Cola, but it's as impressive in its own way.

When you step into CNN Center, you can see offices everywhere. From what we can tell, the news business is booming. Like Coke, CNN also knows how to build brand recognition. Signs show their name . . .

  . . . they advertise their divisions on the food court tables . . .

. . . and they even have a souvenir shop! Frankly, we never expected all that.

Speaking of the news, this is where the SoundStage! Network CEDIA Expo '09 show report originates from: the Residence Inn Atlanta Downtown. It's a good hotel -- but at $181 per night, which is what we're paying, it should be. If our business was booming like CNN's appears to be, we'd buy the whole tower, build our own gift shop downstairs, and then stay here next year for free.