Access Atlanta > The Newcomer > Archives > 2008 > October
October 2008
Trick-or-treat! Have some traffic!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sure, everybody place celebrates Halloween with a smidge of local flavor. I’ve seen Halloween parades before, but nothing quite like what I saw during the aftermath of Little Five Point’s.
Another thing that gives our celebration a unique flavor: traffic.
Turns out that Atlanta has pre-trick-or-treat traffic jams that live on in Halloween lore, like in 1996, when drivers were trapped around Perimeter Mall of three hours, or in 2005, when Halloween fell on the first Monday after the end of daylight savings time. Read: mass confusion and darkness an hour earlier. (Who knew? Not me. I guess it makes sense.)
So how bad does it get? Will you take the day off or leave early to ensure Halloween success?
This story by Ariel Hart says it might not be all that bad — you know, for a Friday rush hour in Atlanta.
Alas, I’ll be celebrating as I do every year: with a pre-nightfall battle for the last bag of Snickers at the nearest store. As always, I forgot to buy candy.
For more Halloween coverage, check out today’s to-do list of events and the AJC holiday guide.
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Brrr…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I had this twisted mental vision that I’d moved to a place where its 70 and sunny always, except for a few steamy summer months.
Wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
I know I’m not the only one digging in to the AJC’s supply of hot chocolate. This is cold.
The good news: I just talked to the National Weather Service, and they said all the things I wanted to hear.
This cold? This 30-degree-trudge-to-work-through-bike-blowing-gusts cold?Not normal! At least not for now.
Meteorologist Brian Lynn told me this is much closer to what you experience in a Georgia January, and by the end of the week, we’ll see highs back in the 60s.
And the better news: January is our coldest month, so this is just about as cold as it gets!
Sure, Lynn admits, it’s not impossible to get some of those record-breaking single-digit chills here. He moved to Georgia (from Alaska!) in 1989, and has witnessed it a few times, but it’s not the norm.
I grew up in Michigan — I don’t even know want to know where their thermostats are right now — but I’ve lost the rectitude required for cold temperatures.
But wow, am I glad I didn’t toss all those sweaters.
What are your winter memories in Georgia? How cold does it get?
And if you’re new here and wondering what other weather to expect, well, check out posts on hurricane, drought, smog and — yes, something nice — fall.
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Best neighborhood for a young, single woman?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just getting back to work after a few days out of town and while I was gone, commenter lcurtis asked a good question.
“I will be graduating college and moving to Atlanta for work at the end of this year. It would be great if there could be a discussion about what the safest and most affordable neighborhoods for a single, young girl are. Thanks!”
Ooh, that’s a tough one. Safe and affordable are two on a long list of defining characteristics for a good place to live, and there are always exceptions.
My take: this depends a lot on your definition of safe and affordable. It depends, too, on whether you’re renting or buying. As a renter who loathes the idea of a long commute, I sorted through the wildly expensive and uncomfortably dumpy places around Candler Park/Inman Park/Edgewood/Reynoldstown/Cabbagetown/East Atlanta, and found rental I really love. Could I afford to buy? Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh…no.
And like any neighborhood, some of those areas have more crime than others - not so much that I wouldn’t live there as a young, single gal, but not so little that I’d go into much detail about it in conversation with my dad. (“Hi dad!…Yeah, I’m great…Weather’s finally cooling down…Nope, everything here is fine…”)
One way to handle this, I think, is to consider what you really want. My list: a short commute; an apartment, not a single-family home, but not a giant complex, either; something close to a grocery store and a few convenient businesses; an outside entrance, not just a door that opened up to my living room; neighbors I can see, meet and talk with.
Adding all that up, I asked around and found the neighborhoods where that seemed possible, and focused my search there almost entirely.
Here’s a post my co-worker wrote about buying a house in Atlanta. And here’s another where some people talked about their favorite neighborhoods and ZIP codes.
So what do you say, readers? Where would you recommend a young, single woman look for something safe and affordable?
