A Theory About Atlanta (Marietta, Decatur: job transfer, tenant, living in)

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Thanks Deacon and others for replying to this. Saved me time. Atlanta, small? Because of houses near the central city?

OK, might have gone with that as a valid point until the Fox got called small. Initially its a movie theatre for gosh sakes! Where can one find such a grand example of a movie theatre? The folks that made the latest King Kong movie used its interior for the final big King Kong in New York show!

Atlantas close in neighborhoods with lots of trees is its charm. Forget the need to be a Manhattan or Chicago with nothing but concrete and steel.

(See highlighted above)
Exactly! I remember reading how a famous urban planner/scholar was remarking how Atlanta is very unique in that it has bucolic neighborhoods right next to classical/hyper "urbanity." He was especially talking about Ansley Park/Midtown and the Peachtree Street Corridor. And this "Atlanta phenomenon" plays out all over the city...the Peachtree Road Corridor, the neighborhoods around downtown, North Buckhead/Lenox Area, Perimeter/Dunwoody/Sandy Springs, Cumberland/Vinings.

This is an asset that should be treasured/promoted.

[teasol]

Please don't reply with "There are many great things to do". I'm talking about the city of Atlanta as a city in a physical and cultural sense. Please don't bore me with your talks about the World of Coke and the aquarium in your responses, which I am sure you will anyways because that's what you Atlantans do to bring more people into the region (which you can't handle) so that maybe someday you can build your way out of all your problems.

I don't know why we keep responding to this post. Blondfan obiviously does not want our opinion on why we think Atlanta is okay. Actually Blond is calling us all ignorant because we don't believe the way they do.

Blondfan in case you don't get the point of forums such as this one, you state something and other members have the opportunity to reply. If you just want to write something down and not have anyone respond to it then you should start your own blog or put it in a diary. And to bash people and call them ignorant just because they don't feel about Atlanta they way you do is ignorant all on its own.

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by aries4118

(See highlighted above)
Exactly! I remember reading how a famous urban planner/scholar was remarking how Atlanta is very unique in that it has bucolic neighborhoods right next to classical/hyper "urbanity." He was especially talking about Ansley Park/Midtown and the Peachtree Street Corridor. And this "Atlanta phenomenon" plays out all over the city...the Peachtree Road Corridor, the neighborhoods around downtown, North Buckhead/Lenox Area, Perimeter/Dunwoody/Sandy Springs, Cumberland/Vinings.

This is an asset that should be treasured/promoted.

ITA...also, look at pictures of Fifth Avenue in NYC in the late 19th century. It was very suburban...people in the 'city' would complain about how far out the Midtown area was.
I'm sure that visitors from London and Paris scoffed at the New York of that day the way that New Yorkers and Chicagoans scoff at Atlanta today.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

So you think Underground Atlanta is successful? You're out of touch with reality. I wasn't blathering, re-read my post. Underground FAILED for the 3rd or 4th time just a few years ago, how is that an idiotic claim?

That's a fact, Charlie Brown's Caberet even failed, because of the sad condition of the area, and the unwillingness for any of the 5 MILLION area residents to make the trip.

Wow...you are wrong about SO many things. Underground is far from a failed development. It may not be the retail you would like, but the place is nearly 100% occupied, gets a ton of traffic from tourists, convention attendees, students, Downtown residents, office workers, etc. Sorry, but it's a little difficult to imagine a "failed" development enduring for 19 years as Underground has, from 1989 - 2008. It seems like if it had failed, it would be closed.

This is only the 2nd version of Underground...the first Underground opened in 1969 and was wildly successful for several years - 3.5 million visitors in 1972 - but it eventually declined and was abandoned in 1982. The current version opened in 1989 and was again very popular for the first few years, but began to decline and lose money as retail and restaurant tenants moved out mainly due to a couple of violent episodes during which many stores were looted and damaged. Underground is currently healthy and profitable and is primarily geared toward tourists.

There is also the historical aspect of Underground that will always be present.

