Commutants!

By Robin

November 11, 2005 01:19 PM | Link to this

Atlantan’s have too much of a love affair with their cars and fear of the minorities coming to their neighborhoods to ever let Marta expand.

By Becca

November 11, 2005 02:20 PM | Link to this

Yes, the best part of my day sometimes is stopping in to see Tommy the man who works at the Chevron where I go to buy my ciggarettes. He always tells me to quit and always asks how the day has been. He asks about my husband and my child and we talk about the weather or the news….he’s a great guy that I am glad is a part of my neighborhood. The more than 15 seconds I spend has made a difference between a neighbor and a stranger.

By Carla Caldwell

November 11, 2005 02:48 PM | Link to this

Thanks Becca for writing. And, it’s nice to hear that you take the time.

By jennifer

November 11, 2005 03:02 PM | Link to this

I, too, try to stop and make small talk with people. There is a store in my neighborhood and we have become to familiar with the guy who owns it that he always asks about the kids and if we have any plans for the weekends. When my kids go in there he always asks them about school and how they are doing.

It’s a great feeling that you don’t get from a lot of smaller stores and that’s why we continue to go there. Even if something costs me a few cents extra the conversations that have been gained are very worth it.

By jennifer

November 11, 2005 03:03 PM | Link to this

Sorry, ‘to’ is supposed to be ‘so’ familiar..

By Carla Caldwell

November 11, 2005 03:32 PM | Link to this

Hi Jennifer - There was a guy who worked at a convenience store in our neighborhood. We typically shared a brief conversation when I dropped in. Once after pumping gas I discovered that I had left my wallet at home. I panicked. He told me to come back later and give him the money. I was shocked that someone would do that these days in intown Atlanta. I was sad when he was transferred to another store. It does pay to know your neighbors in many ways. I’m going to try to get out walking in our neighborhood more often. Keep writing.

By JXH

November 11, 2005 03:49 PM | Link to this

I attended the Sierra Club showing last night of a movie at Midtown about the history of transportation in America. It was an answer to “How did we get here?” meaning using mostly cars for transportation. I was amazed to see the use of trolleys in the movie. I had never seen the real map of trolleys before or realized that they were used by so many people. The movie explained how the trolleys were used by the masses before the war, the war pulled many resources from the country to sustain the fighting, and then the trolleys were old and needed repair. GM convinced major American cities to convert to busses. The resulting pollution in Los Angeles and other cities is the result. The movie also indicated that the European countries did not convert to busses and their trolleys exist today as efficient and effective transportation. By the way, the Atlanta Trolley system was money-making business of Georgia Power. Interesting information and movie. I wish that everyone could have seen it. Afterward, a panel talked about Clean-Air, the new beltway which has been approved, the newly approved train to Lovejoy, and other issues that are currently under discussion. I applaud the Atlanta Journal and Constitution editorial board for their experiment with public transportation this week and hope that everyone understands how valuable a public transportation system really can be. I have personally used MARTA on many occasions and consider it to be my first choice for downtown events. In order to attend the movie, I drove to the event and was in traffic for over an hour trying to get there. The person in front of my seat said that the Midtown MARTA station was about a 20 minute walk. If weather is permitting for the next Sierra Club movie at Midtown, I will use MARTA and enjoy the opportunity to convert calories to energy. P.S. I also attended the movie “Kilowatt Hours” a month ago and learned a lot about electricity. It is another film that I wish everyone could see.

By ed

November 11, 2005 04:20 PM | Link to this

Your lucky if the person working at the gas station can even speak english these days. Kinda hard to have a conversation.

By Carla Caldwell

November 11, 2005 04:43 PM | Link to this

JXH - Sounds like two good films. Trolleys are great. Amsterdam has a nice one. And of course there is the one in New Orleans. I hope it is intact. Another thing about Amsterdam, the bulk of the population rides bicycles and and as result most everyone looked fit. I’m scared to ride a bike here on the roads, but I will try more to walk and take the trains. Thanks for writing. I’ll try to catch those movies if they are shown again.

By David

November 14, 2005 12:28 PM | Link to this

You know, walking into work through downtown or Midtown there are some other folks whom you could stop to talk to - the folks who are there because the street is their home. You’ll find plenty of them downtown, most perfectly friendly. Getting to know them a little is a great way to turn anger at their very presence or their destitution (certainly in evidence, even among the more progressive of your editorial team) into energy for trying to do something for them.

By Kitty

November 15, 2005 02:33 PM | Link to this

I live just outside the Atlanta City Limits. I’ve lived in the same place for 27 years. For about 8 years I didn’t have or need a car: I had good bus service. That’s gone now. Too far to walk to the bus; too far to walk to the train, so I bought myself a big Buick.

By Mad As Zell

November 15, 2005 10:56 PM | Link to this

Hey Carla, I guess that you have good karma or something, but your all-around positive additude and experiences in these posts makes it really difficult to get into a merciless and unrelenting scorching rebuke of the local status quo. I don’t have the word “MAD” in my name for nothing so I will try not to disappoint the blogging masses who are counting on a blogger like me to get the anger and anxiety poppin’ so here it goes.

Mansoorali is right that no one likes to stop and get to know about a place or people and that everyone is in a hurry. Atlanta is an ULTRA-competitive town, even more than dare I say most other American cities outside of NYC and LA. The rat race is alive and well in Atlanta and with everyone in a desperate hurry just to keep their heads above water (not to mention make a futile attempt to beat the sometimes brutal rush-hour traffic) with hopes of clawing their way to the front of the pack, of course no one has very much time for a little casual conversation.

In Atlanta, mass transit is for those who can’t keep up the pace and can’t compete on the highest level. Private cars are for those who aren’t afraid to push the competition aside to get the front of the pack of rats and wolves. In Atlanta it’s every person for his or herself and he or she who the biggest rims (20” or more), most cylinders (from a V-8 up to a V-12) and most horsepower (300 horsepower or more) WINS the rat race. You gotta pay to play and riding is no where near an exception so COUGH UP THE CASH ATLANTA!

By Shawn

November 16, 2005 07:14 AM | Link to this

I’m a contractor, so I really don’t have a choice in commuting. Since I can’t take even a small amount of heavy tools on MARTA, it’s pick-up truck (at smallest) usually, but I enjoyed reading the blog. The opening day of the series was an eye-opener. Someone should give the photographers a pat on the back for realizing that Cynthia Tucker looks quite fetching on a scooter.