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As proof, try this Google Search:  “The best thing about Atlanta is“…  The results are not pretty.  There is no true best thing about Atlanta.  Unlike New York, with its theater scene or Chicago with restaurants and museums,  Atlanta seems not to have a sense of pride about itself or a best prominant feature.
The search for “The worst thing about Atlanta” leads of course to traffic.  However, there is a bigger problem which is that Atlantans don’t have a sense of themselves and hence have no sense of pride in Atlanta. 
While the ‘Every Day is Opening Day’ slogan is good for attracting visitors to the city, it’s not making people proud to be an Atlantan.  They’re not happy to live here…  So what’s the answer?  Part of it is happening now.  Density will bring intensity of loyalty… if it’s done right.  The Atlanta Regional Commission also needs to dedicate itself to an Atlanta focus.  They need to take a stronger hand in strengthening the stronger central core and helping to induce new companies to move here. 
Mostly, however, it’s us.  We need to think of ourselves as Atlantans, take pride in our successes, and participate in local events. The more pleasure people get in local events the more they will change the center of their world view.

More than 350,000 people have been murdered in the Darfur region of Sudan.  They’re being exterminated.  This is a Genocide.  Women and Children are being raped to force them into being social outcasts, and scores of villages have been burnt by a coalition of Arab Zealots and their Sudanese Government Allies.  Now, there is an effort to stop food aid from reaching refugee camps and to simply starve the non-Arab people of Darfur to death.  Why?  Because the Darfur Sundanese are Black African Muslims and not Arab Muslims.  This is just wrong.
Now, I know what you’re thinking:  A) We’ve known this for a long time!  Why are you bothering me with it?  and B) This is a Blog about ATLANTA!!  What does this have to do with Atlanta? 
I tell you all this because you can do something about it.  Representative Tyrone
Brooks has introduced House Bill 964.  This bill would prohibit the State from investing in or doing business with Firms with capitalization of over $100,000 who do business with Sudan.   This Bill is in the Banks and Banking Committee of the Georgia House.  You can write your representatives and the members of the committee and urge that the Bill be “recommended Do Pass” and moved on the Rules Committee and then sent to the floor of the House for a Vote. 
Now, this does bring up tricky issues.  First, linking fiscal policy to social strategies on a government wide range isn’t a great idea.  The primary goal of pension and investment funds is to maximize the economic use of the States Recources to improve the life of citizens.  That means investing pension funds in a way that maximizes returns.  Second, linking policy to spending means that untimately, the budget is the only policy device that matters.  This creates a whole can of worms.  If the policy side of things get settled pre-budget, both the policy and fiscal debates will be more transparent and cleaner. 
However, sometimes there is an overriding moral imperative and this is one of those times.  15 years ago, several states and groups divested themselves of dealings with South Africa and this pressure lead directly to the end of apartheid.  If apartheid was cruel and wrong, clearly the organized rape and murder of people is even more insidious.  Stop the murder and rape first, then clean up the fiscal mess.
Please support HB 964.  5 minutes of your time now will stop a child from being raped and killed. 

Atlanta radio has changed again….  97.1 FM had been an oldies station for years.  Then it became a station played R&B and Hip Hop.  Now it’s become a classic rock station…. AKA “The River“.   What does this say?  How is it that over the past few years, three different stations have tried this format and can’t seem to stick to it?  There can’t be that many white guys in their 40s who want to listen to more Journey can there? 
Ironically, Atlanta has always gone it’s own way when it comes to radio.  This is the city where Howard Stern and Don Imus couldn’t make it.   Yet it would seem that at the moment, the city’s radio stations have lost some direction.  Dave FM is clearly the leader of the boomer market.  Star 94 gets the corporate women in their 20s & 30s.  V-103 and 107.9 fight for Hip Hop fans and the Gen Xers have 99x.
There are at least two kinds of stations missing.  Atlanta is one of the largest markets to lack an all Reggaeton station.  It’s also one of the largest markets without a roots music station. 
A roots music station might be a great thing.  Right now, there is no place in Atlanta to hear Arthur Alexander on the radio or even Buddy Holly.  Roots music stations tend to attract high income audiences and can provide a broad listening base.  They also help educate people about nearly every genre of music because they focus on connecting it all together. 
Considering that the last format change didn’t last long and given classic rock is based in a lot of what’s now considered roots music, perhaps the river can start their transition quickly.
Then again, perhaps this is just one more pus toward more satellite radio….

“Atlanta, Where Everyday is Opening Day“.  From the thinkers that brought you that acclaimed mascot ‘Whatizzit’ comes the newest fiasco from the city too busy to do it right!  It’s the new city slogan, and quite frankly, we’ve been duped!  Hornswaggled!  Lied Too!  Cheated!  and other big words than end in ‘ed!   I like the three ‘O’s better. 
Why didn’t they use the tried and true method?  Rather than paying thousands of dollars to a corporate communications firm, just have school kids think up slogans and put them to a vote!  At least then you’d know you had creative people working on the project and via election you’d have had a public buy in.  Heck!  You might have seen more than 7% of the residents turn out for the election! 
Oh well, it’s heartening to know that we’ll spend $1,000,000.00 for another new slogan in three years. 

