Bloglanta

Atlanta has a burgeoning film industry.   It even has a Yahoo group with hundreds of members.
Now, ‘Motor Home Massacre‘ is having it’s premiere and if you like horror movies, you should go see it.  The premiere is August 4th @ 7:30 P.M. at the Plaza Theater on Ponce.  
The entire movie was shot in Metro Atlanta.  All the actors are from Atlanta & it used an Atlanta crew.   If the film premieres well and sells out, it will keep Atlanta on the film radar. 
This is not the first movie shot here.  Other films such as ‘We Three Kings‘ have premiered and done the festival circuit.  However, they did not get picked up for national distribution and hence can only be found at independent stores. 
For Atlanta to become a hotbed, well made films need to get national distribution.  Only then will Atlanta get the kind of attention and economic impact that Wilmington, N.C. has received. 

Why, for the love of all that is holy, does the North-South MARTA train stop running from Arts Center Station at 8:00 PM?? Please, somebody explain this to me so I can stop banging my head on the desk - I’m developing quite a lump, thanks very much.

You see… I want to ride the hell out of MARTA, I really do… if only it would work with me, not against me (and everything that makes any kind of sense).

Dear #23 Bus,

Why you got to do me like this? I thought we had something going. For over a year now, you and me, we’ve been like this. [Holds up index and middle finger, crossed.] But then today… what’s up, #23 Bus? There I was, at the bus stop at 15th & Peachtree at 2:00, ready to head up to Piedmont Hospital for my 2:30 doctor’s appointment. Where were you, #23? You totally stood me up. As it happened, I had driven to work that day because I thought it was going to be raining all day; so I sprinted back to my car in the Colony Square parking garage and drove - yes, you heard me, don’t act so shocked - to my appointment, barely making it on time.

Please explain yourself, #23. It shouldn’t be a big deal to go ~2 miles up the road in the middle of the afternoon, should it? I want to commit to you, I really do - but you’re making it so difficult. If only you’d treat me right, #23, I wouldn’t have to keep going back to my car.

Love Always,
Amber

Why is there now valet parking at Lindbergh Station?  Upon arrival today at the Center Garage, there was a sign for the lower levels saying ‘Valet Only’.
According to the website, the lower levels are being reserved for retail parking only.  Here’s my question.  WHAT RETAIL?  The shops have been ready for occupancy for years but no one has gone in!  Are there clothiers?  No!  Starbucks?  No!  Restaurants?  No!  Well, okay, there is Longhorn Steakhouse, but it was built as a separate building!
Longhorn, however, may be the crux.  They may have demanded parking and were willing to pay to have that portion of the garage cut off.  I hope MARTA is going to generate a ton of revenue because they are already making people mad.  Even now, there is not enough parking at Lindbergh.  They need to open up the top floors of the decks and let everyone who can use that space. 
Yes, MARTA needs the money, but they need loyal ridership more.

The issue now seems to be an annual ritual. Those who use the Braves shuttle complain about it, and something is done to make the whole situation worse.

Last year, citing low ridership, MARTA shifted the location of the Braves shuttle from Forsyth St., directly adjacent to the Five Points station, to the Coca-Cola plaza. The move meant that fans taking MARTA would have to walk across Underground Atlanta to ride the shuttle busses.

A similar move back in 2002 prompted an outpouring of letters to the AJC.
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MARTA Bus Stops are getting better.  MARTA’s stops used to be obelisks but now many stops have shelters.  Even better, many now have the complete schedules for all the buses that stop there.  While costly, this represents a significant upgrade in useability and pleasantness for riders.  According to MARTA, over 200 of these stops have been completed and another 400 are soon on the way! 
Want to see one of the new stops in finished form? Go to Lavista rd., just west of Briarcliff, just across from Nicola’s!

I just heard about metro Atlanta’s newest Irish pub, and it’s located in Downtown. Gibney’s Pub opened up in the Peachtree Center complex, ready to offer some respite to weary convention travellers. There’s one problem: there’s nothing Irish about the menu selections.

