Quote:
Originally Posted by crider
Philly Skyline reveals a REAL CITY. It fills you with anticipation of the synergy of street level activity. The sunbelt skylines for the most part are large office parks strung out along a major blvd or street. If Atlanta skyline had been concentrated in just downtown maybe it would provoke the same emotion. There is not yet a City in the south including TEXAS that has yet matured to the level of Philly or the other large north eastern cities regardless of how populated the metros maybe.
|
Actually cities do mature.As Philly has.It t ook Philly 300 years to do it.And now the matured city has no where to grow.Atlanta has matured probably faster.It is very much a real city.You can do anything in Atlanta that you can do in any city that is not confined by geographic constraints.What is a "real city" if it can't maintain and grow its population bas.Detroit was a real city too.(still is,just much less).
Office Parks?Atlanta?What office parks are you referring to?
The only city in the U.S. that I know has real "synergy" is NYC, and maybe Chicago.Boston and Philly are not even close,but I admit closer than Atlanta.However Philly has parts that are busy and other parts that are not.Center City and ...what?Even NYC has Manhattan,Bronx,Long Island,Staten Island, etc..Atlanta has 3 distinct major urban centers.Downtown,Midtown,Buckhead.You can walk from one end to the other end and never have a major open space.You may not always have skycrapers but you do have many high rises, restaurants,shops and residential units.Not parking lots like maybe in the 80-to early 90's.(land is too valuable in Atlanta.Now there are 3 story parking garages.)
That said,many people on here that claim that you cannot live a fully urban lifestyle in Atlanta as you can else where.That is a downright fabrication of the real truth.I live downtown Atlanta/I can walk to the Dome,The grocrey,and Marta Subway.Once I'm there I can go up to 20 miles North ,South or East,or West..If I choose I can walk downtown to an area called Marietta and Luckie and enjoy some great bars,cafes,museums,The Aquarium, and Centennial Olympic Park.All that (accept the grocery store is closer)within a 1.5 mile radius.
My friend Ludvic,has a condo here,(the building behind the columned structure:
which is maybe 3 blks from here:
and here
and here
this is where he and our friends walk and meet for drinks some nights.
.
Another friends lives here in an area called Castleberry Hill Art District.Their are almost a dozen Galleries,cafe,coffee houses,lofts and eclectic restaurant and shops.Very urban walkable streets within few blocks of Downtown.It is kinda southwest downtown.This was an article written about it in 1992.Imagine what the area is like now.
Its not all new with glass and steel.Atlanta has areas that are reminiscent of many traditional older cities.Atlanta is not a new city but a
"RENEWED CITY".It has been burned to the ground by war.The only city in America with that distinction.Like its symbol,the Phoenix,it has been rebuilt from the ashes and what could be reused was either torn down or reused if possible.So even though the common idea from those not in "the "know" is that Atlanta is bland and lacks character of older cities,that is not entirely true.There has been so much growth in Atlanta,that its newer areas and its buildings often overshadow its older contemporaries.So much is going on it is often that many stay in the most obvious places such as Midtown,Buckhead or Downtown attraction near the touristy areas.Often places like Castleberry get overlooked even though they have a great vibrant scene for urban set.Several places like this are dotted throughout the area.
Atlanta has the ability and is becoming the city of the future in the U.S.This is not boosterism.I fully see it becoming a great city everyday.You people do not see the changes as we do here.You cannot visit anywhere casually and think you know a place.It took me years to have a different opinion of Philly.I used to think of it as dirty and round down.I was amazed that people wanted to live there.As I got older an was able to visit without my parents.I visited when I was in stationed at Dover every other weekend almost.Stayed with various family members around the city.Ventured out on my own and found a marvelous city with museums,history and a cultural atmosphere that it will take even Atlanta another decade to be closer.That was my OPINION.
However I remember in 1992 for 4 th of July,I was selected as one of the Airmen selected to march in the parade.This was shortly after Desert Storm.We rode the short trip from Dover AFB in a military procession of 3 buses.Every one was laughing,having a good time,proud that we would be in one of the biggest parades in the country where thousands of people would be celebrating our victory over crushing Saddam's Army.When we arrived downtown,we got some how lost.As we continued to go further into unknown territory.I noticed that the chatter of laughter had turned to complete SILENCE.The scene around us look like what we saw in IRAN!Blocks of boarded up house,drug dealers,prostitutes,and trash everywhere.Many of the Airman and soldiers on the bus were from places where such a site was unimaginable.I tried to defend Philly by saying "oh,this is bad but most of Philly is not this way".I tried to tell of the excellent museums,the nightlife,etc...They did not want to hear it.It was really THAT BAD.I can honestly say I have been to some really bad places here in Atlanta,but none compare to those areas I saw in Philly.I don't even think most Philly residents are even aware of areas like this.
Philly has a lot going on that is wonderful,but it has lost a loft of it shine.Even though over the last decade,certain areas have significantly improved.
As so far as "emotion" goes,I can say the feeling that I get when I drive into the city(Atlanta) is breath taken.Coming from the South to North magnificent.You get past the Cleveland ave and go down the hill on 75/85 and you rise "up" and "down" those hill ,when you come back up the final time ,it's like a "production"!Presenting the "CITY In The Forest".The skycrapers in the distance perched well above the trees and hills.It's almost as if I hear Ray Charles singing in the background "Georgia,On My Mind".Especially when I would come home from Delaware driving south or from various other environs I have often traveled.I only get a wow feeling in certain cities in the U.S.That are:NYC,Chicago and San Francisco.Not L.A,not Miami,not D.C. and NOT Philly.
Anyway people move with their feet.A city has to evolve into something different.Atlanta has something to target for.Chicago,NYC,San Francisco.Not Philly.What does Philly aspire to be NYC?It cannot be what it is now or it will languish.It must utilize what it has and reinvent itself into its own image accept being a MINI-NYC.It has too many competitors doing the same thing.There is not enough"synergy" to recall what it once was and what it could be.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No there isnt tall building in those gaps but there are midrises in the gaps. Theres nothing wrong with Atlanta skyline its fine they way it is gaps sprawl all that. 
