The Newcomer

By Jeff

April 28, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this

Jamie:

I’ve lived in GA all my life, and in the metro ATL area (Bartow County, just north of Cobb in case ya don’t know) for most of it. I now live in South GA - matter of fact, I pass through the town you did the grits thing in every day, twice a day. I do this because it is the fastest way to 75, and while I live outside Albany, I work in downtown Macon!

Coincidentally, a good friend of mine from a few years ago is from your neck of the woods - up in Michigan. She went to UMich though, sorry!

Best advice I can give you as a native Georgian is this:

Never forget that no matter what the people of Atlanta try to tell you, Atlanta is NOT all that Georgia is, and Atlanta RARELY speaks for Georgia.

By .

April 28, 2008 11:13 AM | Link to this

Jeff, however, speaks for everyone.

By me

April 28, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this

Hopefully Jeff doesnt think Bartow Co. is Atlanta either.

By Jeff

April 28, 2008 11:28 AM | Link to this

.:

Not at all, never claim I do. I’ve simply lived the Atlanta-centric life myself, and only when I was forced to come to South GA to follow a job (actually, just before that when I was looking for a job in nearly every corner of the state) did I finally realize the error of my ways.

Get out of Atlanta as more than just a tourist to other places in the state. Interact with the locals in the various regions. You’ll come back a changed person. I garauntee it.

BTW Jamie: I know some good people that you work with - Rodney Ho, Momania’s Theresa, Phil Kloer over in books, and the various ladies of Get Schooled all come to mind - but if you really want to get in tune with Georgia, the single best person at AJC to talk to is Mr. Wooten.

And if you’re into country music - something you will want to be able to at least tolerate if you’re going to enjoy living here - it doesn’t hurt that one of Mr. Wooten’s nephews is a mid-level country music star…

By jane

April 28, 2008 11:36 AM | Link to this

Get to know the natives (there are a few of us left) as well as the transplants - to get an honest taste of Southern hospitality.
You must eat at the Varsity at least once (an experience not to be missed). Climb Stone Mountain (use to run down it when I was young-older and wiser now).Go to Helen GA in the fall for Octoberfest. Pick apples in North GA and have fresh squeezed apple juice. Go to the Strawberry Patch outside of Woodstock, GA and pick fresh Strawberries there is also a place to stop on the way to the University of GA to do this. You pick the ones you want off the vine and pay on your way out. The pumpkin patch in the fall. Cagles Farm for the corn field maze at Halloween. Warm Springs GA (the Little White House) not to be missed and the springs are wonderful. In the North GA Mountains there are waterfalls that are lovely to see and of course the Appalichian Trail for those that enjoy long hikes in the woods. Lots of colleges public and private to meet a variety of expectations.

By Voice of Reason

April 28, 2008 11:54 AM | Link to this

Fact: Any progress and development made in outlying counties—like [cough, cough] Bartow]—is solely due to the tremendous growth and progress made in Atlanta proper in the past 25-30 years.

That said, once you get outside of metro Atlanta, you run into the same back-country thinking of days of yore. Also, I do feel metro Atlanta will go through a rough period over the next ten years, with terrible infrastructure, water crises, increase in crime, traffic congestion, air pollution, etc. Not a good time. But professionally, whatever you set out to do here, you can.

By joe

April 28, 2008 12:05 PM | Link to this

Jamie, there’s two ways to dive in to southern culture and activities. One is to listen to Jeff and Jane above and experience it all. The other is to stay ITP and look down your nose at everything that makes this region so wonderful. I live ITP yet prefer to follow Jeff and Jane. Keep an open mind around here — you’ll need it.

By joe

April 28, 2008 12:17 PM | Link to this

Hey Voice, you make quite a convincing argument for “progress and development.”

