Moving to Atlanta

You should probably have started this thread before accepting that's all I can say

 

there was a thread about this recently -- let me see if I can find it . . .

 

Atlanta has some racial issues, but its an ok place to live. I lived there a year and its about as far from a melting pot as humanly possible.

Actually, its sorta like a little racial tension petrie dish. Especially around Freaknik.

 

Explain more please.

 

I just got back from atlanta a couple days back... I loved the place. THe coke factory and the underground mall are overrated and only worth going maybe once. We stayed at the CNN/Omni and it was sweeet. Right next to Arco Arena I think and the dome... Walkable distance, I got to get a signed shirt from Johny Estrada, He was a dick, idiot wouldnt smile for the pic I took. Umm we did sneak out and go to level 3,and it was bangin. The Hardrock Cafe was arright, and most of the other food around the place was pretty darn good. The Cnn Tour was arright, Damn they have a lot of hot reporters. The tour guide kept naming em and after that he mentioned weather they were single or not. lol. it was tyte. Didnt get a chance to go to the Six Flags, but we did just go around Downtown a lot....

 

Buckhead, baby......Buckhead.

 

LOL, why would you want his autograph?

 

Yeah, everyone there was either black and white. Very few Asians and Hispanics.

Is Atlanta pretty segregated also?

 

where the playas play?

 

Lived in GA for 1 1/2 years. The red clay will drive you crazy because it ruins shoes on contact. Not as many good restaurants in GA, especially fast food. No Jack in the Box or Whataburger. There are few to none when it comes to feeder roads parallel to the highway. The people are either black or white and it's very southern and backwards. But at least you get to watch Vick on Sundays. Anybody remember Del Taco? They've got them in GA.

 

Great news. If you can stomach a drive all the way to the mountains of Dahlonega, you can catch Rox games with me on the old reliable big screen. Atlanta to me is one of the best big cities. Why you ask?
1. If you're single, there are plenty of clubs and even more single, easy females to pursue and knock boots with. Trust me, after my first marriage ended, I came here to blow off steam and added several notches to the old bed post within a week while on leave. The women are so easy here it is a joke. It's almost too easy.
2. The strip clubs are the best. The Cheetah's girls will blow your mind, but unlike at the now-defunct Gold Club, they won't blow anything else.
3. If you are married or dating seriously, there are a gazzillion great restaurants here. This is not a place to live if you are going on a diet for sure!
4. The shopping is unbelievably good. If you can't find it in Atlanta, you can't find it period.
5. The Braves are a lot of fun to watch and Turner Field is a palace. Also when the Rox come to town once a year, tix are readily available with great seats because the Hawks SUCK!!!!!!
Michael Vick is awesome, but Falcons tickets are hard to come by, but since I don't have to worry about that anymore, that is not a problem for me.
What sucks:
1. The traffic is awful and in my humble opinion, makes Houston's look like nothing in comparison. The amount of idiotic drivers here is epidemic.
2. The crime is bad, really bad. When I enter the city limits and I'm not going to a place where concealed firearms are not allowed (like a Braves game), I'm packing heat.
3. Taxes within the city are exorbiantly high and the city govt. here is rampantly corrupt. I think it makes New Orleans or Miami seem downright decent by comparison. In fact, they should simply dissolve the City of Atlanta and its entire wasteful govt.

 

Oh, and 9 out of 10 girls you meet, age 20 and younger, have either already been married, had a kid, gotten divorced, or all three. Good luck.

 

everybody seemed to want his autograph so i got in line, then i asked what exactly am ihere for and the people are like its the catchers for the braves, im thinkin javy lopez, but i look and see estrada, and smack myself for a wasted 35 dollars and fifteen minutes in line....

It is true that I didnt see too many other races such as my own, or asians of any kind... but then again i was only there for a week

and there seemed to be too many homeless people there.

 

I have been living in ATL for about 6 months now. Like any city it has its pros and cons. The weather hear is nicer than Houston, not nearly as humid. The traffic does suck. I avoid the freeways whenever possible. I try to utilize the MARTA rail, however there are only basically 2 lines, North/South and East/West its great if you live and work near a station. Everywhere else, you pretty much have to drive. But with the hills the scenery makes for a better drive. Also the public transit cost $1.75, one way, which I think is a little steep. I personally dont like Buckhead, too pretentious, its all about the Bling Bling. I only go to Buckhead when I want to go to the Apple store. I also dont really care for the more trendy or tourist type things so I wouldnt recommend Underground or Coca Cola. Piedmont Park is cool its like the Central Park of ATL. There are lots of other parks and lots of neighborhoods close in and they all have their own neighborhood shops bars and restaurants. As for bars, I like the EARL, Manuels, El Myr, Euclid Ave. Yacht Club. I also hear that the Brickstore in Decatur is cool. Decatur has nice neighborhoods, and the DeKalb farmers market is awesome. Also Candler Park, Inman Park are nice neighborhoods. I also like Virgina Highlands and Little 5 Points neighborhoods. One thing that was weird to me is you cant buy beer/wine on Sundays. So you have to stock up on Saturday. I recommend Greens Beverage Mart on Ponce De Leon. Great selection good prices. Reminds me of Specs. I also recommend trying Sweetwater 420 beer locally brewed and quite yummy. Also no Happy hour like in Texas. You cant find dollar pints, they discount food here not the alcohol and that is the happy hour. The cost of living is a a bit higher so expect to pay more for normal things, like groceries. The city is pretty much black and white and there are tons of homeless people. About 1 hour north of the city you can find yourself in the mountains and on the border of S. Carolina and Tennesse, very pretty, with lots of Nat'l parks for camping and hiking. Well thats about all I have experienced so far but I know there is more to ATL then what I have described but hopefully you can get an idea of what it is like. My experience has been pleasant but there are a few things about Texas that I miss. Oh and if you like to rent movies try Movies worth watching or Videodrome both on Highland Ave. Videodrome is also located across from the aforementioned Manuels. Anyway welcome to Atlanta and if you want someone to watch the Rockets with you can find me here on the BBS.

 

allan: Are you Susan's boyfriend Allen who I drank with at Manuel's when I was there directing a play?

 

Yeah thats me. What up? Are you back in Houston? We went and saw your play, but you were gone.

 

Good to see you found the board, allan. I'm in Albuquerque now. I'll be in Houston in June for my brother's wedding, then I'm off to Pittsburgh to direct a play there. Say hi to Susan for me, will you? And to Manuel's as well.

 

Atlanta is ranked as either the first or second most segregated cities in the US - north = whites with money, south = poor blacks.

Houses anywhere close to the city proper are really expensive. So, unless Bell is paying you quite a bit, don't plan to buy anything in Buckhead. Not a good place to live, anyway, as it is always crowded and filled with annoying people.

Restaurants are not very good. There are a few gems that i actually miss now, but on the whole they are pretty sad.

The "suburbs" are more like the country. Atlanta is smaller than Houston and so the commute in miles is often not as long as North or West Houston, for example, but it sure feels as if it is longer. Not only because of traffic but because it is also as if civilizatition stops. It is not just suburban sprawl but hillbilly sprawl. North Georgia is really disturbing. Beautiful terrain, frightening people.

As said, the weather there kicks Houston's ass, as does the available nature (although the red clay does suck, as someone mentioned...freaking water also turns everything red).

I heard a lot of warnings about crime before I went, but I was never worried and their fears certainly proved to be exaggerations. It is a city. Stay out of the really poor south parts and you are fine. Otherwise, just ignore the warnings of the paranoid white people.