Atlanta (sucks?)

This past weekend I attended a Muse concert in Atlanta. Duluth, GA, actually, but that is irrelevant in regional terms. North Georgia can now be called Atlanta and most people won't bat an eye.

The concert occurred on the penultimate day of Olympic competition. It made me recall the 1996 Games in Atlanta. And I wondered, How in the hell did Atlanta win the Summer Games? How do Atlantans think they belong in the same discussion as other summer host cities? Roll call:

Sydney, Australia (2000): One of the world's most beautiful cities and home to the coolest building made in the 20th century.

Barcelona, Spain (1992): 2,000+ years of history in a gorgeous Mediterranean setting. The only city ever to win an architecture award normally awarded to individuals.

Seoul, South Korea (1988): 2,000 years old and home to 1/4 of the nation's population. The metropolitan area has 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Beijing, China (2008): Thousands of years of history. The Beijing Dialect is the basis of Standard Mandarin, the world's most-spoken language.

London, England (2012): Another national capital with 2 millennia under its belt. One of 3 command centers for the global economy. Second most-visited city on Earth. The capital of the world during its empire days.

Athens, Greece (2004): 5,000 years old. Birthplace of the Olympics. Birthplace of Western Civilization.

On second thought, kudos to Atlanta for joining this list of cities. I'd drive there and thank them in person, but I would get stuck in traffic.