By Scrappy

April 28, 2008 12:35 PM | Link to this

Hey Jamie! I too am a Michigan State University grad, there are quite a few of us around here. Try the Jocks N Jills at the Galleria for football Saturdays MSU style. I live OTP (yes people say that)and love it, except for the commute to Buckhead. Advice I can give you - never say “pop”, it is soda, or better yet, just ask for a coke. You will get laughed at if you ask for a pop. Other advice - Buckhead is overrated and over priced. Don’t believe it when they say it is the place to be.

By Jason

April 28, 2008 12:36 PM | Link to this

Don’t go OTP! It’s like Deliverance meets Boyz n the Hood set against a backdrop of cheap prefab housing.

By Jonathan

April 28, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this

I am a Lexington, KY native and a former intern of the Lexington Herald-Leader and a UK grad (03)! I’ve only set foot in Michigan on the way through Detroit to Toronto many times in college. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I ever really EXITED my car in MI. Anyway, after Lexington it was Cincinnati (TERRIBLE MISTAKE) and I have been in Atlanta for less than a year. I’ve always had family and friends here and it’s always been a second home. I still refer to “we” as Lexington as well but that will change in time. Bottom line? Atlanta has a lot to offer but so does the rest of the state. I live ITP in Grant Park and definitely prefer ITP living (I wouldn’t consider living OTP), but I love getting out of the city and experiencing the state as well. Like another reader said - keep an open mind. I may have grown up in KY (think of it as “lite” South) but this is the DEEP South and is a very different and often more conseravite experience (again, this is why I prefer ITP!!) But I think overall you’ll grow to to love all the city has to offer!

By John

April 28, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this

The mountains north of Ellijay are beautiful..The beach and Savannah area are awesome..and Atlanta (that is, the real Atlanta which is only ITP) is great. And Athens is ok a few times a year. The rest of Georgia sucks…and that’s from a Georgia native. Atlanta is the only reason I stay here…if it weren’t for Atlanta, Georgia would just be Alabama-light.

By J

April 28, 2008 2:31 PM | Link to this

Advice….hmmmm. Pack your crap up and leave. This place is going to hell in a handbasket.

By Andrew

April 28, 2008 2:35 PM | Link to this

Dateline Lexington, KY: For all you Atlantians (may have just made that up) whether you live OTP or ITP (don’t know what the hell either of those mean) take note, and save this blog to your favorites. You have stolen one of Lexington KY’s favorite people, and writers……We miss you Lady J. Be thinking about you at the Derby Day Party!

By Michelle

April 28, 2008 2:41 PM | Link to this

I wouold tell them to get out before its too late. Atlanta is going to fall into the ocean after the Next Earth Quake.

By John

April 28, 2008 2:49 PM | Link to this

It’s Atlantans, not Atlantians. ITP and OTP refer to the great divider; Interstate-285, which forms a complete boundry (i.e., Perimter) around Atlanta. In “Metro” Atlanta, you either live Inside the Perimeter (ITP) or Outside (OTP). It’s very much a philosphical boundry as well. It’s our Hudson/East rivers, our Beltline, and our Bay/Golden Gate Bridge. I won’t go into all the labels that accompany each place, since we all know them, but in general ITP’ers don’t like going OTP and vice-versa. And if you do come ITP…don’t do it until you’ve gotten on a map and know where the heck you are going.

By Kim

April 28, 2008 3:03 PM | Link to this

First and foremost, remember that no one else is from here either. So before you start complaining (just like all other transplants seem to be fond of doing) of how people drive, talk, eat, live, etc., remember that.

By Kim

April 28, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this

First and foremost, remember that no one else is from here either. So before you start complaining (just like all other transplants seem to be fond of doing) of how “Southerners” drive, talk, eat, live, etc., remember that those “Southerners” aren’t.