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Test your Atlanta speed and smarts.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Teams in this month’s Urban Dare race in Atlanta get ready at Central Park. Teammates Lauryn Bellamy and Caroline Smart and teammates Rustom Maneksha and Michael Beasley call for help.
It’s one thing to run a race through Atlanta and another to offer up a trivia-laden tour of the city. It’s another thing entirely to do both at once.
I wrote about a one-afternoon Urban Dare competition that started at Atlanta’s Central Park a few weeks ago. Fun to write about, fun to learn about, but could I have won? Nooooooo.
Is it a good way to learn the city? Yes, absolutely. Several teams I interviewed had only a casual or outdated knowledge of the city. Most said they wanted to know it better. Read the full story here.
Urban Dare is run a little like a scavenger hunt, and a little like NBC’s “Amazing Race” reality TV show. Teams get a booklet filled with clues, questions and directions: Shoot pictures of Atlanta landmarks, build human pyramids of unsuspecting non-competitors, get a hat and a bite to eat at the world’s largest drive-through.
Urban Dare officials create new questions each time by wandering around, looking for landmarks and reading plaques that are often overlooked. Each team paid a $90 fee to compete for a $300 prize. At the designated day and time, they’re off on a route of their own design. (The next race in Atlanta is on April 9.)
Maps, reference books, laptops and cell phones are welcome. Cameras and comfortable shoes are a must. Bikes and cars aren’t allowed, but competitors can hop on public transportation.
One clue referred to a scene in the first thriller featuring the character Hannibal Lecter, filmed in Atlanta in the 1980s. “Get a picture of the entrance to this building found on Peachtree Street,” it said.
A little hunting online revealed the movie was “Manhunter,” not the more famous “Silence of the Lambs,” and the Peachtree Street building that portrayed Lecter’s mental institution was the High Museum of Art.
Below the cut, check out some of the questions and clues that racers faced. The winners did it all in about 2 hours and 22 minutes. How well would you have done?
Clues
Hosford wrote a “Handy Guide” about the International Exposition held here (a little while ago). Take a picture of both your team members jumping for joy on the dock of the lake at this location.
It’s a wicked show tonight! Get a picture of both teammates with this building’s famous well-lit sign.
In the government district is a statue of a former Georgia governor pointing towards a large mural in the distance. Get a picture of both team mates with this mural behind you. (You’ll probably need to find a location closer to the mural.)
Been to the Underground? Prove it — get a picture of both team members and a sign indicating the Underground and “the world’s most recognizable trademark,” all in the same picture.
What is a 1929 Federal Six? Whatever it is, you can see one in the Underground — get a picture of both of you standing with it.
There is a national park in tribute to a famous leader of peace, in which there is a statue honoring another famous leader of peace. Get a picture of your team members with this statue.
At the capitol building is a statue of the 39th president. Surrounding the statue are 13 words or phrases used to describe this person. One of those words or phrases ends uniquely — which one is it?
End the race at the restaurant that is the world’s largest drive-through - although you should come inside, get a hat and a bit to eat, and find us to finish your last puzzle.
Answers
It was “Hosford’s Handy Guide to the Cotton States and International Exposition, Atlanta, 1895,” written for the event at Piedmont Park. Teams should have snapped a picture at the dock for Lake Clara Meer.
“Wicked” is at the Fox Theatre, where teams should have gotten a photo of the sign.
There’s a statue of Gov. Richard B. Russell Jr. that points toward a whale mural on Underground Atlanta.
Teams could have gotten a photo of the rotating Coke sign on Underground, or they could have held up a Coke bottle by an Underground sign.
It’s a car parked inside Underground Atlanta.
Teams were looking for a statue of Mohandas Gandhi at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
Teams were looking for a statue of Jimmy Carter at the Georgia State Capitol. The only phrase that ended in a “-th” was “man of faith.”
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Atlanta’s Santa?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Johnny Hammond took over for his friend and mentor James Ray Bryan as the new Phipps Santa. In this 2006 photo, he talks to Bailey and Zach Waldow from Conyers. “Are you the real Santa?” Zach asked Hammond who elusively answered, “You will have to make that decision on your own.”