A letter to the editor in today’s AJC says in so few words what others have tried to say in so many words:

Success — and failureOn a recent trip to Salt Lake City, I saw how effective public transportation can be in the city’s center.

An electric train and a fleet of buses offering free ridership covered a large area. It was a pleasant experience that reminded me of Atlanta’s ineffectiveness both in supporting mass transit and encouraging people to use it.

Excuses abound here, but in other places it’s a fact of daily life that forward-thinking people have made happen.

MARC LaFOUNTAIN, Carrollton

Now, come on, folks. Salt Lake City is beating us out, of all places. We can’t do better than stick ourselves with more roads that erode our existing transit investment and cause more traffic? These two Olympic cities have clearly taken different post-Olympic routes: one for the better, one for the worse.

When will our elected officials ever learn to take advantage of good opportunities for greatness? If Salt Lake City can do it, so can we.

Despite my earnest desire for real, viable, “sell your car and be done with it” mass transit in metro Atlanta, I realize that it will - no matter what - take some time for MARTA to reach that point. As such, I try to keep my expectations of the little transit system that we love to hate within the realm of reality. So instead of, “I want a rail line that goes up I-75, and another one that goes to the Emory area, and more stops along the Northeast line - and I want it now!“, I opt for, “In lieu of more densely packed rail access, I would like bus service to be more frequent.” Or, “I would like turnstiles that actually work.” Come on now, MARTA; that’s not too much to ask for, is it?

Here’s the thing: MARTA turnstiles will, without reason or warning, sometimes just not let you through. It doesn’t matter if you have a monthly card. It doesn’t matter if you purchased and properly deposited a token. Their moods are as fickle as that of a 14-year-old girl. “Frustrating” would be an understatement to describe this situation; it’s downright stupid. I should not have to be writing a ranty blog post about wanting functional turnstiles.

The Arts Center Station is particularly notorious for turnstile treachery. This especially pisses me off in light of the renovations to the escalators taking place in that station - which seem to consist mainly of putting new tile on the walls. People! Hello!! They’re called priorities - and escalator wall tile shouldn’t be at the top of the list! Eager, law-abiding MARTA patrons shouldn’t have to jump the turnstiles (and subsequently injure themselves) to enter the station.

The boyfriend and I went through this little dance at Arts Center yesterday (as detailed in his post, linked above), and again at the Decatur station. The Decatur incident demonstrated the inanity of the situation; I went through without a problem, and said something like, “See, the turnstiles actually work at this station”; then I hear from behind, “Don’t speak so soon.” It let me through but it wouldn’t let him through.

MARTA, if you’re wondering why more people aren’t riding your trains, here’s a possible reason: they can’t get in. Get your priorities straight and quit tiling the walls.

[Cross-posted, with more profanity, at Being Amber Rhea]

Sadness…  Creative Loafing has released their ‘Best of Atlanta’ 2005 and once again readers make incredibly silly choices.
No where is this more obvious that choosing Vinings as the best OTP neighborhood.  The problem is that Central Vinings, while in Cobb County, is actually ITP.  That’s right, it’s west of 75, but inside 285 at the Corner of Paces Ferry and Paces Ferry .
Still, Atlanta’s best value in steak houses, Garrison’s, is there, & the Jubilee is pretty nice for a strip mall.  If only the residents were not such BANANAS and Creative Loafing’s readers could use a map.  If you’re outside the perimeter and in Cobb, there’s a word for where you live… Smyrna!!!

What is the Red Cross doing?  I can understand centralizing all the services in one location after the dispute with Dekalb CEO Jones to better serve the community, but why move that to Gwinnett?
How is this not a place to be located directly on a MARTA line?  Plenty of spaces near the MLK station. 
Given that the Red Cross headquarters is inside the perimeter, one wonders why ITP is good enough for the people who work there but not the ones who need the services? 
This is not to say that donating to them is not worthy.  They’re going to need the money, but isolating from maximum accessibility just doesn’t follow. 

email sent to Marta on 8/16/05 by my best friend

I have been a Marta rider since November of 2003. I have been riding route 8 since about January of this year (2005). In all that time the route 8 buses (north and south bound) have had an abismally poor track record.

Today as I stood waiting on the south bound bus at the intersection on Executive parkway once again the scheduled time for the bus came and went with no bus in sight. I got to the stop at 5:25 which is right about when the bus should have been arriving according to your schedule, but it was 5:55 before the bus came around the corner. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened because it has happened more times than I can count and it seems to happen several times per week. I do allow some room for traffic to be a problem but that still shouldn’t delay the bus that much. There have been several days where I have been waiting for the bus and seen not one but TWO northbound buses pass by me before ONE southbound one came. That is truly unacceptable no matter what traffic looks like. This tardiness happens on the brightest and sunniest of days and I recall one week where this happened THREE DAYS IN A ROW. It never fails to occur at least twice a week. One of those days I WALKED 20 minutes to go and catch the route 6 at Lavista and Cheshire. I’ve had to do that two times just this month so far just to be able to get home at a decent time…and I have found that the 15 to 20 minute walk still gets me home a little sooner or at the same time taking route 8 does most days and that is NOT a good thing.