By Becky

April 28, 2008 3:15 PM | Link to this

Kim, I beg to differ, BUT I’m from here..I live OTP also & I couldn’t agree more with Jane..GA in itself has a lot to offer..I don’t really care for downtown that much..Yes, there are some really nice things to do there, I just like the “quiet” life a little better..Other places to visit..Try seeing something at the Fox Theatre, visit the World of Coke…

By Jane

April 28, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this

I must state that I am a Georgia Native (one of the few).Ellijay has the Apple Festival every year. Savannah is a wonderful place to visit - the waterfront has much to see and do. Tybee Island is very nice as well. I do live OTP in Cherokee County now. I believe that GA offers a little bit of everything.

By Anne

April 28, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this

As a recent transplant to OTP Atlanta, I have found lots and lots to do both ITP, OTP and around Georgia as a whole! The state parks are wonderful to visit, try Cloud Canyon and Providence Canyon. Helen is nice to visit as is Tallulah Gorge. There are Indian mounds, New Echota….then of course there is Savannah. I’d recommend the High Museum, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Museum of Puppetry Arts, the MLK, Jr Birthplace and Memorial. Once they repair it, concerts at the Tabernacle are great. Madison is a nice place to visit, Marietta Square and in the spring and fall there are lots of great festivals. My favorite is the Apple Festival in Ellijay. I moved here in September of 2005 and have rarely spent a Saturday or weekend at home. Camping, hiking, sight-seeing everywhere!!! Not to mention the great food finds in and around Atlanta. Enjoy!!!

By john

April 28, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this

my advice is to go back to where u came from (unless u are a cute lady)

By bronxchic

April 28, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this

I am a new arrival to ATL and I must say I’m finally getting used to living here. It’s just like NYC. Crowded, noisy,over priced, reckless divers, etc. I finally found a place to live.All the way in West Ga. People who have lived here all their lives in Ga must realize that ATL is becoming a melting pot of all different nationalities. NO one is a native (except the Native American Indians)so please stop complaing about the way ATL is transforming. With over 4.4 million people residing here now, change has to happen!!!!Do you want to live in a city that has 18th century thinging or live somewhere people (like me) who see ATL as a good safe growing area in which to prosper. All big cities have crime,too much traffic,over developed housing divisions and not enough compassion for there fellow neighbors. If you don’t like the progress that is occurring here, go live in the mountains and chew on some grass.

By bronxchic

April 28, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this

I am a new arrival to ATL and I must say I’m finally getting used to living here. It’s just like NYC. Crowded, noisy,over priced, reckless divers, etc. I finally found a place to live.All the way in West Ga. People who have lived here all their lives in Ga must realize that ATL is becoming a melting pot of all different nationalities. NO one is a native (except the Native American Indians)so please stop complaing about the way ATL is transforming. With over 4.4 million people residing here now, change has to happen!!!!Do you want to live in a city that has 18th century thinging or live somewhere people (like me) who see ATL as a good safe growing area in which to prosper. All big cities have crime,too much traffic,over developed housing divisions and not enough compassion for there fellow neighbors. If you don’t like the progress that is occurring here, go live in the mountains and chew on some grass.

By Feets of Flan

April 28, 2008 3:53 PM | Link to this

OTP means Outside Ponce De Leon & Peachtree. If it is outside of those confines it is most likely not worth visiting. People will suggest eating at The Varsity with passion, but you would be better off eating a pound of raw bacon.

By Jeff

April 28, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this

Couple of places that haven’t been mentioned:

Callaway Gardens. Pretty much anything you like to do outside- minus hunting - can be done here. Come once for the gardens themselves. Keep coming back for the hiking/biking/fishing!

FDR State Park: Right on the fall line, some of the southern most mountains in the state - though nowhere near the height of those in NEGA, from the edge of the park near the Callaway Country Store, you can clearly see drops of a few thousand feet with plains behind them. VERY cool.

Providence (Little Grand) Canyon State Park: Situated pretty much in the middle of nowhere south of Columbus near the AL line, this is a man-made canyon and a testament to what a bad case of erosion can do in a short amount of time. The canyons themselves are impressive though, and the trail along and through them can get fairly strenuous.