Atlanta takes its Santas very seriously.
I didn’t know this till yesterday, when I got a note saying that in the first 45 minutes that reservations (yes! reservations!) were accepted, 1,400 families registered for their time with Santa at Phipps Plaza.
Let’s just be clear: it’s October. I’m writing stories about Halloween candy.
I hear that he’s the guy, The Santa. Not the only Santa. (Look to any mall. I’m quite certain that most kids have no clue whether the beard is real or fake.) But the most in-demand Santa? Apparently.
Huh. I thought maybe this guy was Atlanta’s Santa.
Oh, why not? Let’s get in the mood.
Do you have a favorite Atlanta Santa memory? Will you reserve a spot with this Santa.
And for heaven’s sake what else do I not know about holiday traditions here?
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Hunting for Atlanta history
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You need only reread comments on this blog, if you can stomach them, to get a general sense of feelings about Atlanta history: history? Huh?
There’s plenty, but it’s not easy to spot during a three-day apartment hunt or on the commute to work, especially when you’re just trying to learn your way around.
That’s why I’m fascinated by the restoration of Ivy Hall.
Atlanta History Center photo dated 1890-1900.
The home was built by Edward C. Peters, a son of a founding family in Atlanta, in 1883 and designed by architect G.L. Norman.
As the story goes, by 2005, it was a wreck.
Savannah College of Art and Design instructors and students preserved the building, making it representative of the time with some modern twists. Best of all, they plan to use it as an academic and community building, not just as a museum that sits empty and immaculate.
A five-part series about the restoration will appear on PBA, Atlanta public TV, starting on Saturday. Preserving buildings doesn’t always make sense, but neither does it make sense to immediately assume it’s not worth it. Certainly, I’m glad the historic sites and spots around the city are there. When it does happen, it’s quite a story — just the stuff history is made of. Newcomers, have you looked for living history? Have you found it? Long-timers, what’s your favorite historic site, old building or way to learn about the past?
Looking for more? Here are some resources.
Georgia State Historic Sites: Focuses on parks and sites around the state.
AJC Insiders’ Guide to Historic Sites: Handy list of attractions to see.
National Register of Historic Places: A nice searchable list of sites, but they’re still digitizing their records.
Ivy Hall, newly finished.
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Real Housewives of where?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oh my.
Until Tuesday afternoon, I’d only read about the spectacle of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” I watched it between phone calls at work. Know this: it holds tightly to the spirit of the Bravo “Real Housewives” series that kicked off in Orange County and New York, which is to say it’s shocking in its decadence. Big houses, exclusive clubs, skimpy clothes, land yachts, emotional tell-all narratives to the camera, tons of money, more attitude. (Missed it? Here’s the video, broken into convenient sections. Missed No. 2? Here’s Rodney Ho’s take on it.)
“Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Let’s put that in quotes for several reasons.
There are some nice shots of the skyline (and a few too many of our prolific traffic) but that’s about all I recognize, what with not owning a house, not being a wife, not having children and — this seems to be the key detail — not possessing many spare decimals of cash and credit.
Some Atlantans aren’t so impressed by the series or its excess. Doesn’t mean some aren’t paying attention to the “Real Housewives” around town, either.
Debate the abuse of the words “real” and “housewives” somewhere else on the Internet. I want to hear about the “Atlanta” part. The perception of the area in pop culture — “I’m luuuurving the way they do things in Atlanta.” — no matter how obviously unrealistic, can haunt us. (How many hillbilly/redneck/shoeless/toothless jokes did I hear when I moved to Kentucky? Only about 84,692. In conversation with my family.)
If it’s around long enough, all those images start to seem like the norm, as if this is how we all live. Is the Atlanta you spot in the show familiar to you? Attractive to you? And would it make you want to move here?
Also: this isn’t a space for race baiting or anonymous cruelty. Have some respect for each other and treat it as a discussion or go somewhere else.
