Photo by Trey Ratcliff/Stuck in Customs
Trey Ratcliff, who runs the popular travel photo blog Stuck in Customs, was in a public park in downtown Atlanta trying to photograph the World of Coca-Cola museum when he was confronted by a cop.
He was actually trying to photograph an entire cityscape, including several tall buildings surrounding the Coke Museum.
The cop told him that the Coca Cola Bottling Company doesn’t allow their building to be photographed by professional looking photographers.
She told him professional photographers need special permission to take a photo of the building.
She also told him that if he continued taking photos using a tripod, he would be arrested.
She said he would be charged with illegal use of a tripod. Actually, I am just kidding about that part but I haven’t a clue what type of charges he would face. Most likely disorderly conduct and refusing an unlawful order.
He doesn’t say how the situation was ultimately resolved but he did post the above photo, saying that it wasn’t the shot he wanted. So I’m not even sure if the Coke building is in the photo.
And if you feel deprived because you have never visited the Coke Museum, check out this blogger’s review of the tour.
When you think about it, the Coke masterminds are really genius. Not only is it a great drink, but they’ve turned their building into a landmark and tourist attraction.
People come here from all over and pay Coke to hear about how great their product is and all the wonderful things they do for people, like getting them hooked on caffeine and making them smile while they’re rotting their teeth with sugar.
People pay to walk around and read tons of advertisements and watch a super long commercial and to sample all their products, and then buy their crap. They get thousands of people to do this every year. Amazing.