Other than those specific places, I would say get out off the interstates and major highways and travel through GA’s 2 lane highways. (Specifically in South GA, between Columbus, Macon, Savannah, Valdosta, and Albany.) Much of what I learned about this great State was on those roads, and that is where I - a native Georgian - fell in love with this great State all over again.

By Try these

April 28, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this

Drive around 285, hike Stone Mountain, walk the trails at the Chattahoochee Nature center, see General Lee at Yellow River Game Ranch, tailgate at a UGA football game, cycle up Brasstown Bald..coast back down, visit the Georgia Aquarium, visit the antebellum houses in Madison, eat seafood in Savannah, visit Statesboro-home of the Allman Brother’s band, eat an onion in Vidalia, go to the MLK museum, try and find Georgia’s “little” Grand Canyon in Lumpkin, canoe down the Chatooga river ala “Deliverance”, watch the Tour de Georgia in Dahloniga, enter the redneck olympics in Dublin, have dinner at the Sundial, run the Atlanta Half marathon on Thanksgiving day..and finally eat a big ole chicken leg at the Big Chicken in Mayretta..

By Mr. Grits

April 28, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this

Hi Jamie, welcome to our great state.

A question for you, and I’m being serious: what’s Malt-O-Meal?

By J

April 28, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this

Jaime, you didn’t mention if you have kids, but that will make a difference in your lifestyle here in Atlanta. I’ve lived here going on three years and I am still getting used to it. Enjoy the relatively low cost of living (if you have any experience living in high cost areas) and the wealth of things to do. I think this area is great particularly for young singles. The summertime is, well, stupid hot. Find a manageable commute so you don’t spend your life in your vehicle. Don’t be surprised at the rudeness and cluelessness of drivers here, and don’t be surprised if you get tailgated while you’re going over 70mph on the highway. Still, with all this, I enjoy the community I live in and am lucky to have found a church and a special-interest club in which I’ve met a lot of great people. It takes time and effort to make friends in Atlanta!

By Troglodyke

April 28, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this

As a native, I know we are a vanishing breed. This is to be expected, with so much growth (much of it poorly planned).

I have lived her all my live (40+ years) and have lived in the same neighborhood that whole time.

Whether you enjoy Atlanta (which of course does not just refer to downtown—I am miles out of downtown, but I have an Atlanta address) or not depends on several factors.

Personally, I don’t go downtown—too many panhandlers—but I do enjoy Midtown, Va. Highlands, Ponce, Piedmont Park, and places like that which were once suburbs of the ATL, but no longer are. I do not feel comfortable OTP for the most part. There is still a lot of backwoods, old-time religion crap in this state, and I try to avoid it.

It’s true: if it weren’t for Atlanta, GA would just be Alabama. So as far as cities go, I enjoy it. If it weren’t for the traffic and the humidity between May and September, it would be the perfect Southern city in which to live. Cosmopolitan when it wants to be, but still simple enough that most people are friendly.

So it really depends on what you are looking for, and where you are comfortable. I don’t go OTP much, but I don’t need to. My neighborhood (Emory/Toco Hill) has everything I need, and is friendly, not too highbrow, and comfortable.

I love the trees here. There is some excellent natural beauty to take in in GA. Just be careful in them more rural areas.

By Jeff

April 28, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this

bronxchic:

I am a professional programmer. My wife is an english teacher.

I mention our occupations to point out something:

We could live pretty well anywhere on the planet we choose to.

And we CHOOSE to live in South GA.