[blondandfun]

Here's what tourists to underground have to say, from this prominent website:

Underground Atlanta - Atlanta Tourist Traps - VirtualTourist.com

You guys are just validating my OP in saying that there are a lot of people in Atlanta just trying to get more people to move here so that you can build your way out of all your problems instead of fixing them.

I don't care if I'm outnumbered.

Travel & Leisure magazine also doesn't like Atlanta.. the city didn't make it in the top 15 on several key issues.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by DPAT

I don't think you will find many people here that will disagree with this particular claim - as the dismal state of the Underground has already been discussed in depth. However, The Underground is only one place in the city of Atlanta. The major problem that I feel you are having is that you seem to completely ignore all of the facts, statistics, and other notable venues in downtown Atlanta that other people have mentioned. It's as if you are covering your ears and yelling "lalalalalala...." so you cannot here the truth. Are trying to hinge the state of the entire city of Atlanta to the Underground? It's becomming frustrating even trying to follow your logic. Perhaps you should speak to the part(s) of Atlanta that you think are failING as opposed to trying to convince people that the entire city itself has failED.

Underground is far from the entertainment/shopping/dining attraction that I would like for it to be, but it is nowhere near a failure. After the mass exodus of tenants around '93 or '94, Underground lost money and looked headed for the same fate as the original Underground. But it is currently doing well, most spaces are occupied, and there are decent crowds with the combination of students/tourists/office workers/residents. I don't go to Underground and haven't for at least a year or longer, but from what I understand it's doing okay. There are also annual events that bring attention to the area - New Year's Eve, the Jazz Festival, St. Patrick's Day, a holiday gingerbread house thing...etc.

The photos really don't depict a "failed" effort at Underground...


Underground Atlanta on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Underground entrance, Atlanta, Georgia on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Underground Atlanta on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Atlanta Underground on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Underground Atlanta on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Johnny Rockets in Underground Atlanta on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


The Atlanta Underground on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

Here's what tourists to underground have to say, from this prominent website:

Underground Atlanta - Atlanta Tourist Traps - VirtualTourist.com

You guys are just validating my OP in saying that there are a lot of people in Atlanta just trying to get more people to move here so that you can build your way out of all your problems instead of fixing them.

I don't care if I'm outnumbered.

Travel & Leisure magazine also doesn't like Atlanta.. the city didn't make it in the top 15 on several key issues.

It's not that you're outnumbered...you're just wrong on SO many levels.

Here are a couple of photos depicting actual FAILED developments...do you see the difference? These places can be found in every city across the U.S.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/revjim/113272761/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/sayzey/349329723/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/dazjames/2508147896/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/spacing/2253152852/

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

Here's what tourists to underground have to say, from this prominent website:

Underground Atlanta - Atlanta Tourist Traps - VirtualTourist.com

You guys are just validating my OP in saying that there are a lot of people in Atlanta just trying to get more people to move here so that you can build your way out of all your problems instead of fixing them.

I don't care if I'm outnumbered.

Travel & Leisure magazine also doesn't like Atlanta.. the city didn't make it in the top 15 on several key issues.

Underground was a touristy place for us to take visitors back in the 90s. Not so much today I would imagine. It has morphed. Been a while since I have been, but from the word of other posters here, sounds like it is a successful venue for the young AA crowd. White tourists probably won't like that. I know my mother-in-law would be nervous, lol. She is more used to her minorities being more of the hispanic variety. She wasn't racist against a certain percentage of blacks, but when the numbers were at a tipping point and she was in the minority, the old racist roots would suddenly sprout.

Could this be your issue?

[BringBackCobain]

Undergroud is half-subsidized by the city of Atlanta. If it is so successful, why does it need to be subsidized?

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by teasol

I don't know why we keep responding to this post. Blondfan obiviously does not want our opinion on why we think Atlanta is okay.

I have a theory on that (no pun intended with Blond's original stab at a theory). This is one of those unusual cases where someone has managed to stumble on a valid debate and topic without really knowing it or without being equipped to discuss it properly.

Though extreme, is Atlanta a failed city is a provocative question and could lead to interesting debates - as it has here - but just not including the OP.