Atlanta was a big disappointment for me as a tourist. (Alpharetta: to rent, living)

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by glovenyc

Why are you guys bashing the OP? Two years before moving to Atlanta, I made the same mistake. I came down to visit for a weekend, and I booked a hotel downtown (the big Hyatt on Peachtree) cause my NYC brain said that's where all the action is. I was shocked to see what a ghost town, downtown was. You guys using 3 am as a reference, I was shocked to wake up Monday morning and looking out the window to find Peachtree empty at 9 am. At the time I worked in the Wall Street area, so it was really weird that downtown ATL looked like the set from "I Am Legend" on a Monday morning. Now that I live here and understand the dynamics here, it makes sense to me now. As much as I love Atlanta, downtown will never be brought back to life due to the overall non-progressive attitude of the Metro area's residents. Living in NYC we used to joke about the "bridge and tunnel" folks, but that is exactly what Atlanta needs to breathe some life into it's downtown. We need some progressive suburban "bridge and tunnel" folks to invest and appreciate the value of cities, and not just look down on them. In the interim, please ease up on people just trying to share their opinion.

You are so correct. I've lived here for ever and an age, and I don't think being an out of region tourist in downtown would be such a swell thing. However, I believe that, despite all of our challenges, Atlanta is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. But, to be a tourist? Not so much so.

[tonygeorgia]

I said the same when I was in the Bronx



DOWNTOWN LA , San Diego, Bmore, Miami, Dallas, Houston,etc

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

I said the same when I was in the Bronx



DOWNTOWN LA , San Diego, Bmore, Miami, Dallas, Houston,etc

Bronx isn't the center of NYC....how can you compare an outer borough with downtown Atlanta, the center of the metropolitan area?

It's easier and more fair to compare Manhattan with Downtown/Midtown Atlanta since that's the central hub of NYC.

Admit it....Atlanta is dead at night and morning and it will NEVER get eve half as vibrant as the big apple.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Admit it....Atlanta is dead at night and morning and it will NEVER get eve half as vibrant as the big apple.

You are right. Not in my lifetime. But, ya know, that's okay. I will never be able to afford to live in Manhattan and raise a family either. But, I can in live in Midtown Atlanta and do that. To many of us in Atlanta, night life is not that important. I know to folks younger than I am that it is, and Atlanta still offers nightlife to those who would like to seek it out. I, as do many others, live here for something other than that, though. That's Atlanta. All of the comparisons to NYC aren't, well, particularly relevant. It's an apples and oranges thing, I think.

[atlantagreg30127]

WARNING:

Things are getting personal, and confrontational. Stop. If you wish to keep the thread open, then debate WITHOUT the jabs, please.

[glovenyc]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

You are right. Not in my lifetime. But, ya know, that's okay. I will never be able to afford to live in Manhattan and raise a family either. But, I can in live in Midtown Atlanta and do that. To many of us in Atlanta, night life is not that important. I know to folks younger than I am that it is, and Atlanta still offers nightlife to those who would like to seek it out. I, as do many others, live here for something other than that, though. That's Atlanta. All of the comparisons to NYC aren't, well, particularly relevant. It's an apples and oranges thing, I think.

I would say apples and peaches

[JPD]

Originally Posted by filmsequal

Nice sales pitch, but you are DEAD wrong with respect to the DOWNTOWN district. It is NOT more vibrant down there today than it was in earlier times.

You don't seem to be very familiar with the downtown area.

GSU has made downtown better than it was. I went to GSU for the entirety of the '90s, and I have been working downtown for 13 years. Thanks to the olympic park, and the expansion of GSU, including the creation of student housing, the downtown area is far nicer and more vibrant than it was in the '90s.

I went to a concert at the Rialto ten years ago, or so. We wanted to get a beer and maybe a snack before the show at a bar or restaurant nearby, but at that time there were zero bars or restaurants nearby to get a beer. Now, there are many options.

[GeorgiatoChina]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Bronx isn't the center of NYC....how can you compare an outer borough with downtown Atlanta, the center of the metropolitan area?

It's easier and more fair to compare Manhattan with Downtown/Midtown Atlanta since that's the central hub of NYC.

Admit it....Atlanta is dead at night and morning and it will NEVER get eve half as vibrant as the big apple.

You are the only one making a direct comparison between NYC and Atlanta. I like how you also ignored the other cities he mentioned that also have "weak" downtowns just so you COULD make a NYC comparison.

I can tell you are close to my age becuase your immature attitude and brain haven't developed much. I bet you are a under 25 male living at home in the burbs right?

[GeorgiatoChina]

Originally Posted by glovenyc

Why are you guys bashing the OP? Two years before moving to Atlanta, I made the same mistake. I came down to visit for a weekend, and I booked a hotel downtown (the big Hyatt on Peachtree) cause my NYC brain said that's where all the action is. I was shocked to see what a ghost town, downtown was. You guys using 3 am as a reference, I was shocked to wake up Monday morning and looking out the window to find Peachtree empty at 9 am. At the time I worked in the Wall Street area, so it was really weird that downtown ATL looked like the set from "I Am Legend" on a Monday morning. Now that I live here and understand the dynamics here, it makes sense to me now. As much as I love Atlanta, downtown will never be brought back to life due to the overall non-progressive attitude of the Metro area's residents. Living in NYC we used to joke about the "bridge and tunnel" folks, but that is exactly what Atlanta needs to breathe some life into it's downtown. We need some progressive suburban "bridge and tunnel" folks to invest and appreciate the value of cities, and not just look down on them. In the interim, please ease up on people just trying to share their opinion.

The point is ;

1. He (and you)should have researched the city a bit to know where stuff was before coming because having done that he'd know midtown and northern downtown had more.

2. He could have easily hopped on Marta and been at the aforementioned areas based on where he was, but he did not a kick of research to see that.


No sunbelt metro over 2 million people, not even LA or Miami for that matter has most or much of the "action" in thier downtowns. It only take 10-20 minutes of research to know this if you don't live in the sunbelt region.

[filmsequal]

Originally Posted by JPD

I went to GSU for the entirety of the '90s, and I have been working downtown for 13 years.

Downtown has expanded outward, but for the most part the area around 5 points station has not improved in my opinion from 1992. That particular area which is the center of the downtown district has not improved. The aquarium and olympic park areas have improved but I wouldn't consider those areas to ever have been very vibrant, even today.

I would consider 5 points to be the center of Atlanta where most clueless visitors go first. Everything around that area was already there in 1992 when I visited as a kid. All the same major hotels, marta, the Hard Rock, etc. etc. were all there and still are the main and only attractions within walking distance.

The aquarium and other features were an OUTWARD expansion, not an improvement of the central downtown district.