Access Atlanta > The Newcomer > Archives > 2008 > May > 02 > Entry
Newcomer Q&A, v. 1
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Question & Answer Friday!
The Newcomer is all about learning our way around, so Fridays are specially reserved for answering questions that come up here, whether they’re yours or mine.
Post your questions in the comments throughout the week, or send them to me at jgumbrecht@ajc.com. I’ll do the leg work, or at least find the right people to do it.
Question from Reader Constance: “When I move to a new city, it’s always really hard to find a good hair salon that’s affordable. As a dyed-redhead, I have to get my hair done every month, and the cost adds up. Maybe people have some tips on where to go?” Answer: Readers, I’m hoping you’ll pitch in on this one.
Here’s what I’ve got for ya.
- Nedra Rhone, the AJC’s fashion writer, said Salon Red in Decatur is popular. ” It’s an Aveda concept salon so they have some really advanced color techniques that are healthy for hair,” she wrote.
- This is one of those times when www.kudzu.com might come in handy, too. I’d heard of the site before I moved here, but I use it almost obsessively now. This is, of course, a flawed process. Reader reviews aren’t the most reliable, but it’s still an interesting tool.
Question from a bunch of you: How do you get a phone book? And moreso, how do you stop getting a phone book? Answer: The folks at AT&T are working on it. More soon.
Question from Jamie: My big brother is getting married in June. By then, my violet strapless bridesmaid’s dress will have been hanging in my closet for eight months. Even when I bought it, the gown fit on place and nowhere else; I certainly don’t want to carry all that extra purple around. What’s the best place to get a formal dress altered at a reasonable price? I generally prefer to stay in town, but I’m willing to drive if it’ll prevent an unfortunate YouTube moment while I trip down the aisle.
Permalink | Comments (18) | Post your comment | Categories: Questions & Answers
Comments
By Jeff
May 2, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this
Jamie:
I just got married back in October, and we used Arfer Hours for the guys, David’s Bridal for the ladies. (Evidently those two work pretty closely together, possibly owned by the same organization, though I don’t know about that.)
ANYWAYS, they were pretty good about handling any issue we had - and we had some doosies!
Unsure if they would work on a dress that wasn’t from them though.
Ladies Hair: (for Constance): I know a few ladies up in Cartersville personally that my mom/female relatives typically go to, but if you’re not up in that general area you probably wouldn’t want to bother treking all the way out there! (The main one I’m thinking of works in rural Bartow just north of Cartersville, and I know from experience that it can take upwards of 3 hours to come from Alpharetta over to near her place.)
By Maria
May 2, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this
I found my salon through Yelp (yelp.com/atlanta), which, even as an Atlanta native, has helped me find a million places in the city I hadn’t previously known about. It incorporates Google Maps, so you can search for businesses based on their proximity to home or workplace. I go to Godiva Salon in Buckhead for cut and color. I’ve never been anything but thrilled with the way they handle my hair.
Regarding alterations, I recommend finding a neighborhood tailor and building a relationship with them (uh, businesswise, I mean). I’m teeny tiny and always have pants and jackets to be altered, so it’s important to me to have a tailor with consistent quality. You might try out a couple tailors with small alterations first (hemming pants or something like that), and then choosing the one you like best to do the big dress job. You’re likely to get a better price with someone you’ve worked with before.
David’s Bridal is, in this former bride’s opinion, good for little more than camp value. Also, the closest one is on Barrett Parkway in Cobb, which, for as long as I’ve been a GA driver, has won the dubious award known as Maria’s Least Favorite Street Ever. Avoid.
By Joisey Boi
May 2, 2008 11:25 AM | Link to this
My questions:
What’s a grit?
Don’t people blow their horns down here?
Why is the iced tea so sweet? Does “smothered” refer to how my food was killed? Why do people “mash” the buttons on a phone instead of pressing them? When you say someone “fell out” - what did they fall out of? Why do people keep trying to jump off bridges down here?
By can't wait to move
May 2, 2008 12:51 PM | Link to this
My advice is pack your bags and get out while you still can. I’d be doing the same if I could save some money. It’s tough to do when you get laid off every six months. This is a horrible, horrible place to live. You’ve been warned.
By Dontcha Know
May 2, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this
Sounds like a personal problem if you can’t keep a job for more than 6 months..
By Anne
May 2, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this
Best Alterations: Rose’s Alterations in the Northlake area. They did a fabulous job on the junior bridesmaid’s dress for my daughter.
By J
May 2, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this
Dude might not be able to keep a job, but he is right about getting the hell out of this place!!!