Would you like a taco salad? How about a hamburger? Do you want chips to go with your burger, or fries? A party of five, you have? How about a bucket of chili?

Shepard’s pie? Go somewhere else. Corned beef and cabbage? Not here. Maybe some real Irish food will do you some good. You won’t find it at Gibney’s. But you can get quesadillas and pizza at this fine establishment.

Somehow I feel embarrassed for my hometown that this is how we present ourselves to convention travellers, many of whom are far more culturally aware than this. Our great convention town hosts millions of travellers from around the world every year, yet we present them with an image of ourselves as ignorant hillbillies who think that we can set up a bar that serves Guiness and Harp, and call it an “Irish pub.”

At least you can play some billiards while you’re there:

Underneath all my laughing at this place, I’m really crying.

If you’re looking at a community for the first time, the stores there are like a juke box.   What’s in the jukebox can tell you an awful lot about whom the place is trying to attract.  Cafes are especially a good juke box.  They make money for their communities, but also provide a cultural service.  They also help define the intended clients for the community. 
When Waffle House wanted to start attracting a Hispanic clientel they added Hispanic songs to their boxes.  The Corner Tavern in East Point has a Juke Box with smart music from all sorts of genres… you get the idea.
So let’s look at some neighborhoods: 
o Cabbagetown:   A few informal but upscale restaurants, post grunge funky clothiers,  the Habitat for Humanity Store…  Clearly for the unpretentious and not corporately concerned.  A place for people with a conscience, not car fix.  Ani Difranco & Steve Earle listeners welcome.
o Vinings:  Lots of merchant packaging with a similar producer.  Restaurants of are up scale and traditional.  Clothiers cater to women who may work, but want to do the mommy too.  Lots of Sinatra here, but never more ethnic than Sammy Davis.
o Decatur:   Diverse upscale restaurants, Gay friendly tracks, smart up scale galleries and shopping, and one of Atlanta’s best Hip Hop record shops tucked in (at 145-B!), just to remind you that they are open to anyone…as long as their upscale.  Norah Jones-ville with some Carolyn Aiken for the old school feelies. 
Guess which neighborhood is Klezmer Punk!  Which used to have a heavy Morrissey feel, but is increasingly filled with the Mandy Moore versions instead!  Measure your own neighborhood this way.  You might be living in Brittney Spears land!

Recently, Joe put up a good entry about parking decks that caused a lot of discussion.

What has not been part of this discussion is what parking garages ought to do and how they ought to work. Let me be clear. I am not specifically talking about the Piedmont Park garage here, but about parking garages generally.

A good parking garage accomplishes 5 goals:

1. It lets cars enter the garage quickly and points them toward to most convenient open space
2. It lets cars out quickly and efficiently causing little traffic for either the street or those waiting to exit
3. It lets people exiting their cars get to their primary destinations easily and conveniently (it might even keep them dry)
4. It’s street friendly: Retail on the first level can make the garage a benefit for all members of the community rather than those just driving in.
5. The top level is useful. Wide flat spaces in the city are rare. Athletic Facilities or green space can make a real difference!

Let’s break these down…
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Okay.. it’s shallow.  Yes… it’s silly… but Condi Rice’s hair is taking over the corridors of power in Atlanta. 
I first noticed the trend at the French Bistro Violette where sophisticated power lunchers get a coq au vin on the cheap.  Several business groups came in and then I started to see it… African American women had adopted the Condi cut!  There are of course several stages in dealing with this…
1) Stunned Amazement.. in which anyone thinks to themselves ..”oh no she didn’t!”
2) Laughter…  For condi, the cut is fine.  It’s hers… but some women do not need to be trying that….
3) Acceptance.  Paging Monica Kauffman….
Now, in Atlanta, hair has long been a means to the power corridors.  A friend of mine returned to our fair city and remarked “Oh My God! I totally forgot that Atlanta had been over run by power blondes!“
Watch the gulch at the capitol when the session is in season and you’ll see the power of the blonde. 
Next session?  A 40 day bout!  Celebrity Hair Match!  The Blonde versus the Rice!