Morning, y’all! It’s an odd time to be alive. Technology envelopes our, well, everything and might someday make us obsolete. Yet the push to strip all that away has never been higher. And the need to embrace what makes Atlanta Atlanta has never felt more crucial.
So let’s lean into that today.
SIMPLER TIMES DO STILL EXIST
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
“You couldn’t go more backward in technology than a drive-in theater.”
That’s D. Vogel, vice president of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, a nonprofit devoted to promoting drive-ins.
During the mid-1950s and into the 1960s, more than 4,000 dotted the American landscape. The Atlanta area had seven. Now, fewer than 300 remain nationwide. In Atlanta, there is only one: the Starlight.
Like the Clermont and Manuel’s, it’s among the handful of first-name-only institutions in Atlanta. The big marquee has stood just south of East Atlanta Village since 1949, and it remains a summertime staple, even if it’s needed to evolve, at least a little.
🍿 There are now four screens and a weekend flea market. The old projectors are gone, replaced by digital. Just the latest releases are shown. The only hard-and-fast rule: no grills. That policy changed a few years ago after hot coals were dumped into a trash can. The theater is also no longer locally owned, instead part of De Anza Land & Leisure Corp. of California.
Some things, of course, remain the same.
“They call (drive-ins) the cheap hotel. I try not to go knock on windows."
There are oh-so many Starlight tales. Read this excellent story from the AJC’s Mark Davis for a little nostalgia and a deep dive into its history.
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BACK TO THE FUTURE
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
I might be in the minority, but a quirky ATL Lyft driver is one of my favorite things. It’s there that I learn more about the people of the city than most anywhere else. But there’s also something to be said about quiet — and consistent A/C.
That’s what you’ll get from the Waymo electric autonomous vehicles that are now officially available to the Atlanta public.
Waymo has a few dozen vehicles that cover 65 square miles of Atlanta — from the Capitol View neighborhood to downtown to Buckhead.
Eventually, Uber and Waymo plan to expand the coverage area and the number of vehicles serving it.
Here’s the basics of what you need to know:
- You can only book through the Uber app.
- Being matched with a Waymo vehicle has no extra cost. You have the option to accept or decline.
- You can boost your chance of getting a Waymo by opting in via the Ride Preferences section.
- Your initials show up on the dome on top of the car.
- The Uber app unlocks the car and starts your trip.
- You can sit in the passenger seat or the backseat.
- A screen inside the car shows a map with your route and ETA. An automated voice lets you know when you’re about to arrive.
- 24/7 human support is available through the app and the Waymo vehicle itself.
- You won’t be prompted to tip at the end of the ride.
The AJC’s Allison Mawn took two 10-ish-minute rides this week, to and from Ponce City Market. A little nervous beforehand, she left calling it “pretty chill” and describing it as “smoother than most car rides.”
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🪖 President Donald Trump described the ceasefire between Iran and Israel as going “very well” while speaking to journalists at a NATO summit at The Hague.
🗳️ State Rep. Derrick Jackson told the AJC if he were elected governor, Georgia’s abortion law “would be my first bill to repeal.”
🚢 In the face of the U.S.-China trade war, Georgia Ports Authority’s Savannah facility had near-record traffic in May. This came thanks in part to a 20,000-unit container yard built for post-COVID supply chain.
NEW FACES COMING TO TOWN
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The NBA draft starts tonight, but the Atlanta Hawks didn’t wait to get in on the action, reportedly trading one of their two first-round picks and a few reserves for former All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis.
The team still has pick No. 13 (some options here) to team with the group’s young core that includes star Trae Young, who the new GM doesn’t seem inclined to trade.
As for the draft itself, watch out for Ace Bailey, who went to McEachern High School in Powder Springs. The high-scoring forward played one season at Rutgers and is likely to hear his name called in the top five of the first round.
By the numbers:
1: UGA player (Asa Newell) expected to be selected in 2025 draft
3: Current UGA players in the NBA (Anthony Edwards, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Nicolas Claxton)
8: Georgia Tech players drafted in the first round since 2000 (Josh Okogie was the most recent, in 2018)
NEWS BITES
There’s something toxic in the Okefenokee food chain, UGA study finds
Yes, I know it is tempting, but please, don’t eat the gators.
Doughnut Dollies in Marietta closes after a decade
Please salute the fallen fried dough. The Gatti family named their shop after the Red Cross volunteers called Donut Dollies who delivered doughnuts and coffee to U.S. soldiers.
Dominique Thorne calls release of metro Atlanta-shot ‘Ironheart’ ‘divine timing’
Marvel only releases content in days that end in a “y” and months with an “e” or “a.”
Winners picked for Peachtree Road Race, Peachtree Jr. national anthem contest
Congratulations to Commerce High grad Laura Martin and 14-year-old Violet Bove.
ON THIS DATE
June 25, 1969
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
State wants those catfish to walk on by — The Atlanta Journal. Hundreds of “walking” catfish, a strange fish imported from Southeast Asia, have found new homes in Georgia, much to the sorrow of the State Game and Fish Department. Three pet shops in Atlanta have sold at least 400 walking catfish — Clarias batrachus — and one pet shop owner said he suspects more than 1,000 have been purchased in the Atlanta area. … If released in lakes and rivers in Georgia, the walking catfish would pose a serious threat to such fish as large-mouth bass, bluegills, shell-crackers, redbreast, crappie and channel catfish.
Even the fish don’t walk like they used to, goldarn it.
ONE MORE THING
Take some time to meet QuinKnoca Owens, a member of the City of Refuge’s “dream team” of formerly incarcerated men committed to mentoring young people and reclaiming the streets they once roamed looking for trouble.
Owens’ reformation is one of many successes of the nonprofit’s reentry program for individuals returning to society. It’s also another piece of ATL worth hanging on to.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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