What do you miss from Atlanta?
In a conversation with friends, we were thinking fondly of places that used to be in Atlanta that are no longer.
The number one missed place was definitely Tortilla’s, which closed up shop in 2003. I mentioned the Omni Coliseum, but nobody I was with was in Atlanta to remember the Omni.
Anyway, it led to some thinking – what other places out there used to be there but no longer are? Here are the rules – you can’t say a house – it has to be a publicly accessible building (so, like the Swan House would apply were it demolished, but not that house down the street that got turned in to a McMansion).
Daniel, great post !! I should have thought about this.
Does anyone remember the LimeLight? A super disco just north of Peachtree on Piedmont. A mini Studio-54 style place, I used to dance the night away there as a young (and horny) dude. That was the place! They used to have fish swimming under the “glass” dance floor. Where have those times and places gone?
P.S. I remember the Omni.
What about The Moonshadow? What a cool club!
I’m glad you posted this Daniel as there are many, many places in Atlanta that have gone. These were places that, to a large extent, defined Atlanta as a “destination” for those of us that lived, at the time, way outside the Metro area.
Oxford Books
I miss Atlanta, pre-Olympics. That was the worst thing that happened to the city except “the Ted’ was sort-of given to the city.
I think Olympics and corporate business have led to this.
1990 population: 2,959,950
2000 population: 4,112,198
2004 population: 4,708,297
At this rate we’ll hit 5 million soon. Hooray! I miss Atlanta, pre-Olympics. That was the worst thing that happened to the city except “the Ted’ was sort-of given to the city.
I think Olympics and corporate business have led to this.
1990 population: 2,959,950
2000 population: 4,112,198
2004 population: 4,708,297
At this rate we’ll hit 5 million soon. Hooray!
BTW, I break rules. Often.
The Wreck Room
Mardi Gras (when it was under 18)
The Metroplex (before my time)
Plastic (under 18)
I concur with Tortilla’s and the Wreck Room.
The Point @ L5P was an awesome place to catch a show too. 513 Edgewood too.
Corner CD in VaHi.
In no particular order…
– Echo Lounge
– Frijoleros
– Stein Club
– The Point
– French Quarter Food Market
to name a few…
I still mourn Tortilla’s often. I saw the other day that a J. Christopher’s is going in there. Bah.
My brother used to do drama at the Theatrical Outfit on 10th and peachtree where the reserve bank is now. That was an awesome little theater.
Right next to it was Cha-gio’s (sp?) vietnamese restuarant where my mom and i spent a lot of time while my brother rehearsed. It moved down the street (I think it moved twice), eventually changed it’s name and the mom of the family stopped being able to cook. The food quality totally went south and the place went under (I think I saw boards on the doors/windows last time I drove by it). They used to have the best spring rolls around.
The club that occupied Spring Street after the 688 years. I remember walking through the tunnel under 85/75 from the Tech campus on Saturday nights. I am thinking the name was Outta Control. The only club I can think of that had a dentist chair. Really cool things in Atlanta go away like tears in rain. Ah yes, Oxford books too.
whoa, i just googled theatrical outfit, and while it’s not in the same place, it’s still around:
http://www.theatricaloutfit.org
show’s how much i pay attention (i didn’t live here for a while in the 90’s, is that a good excuse?)
I’ve only lived here since 1996, but here are the places I miss:
Tortillas (loved to sit upstairs in nice weather)
Oxford Books
Bakers Cafe in Little 5 Pts. Especially the French toast.
Rio Shopping Center. Cool architecture.
Heaping Bowl when it first opened in East Atl.
Not a place per se, but the Arts Festival in Piedmont Park. There were some really great artists who showed there.
A lot of these are food-oriented. Hmm.
Oxford Books, for sure. And the recently shuttered funky vegan restaurant in East Atlanta, Cameli’s — not to be confused with the monster slice pizza joint of the same name, still in business in Poncey-Highlands.
688 turned into Mad House or the other way around. Great place to catch local DJ’s. Dunk n’ Dine on Cheshire Bridge was great for hangover relief. Tortilla’s, without question, was unrivaled in my high school days. The library in L5P that is now a clothing store called Wish. I grew up there devouring books each summer earning coupons for free Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas. The smell of the place and the scary storytellers each Halloween are very distinct memories. Also: the ice cream shop inside the L5P Pharmacy, the small convenience store near Horizon school on Dekalb Ave. The Colonial Bakery where the Edgewood Best Buy is now… I’ve got lots more.
Oxford Books and Oxford Comics, as it was when it was all there at Peachtree Battle. The current incarnation of the comic book store isn’t the same.
Rich’s Downtown, and the Magnolia Room resturant, and the book department used to be on the 6th floor. We would go “downtown” on school breaks, etc to meet my dad for lunch.
Eats and Sweets, a tiny tiny breakfast place located where the Chico’s is now in Virginia Highland.
And weekday breakfasts at the old Murphy’s Round the Corner.
And the Atomic Cafe, whre Candler Park’s Flying Biscuit is now.
Center Stage
Little 5 Points pub
The Point
Homage Coffeehouse (L5P)
Chameleon Club (not)
Oxford books, Tortillas and Frijoleros for sure.
The Metroplex was great – I was kicked in the head by Fishbone’s lead singer who was crowd surfing, saw Jesus and Mary Chain and Flea’s penis (Red Hot Chili Pepper’s bassists member, not some obscure punk band) in the same night.
The old Cotton Club in midtown was a great place to see bands.
I also spent untold hours at Club Rio and Velvet in my clubland days. Disco hell night sundays with Romeo Claude at Colorbox in va-hi around the same time.