Hidden Gems of Piedmont Park + optional nearby Movie: Free Solo ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan!

Please note:   Registrations for this event began at 9:00 PM on Wed Nov 14th.  When I first posted this article at midday on Wednesday I had inadvertently clicked incorrectly that registrations would begin this Sat AM, the same day as the event.  - Apologies from Charlie, and thanks to Judith and Rebecca who quickly alerted me about my signup date "typo."
 
IN a NUTSHELL:  Hope you can join us for an easy but adventurous hike in Atlanta's historic Piedmont Park, and then (if you like) stick around with us a couple more hours for a convenient "walking-distance" showing of the movie, Free Solo.  The exciting outdoor adventure film documents the first solo ascent of Yosemite's legendary "El Capitan" - without a rope or other safety gear - by climber Alex Honnold who scaled its 3000-foot vertical rock face in less than 4 hours.  Produced by National Geographic and released just a few weeks ago, it has received rave reviews.  (See more Details about the movie & ticketing below.)
  Thankfully Atlanta's recent cold stormy weather will be "history" by the weekend and the forecast looks great for this double-header outing.  On Saturday afternoon we can expect sunny blue skies, little or no wind and a "balmy" 60 degrees!
  We'll gather for the Hike at 12:30 PM in a beautiful Atlanta midtown area just west of Piedmont Park.  It has abundant free streetside parking on both sides of "The Prado" (a historic wide residential street - See Directions & GPS Info below.)  From there we can conveniently hike into the Park via the Atlanta Botanical Garden's scenic main-entrance sidewalk.  After a ~4-mile Piedmont Park hike (see Hiking Details below) any hikers who DO NOT wish to stay for the film should have no problem being back at your cars by the above-advertised 2:30 PM if necessary.
  Please state in your AOC Event Registration Notes whether you plan to attend the 2:35 PM showing of "Free Solo" with us (which lasts 1-hr and 40 minutes).  We members who DO stay for it will continue our hike about 1/4 mile beyond the SE corner of Piedmont Park to the Midtown Art Cinema complex (at 931 Monroe Drive, just west of Atlanta's East-side Beltline and a couple of blocks south of 10th Street).  This afternoon showing has a flat-rate $9 admission fee. (See Ticket Pre-Ordering Details below.)  We movie-goers can expect to be back at our cars by 5:00 PM via a "short-cut" return walk through the Park.

DETAILS for OPTIONALLY PRE-ORDERING your own MOVIE TICKET:  You can click here to reach the Midtown Art Cinema's ticket reservation webpage for "Free Solo":  https://www.landmarktheatres.com/Booking/midtown-art-cinema/7503399
Then you can select the 2:35 PM showing time and pre-order your ticket online (as I have done to assure myself of a seat).  The price is just $9.00 for this afternoon showing (plus a $1.00  fee for pre-ordering).
  Feel free to try their walk-up ticket window when we arrive, instead of pre-ordering.  Their agent has told me by phone that she thinks it's likely that a few seats will still be available (at the $9 walk-up price).

MORE about the MOVIE from the LandmarkTheatres.com website:  "Free Solo' is a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of rock climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous monolith—the 3,000-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park—without a rope. Celebrated as one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, Honnold’s climb set the ultimate standard: ...perfection or death.  Succeeding in this challenge, Honnold enters his story in the annals of human achievement.  The film is both an edge-of-your seat thriller and an inspiring portrait of an athlete who exceeded our current understanding of human physical and mental potential." 
  Click here and then click ">Trailer" to view the movie's heart-pounding 2-minute Trailer:  https://www.landmarktheatres.com/atlanta/midtown-art-cinema/film-info/free-solo
  Click here for National Geographic's account of the remarkable feat:  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/features/athletes/alex-honnold/most-dangerous-free-solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan/

HIKING DETAILS:  During our ~105-minute moderately paced hike we'll enjoy exploring the "wilder side" of Piedmont Park and several "Hidden Gems" in its lesser-known wooded areas.  These will include the "Six Springs Wetlands" and some of the beautiful pathways in the newly developed NE quadrant of the Park near the Atlanta Botanical Garden including an unpaved future portion of the Atlanta Beltline.  We can also take a few minutes to explore a couple small midtown parks near our free residential parking area:  Winn Park and Ansley Park.

PIEDMONT PARK:  Now more than 125 years old, it became world famous in 1895 as the site of Atlanta's "Cotton States & International Exposition."  Volunteers who work with the Piedmont Park Conservancy deserve much of the credit for the Park's expansion projects since 2009 and esp. for helping to maintain its fine network of hiking paths and trails.  The Atlanta Botanical Garden was opened to the public in the NW corner of the Park in the late 1970s.  The Garden has greatly benefited the Park's popularity and reputation and has continued to improve and thrive in recent years.  Its famous "Chihuly" outdoor glass art displays, giant topiary sculptures and big-name "concerts in the park" are especially popular.
For more Piedmont Park info click http://piedmontpark.org/ .
For a Park Map that shows its huge network of trails, etc. click:  http://www.piedmontpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Piedmont-Park-Map-v2012.pdf

DIRECTIONS to our free PARKING & GATHERING SPOT at CORNER of WESTMINSTER DRIVE and THE PRADO:  (For a zoomable map or satellite of this spot and its vicinity click the square Blue & Green "EVENT LOCATION" icon near the top of this article.)

GPS and Maps.Google.com users:   You can enter as your destination the following street address that adjoins our gathering spot:  96 The Prado, Atlanta, GA 30309

Step-by-Step Driving Directions:
1.  From the Peachtree Street/ 15th Street junction in Midtown Atlanta (adjoining the Woodruff Arts Center's "Main Entrance Plaza") drive eastward on 15th Street just one block to Peachtree Circle.
2.  Bear leftward onto Peachtree Circle and go just 0.1 mile to Westminster Drive (just past wooded "Winn Park" on your right).
3.  Turn Right onto Westminster Drive and go 0.3 mile to The Prado (a wide residential street) where we'll gather in the small "pedestrian triangle" at that corner.  There's normally plenty of free street-side parking there up and down both sides of The Prado.

Free entrance into Piedmont Park and free streetside parking near corner of nearby Westminster Dr and The Prado.  Optional movie tickets for the 2:35 PM showing of Free Solo at the Midtown Art Cinema are $9.00 each (plus a $1 service charge if pre-ordered online as suggested above).