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What’s the best Halloween happening?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is The Westminster School’s Halloween Parade from 2006. File parades under “best places to people watch.”
I hear Savannah is one of the most haunted cities in the United States, but I’ll bet Atlanta’s no slouch when it comes to Halloween entertainment, especially this year. Halloween on a Friday is just begging for craziness.
I grew up in a place with an unfortunate tradition of setting abandoned homes on fire the night before Halloween — huge efforts have been made to curb that, by the way — but it instilled in me the sense that holidays may have the same name and the same general aesthetic, but they don’t mean the same thing from one place to the other.
Of course, I’ve got to work the morning after Halloween, and I’m not willing to show up at the office with makeup stains, hair glitter or a candy corn hangover. People-watching from the bar is more my style.
So what’s the metro area’s best Halloween event? Where’s the best place to get an eyeful or people or decorations? And for families new to the area, what’s the best neighborhood to trick-or-treat?
Here are some Halloween resources to help you get started…
Maps of corn mazes and pumpkin patches and another map of haunted houses and ghost tours.
Halloween costume ideas from Amy Winehouse to Sarah Palin. (And yes, if you dress your pet, just say so. We won’t laugh too loudly.)
Halloween events — that’s one serious list.
Family-friendly Halloween events — another long list.
Holiday Guide! This site will be updated continuously for the next few months as we roll into hard-core holiday season.
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Phones for geography or gadgetry?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I didn’t buy a phone because it would browse the Web, tell me where to go, play music while I get there, tell all my friends about it, shoot a photo, post a video and make my dinner. I use it because it works, you know, like a phone.
Oh, with news like this, it’s so tempting to think that way. But whenever you move, the first real techno-question is this: will my phone even work there? Having lived a few places where the balcony was the best place to get a call and AAA was useless if you traveled too far out of town on a weak tire, I know the realities of bad service. I remember driving for hours to get to my brother’s old house, then standing outside, holding the phone as I high as I could, hoping it would send a text message that said, “I arrived OK!”
My service is fine here so far, and that has to be good enough — now that I’m a 13 hour drive from my family, I’m wedded to Verizon as long as they are. The alternatives: a gluttonous plan, a bill full of overages or a blackout on phone calls home.
So what cell phone services work well in Atlanta, in metro Atlanta and once you get into other regions of the state? Have you ever had to changed services because you needed a better signal or service to match your out-of-town friends and family?
Or do you just ignore all that and go for the cool gadget?
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What not to wear…to the polls.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ahh, political fashion.
Like this?
Rasheed Aziz of Dallas sells T-shirts and sweatshirts outside a stop Democratic candidate Barack Obama in Jackson, Miss. in March.
Or maybe this is more your style?
Melinda Mock displays her allegiance during breakfast at the Fulton County Republican HQ in Sandy Springs in October.
Not on Nov. 4, it isn’t, at least not when you head to the polls.
The Georgia Code doesn’t allow any kind of campaigning or electioneering with 150 feet of a polling place on Election Day, and the Secretary of State’s office considers wearing a shirt, button, hat, lapel pin or sticker with a candidate’s name or face just that. We’re not the only state with those kinds of rules, either.
You can find the law in the Georgia Code, sections 21-2-413 and 21-2-414, and on page six of the Georgia Poll Worker Training Manual.
This election has given voters some interesting ways to show off to show off their political pride, but Matt Carrothers, director of media relations for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, says they’re not worried about people trying to break the rules.
The law isn’t new, he says, and poll workers are well aware of it. Expect to be asked to cover it up or come back without it.
“Those rules are in place to protect the sanctity of the polling place and make sure that no voter is pressured or subject to undue influence and electioneering by another voter,” Carrothers told me.
If it helps at all, you can wear that peachy little “I’m a Georgia voter” sticker on the way out.
Other election resources:
Georgia Secretary of State’s Election Center: early voting information, voter ID information, poll locater, election results.
Georgia Voter Guide: builds your ballot and introduces you to the candidates.
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