You ask “Do you want to live in a city that has 18th century thinging or live somewhere people (like me) who see ATL as a good safe growing area in which to prosper.” And while I won’t discuss proper grammar with you (questions are supposed to end with a ‘?’ rather than a ‘.’), let me answer your question:

You can have BOTH and not have the mess you do in NYC, LA, Chi-town, or even ATL. In this age of data communications, there is NO REASON a business has to be located in a city such as Atlanta. All you need is access to good transportation, and most of the regional cities can give you that. (Macon and Valdosta are both right on 75 and both have regional airports. Albany is only 45 minutes off the interstate along a major - 4 lane - highway and has a regional airport. Columbus is on its own dead-end interstate and has a regional airport.) You can then live 30 minutes away from THOSE cities - and in this case, 30 minutes indicates a minimum of 30 miles, rather than a maximum of 5 - and be out almost in the middle of nowhere, yet still have easy access to most of the good things you would find in Atlanta with very little of any of the bad.

Again, I know this because I have lived both lifestyles.

And as I get ready to start bringing children of my own into this world, I can honestly - and emphatically - state that there is no way in HADES I would raise them anywhere near a major city like Atlanta. It aint worth the stress and it aint worth the hassle.

YES, it takes some time to adjust to the slower pace of life down here in South GA. Heck, it took me a GOOD 6 months or so! But you’ll find once you do that your stress level is generally a tenth of one percent of what it was when you lived in the big city.

And ya know what? I like that. I really do.

By J

April 28, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this

Also, try to adopt a college football team…it makes fall Saturdays more fun.

By Paul

April 28, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this

Jamie,

A few things I didn’t see mentioned earlier:

1 - Atlanta is not a real sports town. We’ve got the Georgia Bulldogs and that’s about it. Pro football , baseball and basketball are barely thought about here. 2 - We do get music here… No matter what your taste… Rock, Rap, R&B, Country, Classical, Jazz, etc. Try the Tabernacle when it re-opens. 3 - The Varsity = Death. I’ve lived here for more than 20 years and never liked the food. The atmosphere is interesting during daylight hours. 4 - Try Virginia Highlands (ITP) 5 - Stay away from Buckhead… no matter what someone tells you it’s lame. 6 - Never even think about washing your car between March 1st and April 15th. You will not believe how much pollen will build up in just one hour. 7 - The Braves are a cheap and fun activity for anyone. Tickets are always easy to get usually below face value. 8 - I285 sucks all day every day. 9 - I75/85 in downtown is under construction during the weekends. Stay away from it at all costs. 10 - Six Flags Over Georgia is cheezy and a great place to get robbed or beaten up. Stay away. Don’t let your kids near it.

By Constance

April 28, 2008 4:47 PM | Link to this

Comments like “pack your crap and leave” make me smile. I, too, am new to the city, have been here two weeks. Yesterday, my boyfriend and I were sitting on the patio at Java Monkey, listening to a group of high-schoolers bemoan the awful state of the awful State of Georgia. The oldest member of the group, the only one able to drink beer legally, was going on about how great Boston is, comparatively, and how he can’t wait to get out.

It’s funny. People of a certain personality type, at a certain age, people like my boyfriend and I when WE were 21, they never can wait to get out. Neither can they explain just exactly why they feel this intense urge to leave. They just know they have to, inarguably, or they’ll loose their minds. Hunter S. Thompson described it perfectly in “The Rum Diary”:

“Maybe I should say that I feel a rubber sack coming down on me… purely symbolic, you know… the venal ignorance of the fathers being visited on the sons… Tell them this man Kemp is fleeing St. Louis because he suspects that sack is full of something ugly and he doesn’t want to put up with it… He doesn’t give a good s*%# for St. Louis or his friends or his family or anything else… he just wants to find a place where he can breathe.”

When we overheard that Georgia kid and the way he talked about Boston, my boyfriend and I looked at each other and laughed. He and I just came from up there, from the Boston area, and I was in Chicago before that. For all the 21 years we’d spent plotting our way to the other side of the Mason-Dixon line, where we were so sure a Canaan of religious, social, and sexual freedom lie, we’ve done nothing for the past year except plot and save and scheme to get back.

