STOP IT!!!Downtown Atlanta is not that bad (Marietta, Forsyth: fit in, crime)

[afonega1]

I think people think downtown Atlanta is only the section around 5 points.Otherwise what are people talking about when the say Downtown Atlanta is not worth "visiting or scary".When you push people on their perceptions,you quickly find out that they dont really know what they think they know.

There is a lot going on Downtown EVEN NOW!!
Has anybody noticed the new retail and restaurants just on Peachtree street alone?
"Juke Joint"-Busy every night
"Jos A. Bank-REALLY? YES!!!
"Meehan's"
A few more and some under construction.
On any given night I see the streets especially around Hardrock,with people everywhere
So lets stop acting like Downtown is THAT bad or even bad at all

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by afonega1

I think people think downtown Atlanta is only the section around 5 points.Otherwise what are people talking about when the say Downtown Atlanta is not worth "visiting or scary".When you push people on their perceptions,you quickly find out that they dont really know what they think they know.

There is a lot going on Downtown EVEN NOW!!
Has anybody noticed the new retail and restaurants just on Peachtree street alone?
"Juke Joint"-Busy every night
"Jos A. Bank-REALLY? YES!!!
"Meehan's"
A few more and some under construction.
On any given night I see the streets especially around Hardrock,with people everywhere
So lets stop acting like Downtown is THAT bad or even bad at all

I have noticed all of those since I work downtown. Even still though I don't think downtown Atlanta is all that great. I especially though don't think it is "scary" even with the high incidence of crimes in downtown. I do feel though that it is focused primarily on office workers and tourist, not actual residents of the city and to me that is what makes it not so great.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by afonega1

I think people think downtown Atlanta is only the section around 5 points.Otherwise what are people talking about when the say Downtown Atlanta is not worth "visiting or scary".When you push people on their perceptions,you quickly find out that they dont really know what they think they know.

There is a lot going on Downtown EVEN NOW!!
Has anybody noticed the new retail and restaurants just on Peachtree street alone?
"Juke Joint"-Busy every night
"Jos A. Bank-REALLY? YES!!!
"Meehan's"
A few more and some under construction.
On any given night I see the streets especially around Hardrock,with people everywhere
So lets stop acting like Downtown is THAT bad or even bad at all

It's people who are clueless about downtown who say these things. Other things in downtown that aren't scary:

Rialto Theater
Tabernacle
Theatrical Outfit
GSU/thousands of students/new dorms
Thursday Farmer's Market at Peachtree Center
Centennial Park
CNN Center
Aquarium
World of Coke
Broad Street
Loads of new hotels that have opened in recent years
Newly opened Cafe Intermezzo
State and Federal government offices and courthouses
Braves
Falcons
Hawks
Thrashers (until recently)
Concerts and events at Philips Arena, GA Dome, GWCC
Apparel Mart

[jetter2]

Personally I love living/playing in Midtown, VaHi, L5P, and EAV. I just haven't had any need to go downtown yet, and It doesnt seem to be my scene much

[ecuresident]

I think when people talk about downtown being scary, they mean at night. JPD while all of those things are there, 90% of what you list is closed by 5 or 6 pm which leads downtown to be pretty deserted minus the tourists. Things like the Hawks and things at Philips are great, but for the most part people go straight to the event and then come back, as there really is nothing around the area except for Centennial park. While there have been some new openings like the Juke Joint and Intermezzo, for the most part downtown has been chain/touristy restaurants all centered around 2-3 blocks on peachtree. And you have Intermezzo all over Atlanta so why go downtown? There really is no nightlife in the area like there is in midtown or little 5 points where you have people out and about until 3 or 4 in the morning.

A lot of other people try to compare other big city's with Atlanta's which doesnt compare. I think we are slowly getting there as more attractions are coming to downtown, a lot of other cities have a good mix of attractions, parks and shopping. I think the main things downtown are missing is the shopping and nightlife-a reason for people to just spend some time in the area. Atlanta is somewhat disadvantaged as it doesnt have any major water feature in the area like a lot of other big cities. In places like Chicago you have the lake/chicago river you can just walk along, all combined with Shopping (the mag mile), and a lot of bars, restaurants, and parks and museums. In Atlanta all you have is Centennial park.

[cityrover]

It's not bad compared to what?
It is good compared to what?

It's all relative

[cqholt]

Downtown Atlanta is great. Most people who comment about it being scary live in the suburbs and think anything that doesn't have a homogeneous design is scary. I ride MARTA downtown at least once a weekend and enjoy the shops, restaurants, and bars. Living in a big city people must be aware of their surroundings. Crime happens everywhere, people just need to be aware of situations.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by ecuresident

I think when people talk about downtown being scary, they mean at night. JPD while all of those things are there, 90% of what you list is closed by 5 or 6 pm which leads downtown to be pretty deserted minus the tourists. .

You might want to check your math. I agree that there needs to be more going on at night and more people living downtown before Downtown will start to realize its potential, but wild hyperbole isn't helping you make your point.

[Brillemeister]

The biggest thorn in Downtown's side is the insistence of neighborhood businesses upon closing early. Once that changes, the fear factor will fade, and we can really be a town with a lit-up, appealing center.

[DTL3000]

Downtown Atlanta isn't that great either. For a city the size of Atlanta and with the clout it supposedly has, downtown is severely lacking in amenities that make it interesting and worth visiting. Broad Street would be a great place to try to bring more life into downtown. I don't know why they don't just block it off from Luckie down to Marietta and make it some sort of pedestrian mall. Drivers still have the option of taking Forsyth as a shortcut to Marietta and pedestrians already dominate Broad St anyway. And those restaurants seriously should consider staying open to at least 9pm. The Landmark Diner is not the best way to make an impression on out-of-town guests if you know what I mean. Bring in a couple of upscale bar and grills or something with patio seating or something. Promote outdoor concerts(they used to do this but I haven't heard of any lately.)

This city needs to seriously tackle Five Points. It's an absolute shame as it is. Just last week I was called "white trash" for having the audacity to stand at the counter waiting for coffee at McD's. The guy, who was too C.S. to say it to my face after I invited him to, went on to have the cops called on him and cause all sorts of drama with the staff there. I took a stroll down Peachtree south of Alabama and was blatantly offered weed at least twice and strippers(?!) once. Prior to this time I've been asked how many people I'd arrested that day. Maybe if I'd had on a XXXL white tee and was wearing my grill I may have fit in. It's just not a great representation of Atlanta(or maybe it is the PERFECT representation of Atlanta). Underground has sooo much potential but it isn't anything but sports apparel stores and tacky tourist shops.