Sorry about the delay. We were in Atlanta, and the weather's awful. It was cold and rainy for three days straight, but there's no other city like it. That is, if you understand that 71 streets are named Peachtree or a variant of the word. And you gotta have a map and a sense of humor. It's easy to get confused. It's even easier to go nuts.
You should also know that the original avenue, Peachtree Trail, ran through a large Creek settlement that used to be called Standing Pitch Tree after a tall lone tree. The "pitch tree" was corrupted to "peach tree," and though Georgia is the "Peach State" there was no historical peach tree that led to its name.
But the street identification committee grew fond of the sound Peachtree and came up with similarities: Peachtree Creek Road, Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Plaza, Peachtree Walk, Peachtree Memorial Drive, Peachtree Valley Road...
You get the picture.
All one needs is an utter lack of imagination and a variety of endings.
"Okay John, what do we have today?" Thelma, the city street naming chairwoman asks.
"How about Peachtree Drive North, Peachtree Plaza East, and Peachtree Mile?"
"Excellent."
With high praise, it's voted in unanimously. So on your next trip to Atlanta, don't trust your brain that you've seen the street before.
Bring a good GPS and happy deja vu.
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