So I find it amusing, but also sad, when people who say, “pack your crap and leave.” I suspect the person who wrote that never had the courage to move more than 50 miles from the hospital where he or she was born. I feel sorry for that person, and for all our friends back in Alabama who wanted to leave, but didn’t, and still feel trapped and miserable down here. They’ll never appreciate the South as completely as we do now.

That’s not to say that every person who leaves home, be that home the South or anywhere else, will want to return. But those of us who want to come back and do, we appreciate things: heat lightning, fresh tomatoes, pretty vowels, and fat, warm drops of rain - like no one else ever will.

All of that said, although I spent 21 years in the South, I’m as new to this place as you, Jamie. My first night out here we walked around Decatur, went to the Brick Store Pub, and I couldn’t keep my jaw off the ground. This is the SOUTH?! Not the South I grew up in. It’s just too metropolitan, too progressive, to bear any resemblance to the South I remember. Walking around that night, I kept thinking about how it looked like someone pulled up my favorite parts of my favorite Chicago neighborhoods and re-planted them in kudzu and clay. So as much as OTP is an adventure for everyone else, I think ITP is going to be the real adventure for me.

There are many reasons my boyfriend and I chose to move to Atlanta, many reasons we see it as having more potential, more creative possibility, than anywhere else in the country. The other cities I’ve lived in have pretty much defined themselves. Chicago has become what Chicago will be - so has Boston. But I’ve never seen anything like Atlanta. I’ve never seen a place that so consistently defies one’s expectations of it, even the expectations of someone like me, who grew up just three hours from here. It seems like Atlanta is still a city that is still in the process of becoming. And we newcomers, we transplants and returning ex-pats, have the opportunity to shape that. That excites me.

By Magenta

April 28, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this

Keep an eye on the calendar for whatever published information you may check out regarding this city. The Perimeter may be the physical divider, but trust me, the 1996 Olympics are what changed Atlanta to a “feisty Southern city” to “New York South.” I moved here in ‘86 and it has changed drastically since then, mostly NOT for the better. Most Atlanta history is frankly irrelevant because the powers that be couldn’t care less about it. Their solution to everything is knock it down, paint it over and fuhgeddaboudit.

By Red Neck

April 28, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this

As some have alluded too, when you get outside of Atlanta you will find Georgia is a terrible place.

Unfortunately, it is filled with backwards thinking, gun crazy red necks. Thank goodness we have Atlanta, where we can find refuge and peace of mind.

By The Truth

April 28, 2008 5:32 PM | Link to this

My advice would be to keep your comments about how great the north is to yourself. No one wants to hear it because it isn’t true. We have lower taxes and more freedom down here. Also, if you’re liberal you might want to move in to Decatur and stay there. If you complain about the governor you may want to think twice because I can’t think of a great governor in a northern state. Illinois? High taxes and mass corruption. Michigan? Hmmm…. Highest unemployment in the country.

By Red Neck Sucks

April 28, 2008 5:36 PM | Link to this

Red Neck, Yeah, and Atlanta is filled with people who hold degrees in Fine Arts. This degree has given them vast knowledge in politics, finance and foreign policy. Most of them spend their time, unemployed sitting in Starbucks making fun of hard working people.

By Constance

April 28, 2008 6:08 PM | Link to this

Malt-o-meal is a very mean thing they do to yankees who don’t have grits.

Best not to think about it. ;)

By Kermit

April 28, 2008 6:21 PM | Link to this

yeah go back the way you came

trust me

By faye

April 28, 2008 9:55 PM | Link to this

The Truth - we don’t have the freedom to buy alcohol on a Sunday or to bet on a race like the Kentucky Derby (this Saturday, for anyone who cares - I’m sure Jamie knows)…

Jamie - if you learned to love the horses, learn the route to the Birmingham Dog Tracks - simulcast is two hours away - the real deal? About 5 1/2 hours north.

