Peaceful_Warrior said:
As a side note, I was born in Atlanta and lived there until I was 5 yrs old. Haven't been back since...
I grew up there too and don't think much of the place, frankly. Unbelievable
traffic, lotsa the worst kind of yuppie (think of the karate kid and her mom in recent
Willie Wonka), lotsa crime (it was "the city too busy to hate" during Civil Rights days,
but they're making up for lost time). But maybe I can think of a few nice things to
say ...
One truly great thing about Atlanta is the dining. I love a tapas place called Pura Vida.
Also, some cool historical stuff. The Cyclorama is the original virtual reality, a circular
painting of the Battle of Atlanta that you stand in the middle of. Stone Mountain is
world's biggest carving, and it's fun to hike up the backside of the mountain. I believe
the huge soaring hotel atrium was pretty much invented in Atlanta (by an architect
named John Portman) and good examples include the Marriot Marquis hotel. And
Carter Presidential center and MLK Jr center (which has had some problems of late).
Three superlatives (extremes ?) I heard recently:
1. Considered most forested major city in the USA by US Forest Service. And it does
have some remarkably beautiful old neighborhoods, like Lullwater Road (think "Driving
Miss Daisy", and which is the heart of the Dogwood Festival, which you may very well hit).
2. The highest pecentage of single people. I have no idea how this counted heterosexual
couples "living in sin" and homosexual couples (and there's a huge gay community).
3. The highest commuter "misery index", computed as some mix of how many people
live how far out and how painful the drive to/from work is.
Be careful where you walk at night.
