Atlanta 3rd least favorite vacation destination (Montgomery, Jackson: crime, living in, airport)

[MiamiRob]

I don't see what the big deal is to Atlanta posters here that you're not a tourist spot. When people think of Atlanta they think of business and other than being in town for some other purpose people don't really go out of their way to plan a vacation in Atlanta and please this is not a knock on your city.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

I don't see what the big deal is to Atlanta posters here that you're not a tourist spot. When people think of Atlanta they think of business and other than being in town for some other purpose people don't really go out of their way to plan a vacation in Atlanta and please this is not a knock on your city.

I don't take it as a "knock on my city"...but it's just not true that people don't plan vacations to Atlanta. I have known plenty of people who came here for a vacation - myself included when I lived elsewhere. I also went to places like New Orleans, San Francisco, Vancouver, etc...those cities are great and have a lot to offer, but that doesn't mean that Atlanta doesn't have anything that a vacationer would want to see.

I almost always had "some other reason" for going on vacations to the places that I chose...I can't imagine taking a trip to NYC just to see Central Park. It's a park, for crying out loud. I would see it while I'm there doing something else.

[meadgrad]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

I wouldn't visit San Francisco just to see Chinatown or Chicago just to go to Millenium Park...I don't know that those attractions are a national draw either. They are great assets to the cities and visitors certainly will certainly spend time there, but I seriously doubt that they are the reason for many visits to those cities.

Stone Mountain is a pretty nifty area of natural beauty and is a fairly well-known tourist attraction. Piedmont Park may not be a national attraction, but the Botanical Gardens inside of the park is a very nice nature attraction and draws tons of visitors. Centennial Park, while smaller and newer, has the draw of the 1996 Olympics and is well-known because of the media attention during that time.

I'm not sure what "historic infrastructure" you're referring to...

I don't think Atlanta is more of a vacation spot than a city with beaches or a larger city like NYC, Chicago or L.A. But there is a plethora of things to do in Atlanta, from live theater to historic sites to nightlife and so on. There is plenty to keep visitors entertained.

So...do you travel then?...or just stay in Atlanta cause it has everything any other city has to offer?

Atlanta blew out Buttermilk Bottom, Peachtree St used to be known for its mansions lining the street, almost all the residential between Midtown and Downtown is gone, Downtown Decatur is half gone...Preservationists are fighting to save the Crum and Foster building, from becoming, guess what...a parking lot!...cause Atlanta just needs more parking.

Just look at an aeiral of the area from the 40's and you'll see a ton that has been blown out over the years.

Like I said though, it doesnt make the city a bad place to live, just not that exciting to visit.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by meadgrad

So...do you travel then?...or just stay in Atlanta cause it has everything any other city has to offer?

Atlanta blew out Buttermilk Bottom, Peachtree St used to be known for its mansions lining the street, almost all the residential between Midtown and Downtown is gone, Downtown Decatur is half gone...Preservationists are fighting to save the Crum and Foster building, from becoming, guess what...a parking lot!...cause Atlanta just needs more parking.

Just look at an aeiral of the area from the 40's and you'll see a ton that has been blown out over the years.

Like I said though, it doesnt make the city a bad place to live, just not that exciting to visit.

What does my personal travel have to do with the discussion? I've traveled all over the U.S. and to most major cities...but not to see a city park or to go to Chinatown. Those are things I see when I'm in the city, but certainly not the reason that I go to the city.

Those things are gone due to "progress", and a city can't move forward by holding on to every single structure. Can you imagine Atlanta growing around a core of mansions built along Peachtree Street? They were beautiful, but the area changed from single-family homes to commercial and higher-density homes, and the mansions were a casualty of that change and growth. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in the name of progress...otherwise Atlanta would be Charleston.

I know there are some historical buildings that were demolished, but there are MANY that weren't. I have studied historical Atlanta very closely and realize that we lost some great architecture - but much more is still standing than was torn down, and the losses here weren't even close to the attrocities committed in just about every other large U.S. city.

I wonder how many people would be vacationing in Atlanta just to visit Buttermilk Bottom?

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

What does my personal travel have to do with the discussion? I've traveled all over the U.S. and to most major cities...but not to see a city park or to go to Chinatown. Those are things I see when I'm in the city, but certainly not the reason that I go to the city.

Those things are gone due to "progress", and a city can't move forward by holding on to every single structure. Can you imagine Atlanta growing around a core of mansions built along Peachtree Street? They were beautiful, but the area changed from single-family homes to commercial and higher-density homes, and the mansions were a casualty of that change and growth. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in the name of progress...otherwise Atlanta would be Charleston.

I know there are some historical buildings that were demolished, but there are MANY that weren't. I have studied historical Atlanta very closely and realize that we lost some great architecture - but much more is still standing than was torn down, and the losses here weren't even close to the attrocities committed in just about every other large U.S. city.

I wonder how many people would be vacationing in Atlanta just to visit Buttermilk Bottom?

Precisely...and why is this cited as something unique to Atlanta? Every major city has gone through transitions like this. Ever seen photos of NYC's 5th Avenue in the mid to late 1800's?
Oh, and last time I looked out the window, downtown Decatur was still there.

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

I wonder how many people would be vacationing in Atlanta just to visit Buttermilk Bottom?

Here you go. Just click on the MP3 and sit back and listen to the oldie.
http://www.atlantatimemachine.com/Do..._bottom_45.htm

http://brownsugardiaries.dbnetworksc...uredLiving.pdf

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by Georgia

Here you go. Just click on the MP3 and sit back and listen to the oldie.
Spirit Of Atlanta - Buttermilk Bottom

http://brownsugardiaries.dbnetworksc...uredLiving.pdf

I didn't say it wasn't worth preserving...just that I don't see it as a major tourist attraction for the city - either then or now.

[MiamiRob]

deaconJ sorry but the last thing I remember about Atlanta is it's airport and how many horrible hours I spent there on a delay. The city is a blob

[JasonPaul]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

deaconJ sorry but the last thing I remember about Atlanta is it's airport and how many horrible hours I spent there on a delay. The city is a blob

Have you been outside the airport? I don't think it's a vacation spot either, but hopefully your not basing your perception of atlanta on the airport.

[atlantaATL]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

deaconJ sorry but the last thing I remember about Atlanta is it's airport and how many horrible hours I spent there on a delay. The city is a blob

So you saw the whole city by sitting at the Airport? I dont take offense to these comments but Atlanta isnt a vacation spot even though some people do vacation in atlanta on holiday weekends. I like atlanta being a top buisness city. I am from Miami and trust miami is a vacation spot and its nothing more or nothing less than that. If there wasnt a such thing as South beach, Miami wouldnt be nothing but a third world city. So Atlantians be proud of where you live. People have there personal opinions about Atl but thats not going to hurt the rep of the City at all thats why people continue to move to the A.