By jess

April 28, 2008 11:24 PM | Link to this

Best advice I can offer: Bring a good attitude. Be polite. Forget how to blow the horn. Say Thank You, Yes Please, and Pardon Me. Be especially kind to ladies, old people and children. If you follow this advice you’ll be welcome and happy to be among us. Violate this regularly and you’ll be as unhappy and as condesending as many transplants. The unhappy ones should consider returning to the place they were happy, rather than attempt changing those that are native and pleased to be here.

By Kenny

April 28, 2008 11:58 PM | Link to this

Hi Jamie, My problem moving south was getting rid of saying, “you guys”, and “what’s up eh, doing ok, eh, where you going, eh?” Yea, I grew up in Dearborn, moved away in the early 80,s. Now I say, “northern born, northern raised, though when I die, I’ll be southern dead!” (too damn cold in the winters in Michigan)

By Kenny

April 28, 2008 11:59 PM | Link to this

Hi Jamie, My problem moving south was getting rid of saying, “you guys”, and “what’s up eh, doing ok, eh, where you going, eh?” Yea, I grew up in Dearborn, moved away in the early 80,s. Now I say, “northern born, northern bred, though when I die, I’ll be southern dead!” (too damn cold in the winters in Michigan)

By majordawg94

April 29, 2008 12:48 AM | Link to this

Wanna see Georgians at their best and worst? Wanna see natives being passionate? Wanna see southern culture? Wanna see hospitality and hostility all at once? Wanna see gentile southern gentlemen, well-heeled ladies, and rednecks? Wanna see all that is the south? The best and worst?

Go to Athens for a Conference (SEC) game. I know you think you’ve seen big time college football, and you have, at least one version of it. But my wife’s cousing from Penn State will tell you, it’s a whole new ballgame down here. Soak it in!!! It’s a hell of a thing. And if you’re nice and wear red, you can eat and drink for free most of the day.

By ahh the south

April 29, 2008 4:38 AM | Link to this

ahhh the south. Full of fat people and ignorant people, most of the time all rolled into one! What more can you really say?

Schools are not worth the buildings they are made from… more Mexican gardeners then one could ever use in a day… more horrible drivers then you should ever be run off the road by…. more panic from the word “sleet” then stores could possibly stock shelves with peanut butter bread and milk from… More NAACP members then should ever be aloud in a 5 block area… more people that voted for retard for president (not once, but twice) willingly then Florida… more people that fear gun permit holders more then they do criminals who care less about permits then any other state…. more retarded people per square inch then the special Olympics… more witch hunts then a Salem witch trial

ahhhh the south.. I think that about sums it up.

By My Advice -

April 29, 2008 6:45 AM | Link to this

Advice for living in Georgia -

NEVER use your blinker.

ALWAYS tailgate on the expressway.

For your own safety you will want to get from one red-light to the next as quickly as possible. They take their traffic flow really seriously here.

Get used to REALLY narrow streets with no sidewalks.

If the weatherman even mentions the words “snow” or “sleet” panic WILL ensue (Georgians are afraid that if they don’t get their bread, eggs, milk and beer before the “big storm” they might not make it).

There will be at least ONE “big” storm every year, the coverage of which will supercede every bit of television programming except professional wrestling.

The city WILL shut down if snow accumulates (and by that I mean if more than a 1/4” sticks).

Southerners are very “clannish” and tend to stick to what they know. They’ll act friendly to your face and bad-mouth you behind your back…insults are usually followed by an insincere “bless his heart…”

And lastly, don’t be shocked when they have the bad taste to quiz you on your religious beliefs, (they don’t take “I’d rather not discuss religion” as a reason to drop it) nor should you be surprised if they get offended when you don’t jump at the chance to visit their church.

By Gilen

January 18, 2009 6:45 AM | Link to this

Could you help me. Let not the sands of time get in your lunch. I am from Canada and now study English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: “This report reveals the secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate with charm and impact.”

With respect ;), Gilen.