Pink Friday

As many of you know, my mom and I have a long-standing tradition (as in since birth for me, and in years past with both my grandmother and great grandmother as well) to get up at the crack of early on the day after Thanksgiving to hit the stores for all of the deals. Last year was a bit different since Elsa was in the picture, but we still went out fairly early (Jarrett's mom was also with us) and actually got a decent amount of shopping done since Elsa was still in the nursing/sleeping a lot phase. This year was even more different. But since I had planned on that, we set out with a completely different plan in mind. Nobody had a lot of serious shopping to do, and our primary goal this year was to ride the infamous Pink Pig. However, we did plan for a little shopping, as Jarrett and I received an e-mail from REI earlier in the week stating that the first 300 customers through the door would receive a reusable tote bag and a gift card (amounts between $5 and $100). The store opened at 8:00 a.m., and we made it there around ten til' to join the line formed outside of the door. The line wasn't too long, and we all (including Elsa) received our bags/gift cards -- four out of five of us got $5, but my dad scored with a $25 card. Because we are in the midst of planning a trip out to Yosemite, etc., my parents were kind enough to donate their cards to our cause, and we picked up a few items that were on sale.

After a quick bite to eat, we headed onto the mall, and directly to the Pink Pig ride. To give you a little background on this Atlanta treasure, the Pink Pig made its debut in 1953 as a child-size monorail that circled the toy department in the old Downtown Atlanta Rich’s. After a number of years, it was moved to the rooftop of the old building. The front car of the train had the pink pig’s face, and the last car had a curly tail. The original train featured Priscilla the Pig, and a second train was later added to the track, which was named Percival. After the closing of the downtown store, the Pink Pig was set up at the Festival of Trees at the World Congress Center in Atlanta. During the Rich’s-Macy’s era, a new and improved Pink Pig was created. However, the monorail was replaced with a child-sized train. The train is now set up on the upper-level of the parking deck a Lenox Square Mall under an enormous pink tent. The original Pink Pig monorail cars were restored in Sugar Hill, Georgia, and can now be found at the Atlanta History Center, where they are exhibited. The ride travels along train tracks to carry children and parents through a life-sized storybook that includes the original Pink Pig and her friends.

At first I wasn't sure if Elsa was going to be able to ride, as the sign said no lap children were allowed, and since I'd never ridden before, I wasn't sure if it would be feasible to have Elsa seated next to me. We were assured by some Pink Pig attendants that she was big enough to ride, so we purchased our tickets and walked right up to the front of the line. It was somewhat comical with us adults trying to squeeze into the rather small seats, but we made it, and Elsa sat beside me with a little support. She didn't seem too sure of it all at first, but must have warmed up to it by the end because she cried when we had to get off. The "I Rode the Pink Pig" stickers were a hit, though, and cleared up the teary eyes fairly quickly. I think we all had a good time, and I believe a new tradition is set in place.