The worst case has been when on one occasion where the NortHbound bus passed by on time. 45 MINUTES LATER THE SAME BUS DRIVER CAME BY ON THE SOUTH BOUND LEG OF THE ROUTE FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY THE BUS THAT *SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE A HALF HOUR BEFORE*!!!! The driver of the bus himself actually pulled over to make a call and complain about the other driver. This does not speak well of Marta’s commitment to its customers nor does it seem to fit with your “Pulling together” ad slogan.

On good days I walk out of my office at 5:15pm and walk in the front door of my home at 6:20 or 6:30 but usually no later. I already consider that too long of a trip and a waste of an hour. But when I walk in the house at 6:45 or 7:00 that’s nearly two hours of my time that I consider to be very valuable as I am sure any rider of MARTA will likely tell you. STANDING AT A BUS STOP FOR MORE THAN 20 MINUTES IS COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS NO MATTER WHAT ROUTE IT IS! The route 47 bus seems to be able to consistently run on schedule regardless of traffic conditions. What’s the problem with route 8? Think about it!

I can tell you right now that I plan on no longer being a rider or Marta after spring of next year. I had hoped to avoid having to purchase a car, but it’s not worth the TIME WASTED standing waiting on a bus that is late 60 to 70 percent of the time. I am a student. I have classwork that must be done and submitted ON TIME. As far as I am concerned every wasted moment spent waiting at a stop is cutting into my income. I would be better served spending the money you’re costing me by buying a car and paying for insurance and gas. (I’ve done the math. I know how much money in the form of TIME Marta is costing me).

I don’t want to hear any excuses about buses and traffic delays. I want to hear about your efforts to find bus drivers who give a good damn about their jobs and the service they provide. I want to hear about the fact that me and everyone else on that bus has somewhere we need to be ON TIME 99.9 PERCENT OF THE TIME and that service is not being provided. I want to hear about proposals for a solution to this ridiculousness. Otherwise I am going to have to assume that MARTA simply doesn’t give a damn and I will spend every opportunity relating my dissatisfaction with MARTA to anyone and everyone who will listen in as many forms of media as I can find. Consider it a critical customer review or your lackluster services.

I am offering you the opportunity here to convince me otherwise. What are you going to do to address the situation?
The ball is in your court people.

This being my first post about Atlanta, I thought I would take the time to start some bitching about my birthplace. I was born in this city, yes I am a “Grady Baby”, and I am proud of that. They did a good job with me but I think I was switched at birth. I could’ve sworn that I was Ted Turner’s son. Oh well, that’s life. Back to the bitching. What tickes me off at this time is Marta. I take Marta to GSU all the time. Most of the time it is ultra depressing. When you get on at Avondale, the trouble begins.

At most Marta stations, you have to walk up a mountain of steps because the escalator is only working one day out of the week. Don’t even think about putting your hands or article of clothing on the pads because when you get to the top you are covered in some unidentifiable black smudge. You then curse Marta under your breath and proceed to the next problem.

Marta does not make it easy by having the fares be even. They make it the ultra odd, time consuming fee of $1.75. What gives I say ? What gives ? If it was $2.00 that would be fine with me ? Who wants an extra quarter in their pocket ? It also makes it difficult if you are in a group and want to buy tokens in bulk. Noone ever puts in $20.00 in the machines, because that makes things way too complicated.

Well once that is through, you have to navigate your way through the turnbuckels but then you are stopped. Why ? Because only one of the three gates is accepting change right now. The other two have been sealed shut with unsanitary band-aids.

Once you do get your token through the gate, you walk down short, slippery stairs. I have busted my but, many a time. Everytime the response is the same. Laughter and chuckles by some teenage punk. I give them the bird and walk on.

Waiting for the Marta train is an especially boring event. They recently installed LCD screens that only show one thing. The same iPod ad over and over. At first this had the wow factor and then you think to yourself, where is Marta getting all of this money for these screens ? Is this why the rate is expected to rise within the year ? Oh well… It is the city of Atlanta.

When the train finally arrives. You walk on two tacky carpeting from the 70’s. No music is playing, no one is saying anything. Everyone changes into ZOMBIE mode. I call it the Marta game. If you make eye contact with a fellow Marta rider ,you fail. If you talk out loud, you fail. If you stare at the carpet, you pass. If you have headphones on, listening to bad music, you pass. And finally, if you sit in a seat that drips water on your head, you get the grand prize !!

The marta game is not for everyone, only the bored, unassuming riders, who expected public transportation to be half-way decent.

Am I buggin ya ? I didn’t mean to bug ya !! —BONO