By Rebecca
May 2, 2008 3:08 PM | Link to this
Tailor: Mario Bosco on Piedmont Ave, across from the BP gas station at Pharr Rd. He did my wedding dress which was my grandmother’s and 65 years old, and required a bit of restyling, not just hemming. Beautiful work. Not expensive either.
By Rebecca
May 2, 2008 3:08 PM | Link to this
Tailor: Mario Bosco on Piedmont Ave, across from the BP gas station at Pharr Rd. He did my wedding dress which was my grandmother’s and 65 years old, and required a bit of restyling, not just hemming. Beautiful work. Not expensive either.
By Constance
May 2, 2008 3:14 PM | Link to this
Thanks, Jamie - and everybody else, too. I think I’ll start with Red 7, since they’re nearby and their prices are reasonable, and check out yelp (thanks, Maria!) for my next dye job. Thank yall!
In answer to Jersy Boi’s questions:
1) Grits are a warm cereal made from ground corn: http://www.ansonmills.com/grits.htm#mill 2) We don’t have “iced tea” down here, just “sweet tea,” and “unsweet tea.” “Iced” is assumed. If you like a little sugar, but find the sweet tea too sweet (like I do) - order half sweet and half unsweet at restuarants. Your server will be happy to oblige. 3) No, “smothered” does not refer to how your food was killed. It’s just an example of the colorfulness of Southern language. Your Waffle House hash browns are loaded with so much stuff they can’t breathe. (I’m hungry now.) 4) I don’t know why we mash buttons instead of pressing them. But I know I like the word “mash” - it’s just so descriptive. 5) I think “fall out” comes from the Pentecostal tradition of falling on the floor and speaking in tounges when posessed by the spirit of God - or “falling out.” Over time, people have come to say that they “fall out” when they encounter something shocking and are unable to control their reaction (the same way Pentecostals are unable to control themselves when posessed by the spirit). 6) Well if Southerners are gonna pick a way to go, God knows they’ll pick something dramatic - and definitive, hence the bridges.
By Constance
May 2, 2008 3:17 PM | Link to this
If one more person says “get the hell out” I might just wring their neck. If you don’t like where you are, there’s a simple option: leave. But for God’s sake don’t waste your time and ours trashing it. That’s just silly.
By ATL Diva
May 2, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this
To The people that want to leave:
Dont let the door knob hit you where the good Lord split ya.
Holla. I get so sick of people dissing my home town. I am a Grady Baby and proud of it you dont like the A then go back home. Bye save us from your none driving, dont know where you are going butts from hitting you.
By dl
May 2, 2008 6:47 PM | Link to this
In reference to “then go back home”. Atl WAS my home for 45+ years. Sorry, but the quality of life in Atl has steadily gone down hill for a long time. So we left. It is so nice to actually leave the office during rush hour and NOT stop until I get home, even on the freeway. And no, I will not tell you where I went.
By Angie
May 2, 2008 10:12 PM | Link to this
dl i hear ya! i’ve been here almost 3 yrs and have thrown in the towel. i’m moving back to CA on 6/1. can’t wait. GA has too much drama for me. have you seen the news lately. dang! it’s sad. atl is great to visit, but not live. also, y’all don’t know how to drive. STOP GIVING YOUR RIGHT-AWAY AWAY FOR PETE’S SAKE. you’re gonna get hit from behind and wonder why. duh!
By LetzGoOut.com
May 3, 2008 8:37 AM | Link to this
It can’t be that bad… According to the bar search on letzgoout.com, there’s about 180 different bars in the Atlanta area… I’m sure there’s plenty to do. You just gotta look around a bit.
By Anon
May 3, 2008 11:47 AM | Link to this
You’ve gotta be kidding me.
Go to NW Ohio. You want to talk about people who don’t know how to drive? You want to talk about how impossible it is to find a job? I live here and I found a job IN ATLANTA that I can do from here.
Suck it up and enjoy living in an economy that hasn’t completely nosedived.
By dl
May 4, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Good for you anon, but the point is there ARE other cities where the economy hasn’t nosedived and you don’t have the headaches of atl. So no point in sucking it up when there are better alternatives.
By Mark
May 4, 2008 2:21 PM | Link to this
Joisey Boi
Down here they speak “pig english”. True southerners are uneducated yahoos. And Atlanta has too many blacks and mexicans. Crime is rampant as a result. Move back to Jersey as fast as you can. Me, I’m moving to the mid west to get away from the flotsam down here.