Comments on: The Great Buyout Spree

By: w

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 18:22:32 +0000

BPJ,

Fair Enough….

By: BPJ

BPJ — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 21:41:48 +0000

I don’t know anyone who equates Atlanta with Paris, London, New York, or San Francisco. Atlanta is not a great city, in my opinion, although it could be. But it is a much better place than the “there’s-no-culture-here” crowd comprehends.

The city is changing rapidly, and mostly for the better. Here is the key statistic to keep in mind: in 1990, the average per-person income in the city of Atlanta was 10% below that of the rest of the metro area; by 2004, the average per-person income in Atlanta was 28% higher than that of those who live outside the city in the metro region; and that was the biggest “flip” in those numbers anywhere in the US - at a time when city life is becoming more popular nationwide. What those numbers tell us is that people with choices are increasingly choosing to live intown - and that has consequences for everything (transit, education, arts support, parks, safety, etc.)

Oh, and I meant to mention the Carlos Museum in my earlier post. Visit it now……and realize it didn’t exist 25 years ago (well there was a small museum there when I was an Emory undergrad in the 70s, but it mixed stuffed animals and seashells in with a few mummies in a tiny space…..just go see it now!)

By: w

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:42:18 +0000

Some Other Mike,

That struck me as humorous for some reason…I really do live on the West Coast, thank God, and spend the majority of my time in Arizona and California. I’m not sure why this would be difficult to believe, ironically, considering that all of this communication is over the web, and I’ve never even suggested that my time in Atlanta has been more than small chunks at a time. Incidentally, I’m curious as to what the Timba-lake reference means…

By: Some Other Mike

Some Other Mike — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 20:38:56 +0000

You know, if this was ‘old web’, I’d actually buy the notion that you live out west. However, this is ubiquitous web, and I think you live as close to the west coast as the other posters on this site. Cumulatively, your posts indicate you have moved here from Phoenix or Tucson, and are quite unhappy about it. Also, when you’re done “bringing sexy back”, let us know where it went in the first place.
On a topical note, we can add Gold*Kist to the list of ex-Atlanta companies, and Home Depot might be on the block? Wow.

By: w

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 23:34:16 +0000

Mike and BPJ…

Actually, I’m doing nothing to make Atlanta a better place, since I live on the west coast. I’ve had to spend a fair amount of time there over the years, for a variety of reasons, and my comments are largely to provide an outsider’s perspective on your city, mostly directed toward the authors of the articles in this blog. They seem bent on pretending that Atlanta is something that it is not. Not Market Street in SF, Times Square NY, or the Louvre. Civic minded citizens going about the business of improving their community is admirable. As I said before, it’s the promotion of the notion that you’re something that you’re not is what is irritating.

By: BPJ

BPJ — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 16:45:51 +0000

questions for W:

-Have you been to any Robert Spano-conducted concerts by the ASO? (There’s a reason that when the New Yorker published a long article about conductors, Spano was highlighted.)

-Have you ever been to The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center? MOCAGA? MODA?

-Ever set foot in any of these galleries: Marcia Wood, SandlerHudson, Kiang, Solomon Projects, Saltworks, Jackson Fine Art, or Romo?

-Ever attend a play at Actor’s Express, 7 Stages, PushPush, Horizon, Theatrical Outfit, or Dad’s Garage? (A few of the reasons the national nonprofit theatre organization TCG held its annual meeting here this year. My counterparts - board members in Seattle, Chicago, and, yes, San Francisco - don’t agree with you about Atlanta’s reputation in the national theatre community.)

-Have you seen the Morris Louis show at the High? Or its show of selections from Atlanta photography collections (Elton John is not the only serious photography collector here, as you will see if you check out this show - open till Jan. 7.)

-And what are you doing to make Atlanta a better place?

By: Some Other Mike

Some Other Mike — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 07:36:02 +0000

Ok, Wilma…how long have you been living here, and why haven’t you moved back yet?

By: w

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 23:04:00 +0000

Sorry, Some Other Mike, no FUD here in fact… If you take the time to explore the power that simple perception wields, you will admit that a great deal of the reasons behind why Atlanta remains the ignored cousin in a trailer at the bottom of the US is due to poor reputation and perception by the rest of the country. Fairly or unfairly, the truth is that communities who embrace what they are essentially, simple collections of families and good folks going about the business of living, will never draw the irk or ire of more sophisticated metropoli dwellers. Examples of these are Little Rock, Baton Ruge, Huntsville, Alabama… those kinds of places. But when a larger city such as Atlanta or Dallas or Houston begins to insist that it be noticed by citizens of New York, LA, San Francisco, or any other cultural mecca, it reminds one of the small-town kid who pathetically wears the baseball cap at 1/4 turn, sports fake bling around his neck, but forgets to change his farm boots. This naturally makes people want to put these mystifyingly out of touch southerners in their place, so to speak. Another example of this is when Texans proudly tell Californians that they’re “…the third coast!” Instead of the reaction being what the Texan inevitably wants, i.e. “…wow, I’m impressed!”, generally the reaction is something to the effect of “…is that what you say to make yourselves feel better about living in Texas?” I find this to be a unique phenomena to the south, somehow. No one rolls their eyes when someone says they’re from Cape Cod.

By: Some Other Mike

Some Other Mike — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 22:03:30 +0000

I agree with Wilma on the notion that selling usually means losing, for anyone that isn’t a selling shareholder. However, those results will vary from company to company. The bigger and slower (more overhead, lower margin) the sellers are, the harder they fall (and the opposite applies to buyers).

Harry: That stat sounds more like “Atlanta attracted young talent 10 years ago.” It’s a very significant stat, as those 25-34 year-olds made babies, which are now Georgia’s #1 cash crop. A few of them started/folded/grew businesses, further driving the economics around here.

Wilma: Basic agreement aside, you’re really spreading FUD here. You should ask the Water Store for a refund, because they’ve put something in your weekly supply.

By: w

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 22:23:27 +0000

Actually, I’m afraid it’s rather naiive of you to believe that personal wealth increasing for a small minority at the expense of jobs and stability for the majority in some way benefits the community at large. As an example, US Airways, based in Phoenix, is slated to merge with Delta and the headquarters of this conglomerate will remain west. As such, more jobs will remain in Phoenix, and less in New Orleans and other parts southward. Some southern shareholders will undoubtedly do well as a result, but in the end, their personal holdings will never be shared with the masses.

“I guess as long as the talented people stick around town while we gain a tremendous amount of wealth that has to be a recipe for long-term success..”

Oh really? Success for whom? Are you a shareholder? This sounds like people who brag about their rich uncles, vicariously revelling in the success of others simply due to proximity.
Oh, and Harry van Beuningen…if you only start with 1 or 2 percent of your population being made up of college educated 25-34 year olds, a 46% increase is paltry, I’m afraid…lol…
The bottom line is that, like it or not, your area is not a particularly attractive place to live and these companies know it. They provide short-term incentives for professionals to break down and actually move there, but the story is always the same: “…don’t worry, honey!…ah…you’ll, you’ll learn to love Atlanta!…gangsta-hip-hop is in right now!…you’ll see!…” Fast foreward three months: “Oh, my gosh, can you believe we actually live in Georgia?”… Then the begging for a transfer starts….