Maxwell Sebastian in his studio

Check out the whole series here, but check out the rest of Architecture Tourist.  Terry  has lots of great content on local art and architecture.

The joke of course is that Atlanta is like everywhere else, what with the suburbs, the strip centers, and the chain stores.  There are of course PLENTY of places in Metro Atlanta where that joke makes sense.  A successful independent coffee shop in East Atlanta is about the LAST place where that joke makes sense.

I mean, I understand everyone isn’t an annoying home town booster like yours truly.  But there is plenty that is special about Atlanta that a place like Joe’s can celebrate – plenty that a place like Joe’s even represents.  And you will also typically see lots of this sort of thing at Joe’s – posters for the Chomp and Stomp, local music venues, etc.

A snarky poster denigrating the hometown is just out of place.  It is the sort of attitude that I’d expect to see from annoying New Yorkers or something, and that I’d want to respond to with “you are welcome to go back home,” but with more curse words.  So what’s up Joe’s?  I don’t get it.

I have NO IDEA who these people are.  When it came to Municipal Court, there wasn’t even a choice for who to vote for.  “Should so and so be retained?”  I voted no across the board, partly to be a contrarian and partly because I’ve never had a fun experience at Municipal Court – it is poorly organized and takes forever.  I have no idea if the judges have control over that stuff, but hey, that’s what you get for being on the ballot for a job no one pays attention to.

Seriously, these should be appointed positions.  Being elected to these positions probably creates less accountability than if the Mayor or the City Council appointed these positions, simply because no one knows who these people are.  I guess then you run into concerns about cronyism… So there isn’t a good solution?

Bah humbug.  I just don’t think I should be voting for positions that I forget exist except for one day every four years.  I mean, who do you know that could name one School Board member or one Municipal judge off the top of their head?  Let the Mayor or the City Council handle these things.  At least then the Mayor could actually run on an education platform instead of differing to the School Board no one pays attention to.

I’m pissed I’ve only now discovered the show, because it looks like they’ve profiled some awesome restaurants – Murphy’s, the Flying Biscuit (which I actually think is overrated, but la novia loves), Rathbun’s, Sotto Sotto, Woodfire Grill… I’m at least going to try a few of these recipes for la novia.

Simulated gunfire downtown — They’re filming for a movie!

Sounds interesting.  I feel bad for the folks who didn’t check their email this morning and got a surprise on the way to class.

Turns out some new TV drama, “Past Life,” is filming downtown for scenes set in New York.  This preview looks fairly lame, but hey, they are spending money in Atlanta, so, woo!  Filming began around town in early August and will go on through December.

You may be thinking, “Wait, you said this was set in New York.  Um, have you seen this town?  Who is going to think it is New York?  You did mean New York city, right?  These must be the stupidest producers in the business.”

Ah, then you haven’t been to the Fairlie-Poplar district.  This historic piece of Atlanta is about the only part of the city that you could actually mistake for somewhere like NYC.  Narrow streets, hundred year old buildings, restaurants tucked into niche locations – it is really one of my favorite places in the city.

This isn’t the first film I’ve filming in Fairlie-Poplar, either.  A few weeks ago I was walking to class and they had Broad Street shut down.  It was full of smoke machines (for that NYC sewer-funk effect) and NYC taxi cabs.  My favorite moment was when some poor guy tried to hail one of the cabs and got pissed when it didn’t stop.  No one ever wants to go all the way to Brooklyn…

Train at Hartsfield

I’m out of town for the weekend, which means I got to spend Wednesday evening at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.  Now, us natives were using the ATL code long before it was in a video or movie or anything.  I can’t recall how many times I’ve been at Hartsfield in my life.  I love Hartsfield.  FTR, I completely agree with everything James has to say about how great the airport is.

I really have a life-long affair with Hartsfield.  When I was a tiny little boy, el hermano and I would get up as early as possible on the weekends.  I can’t tell you why – apparently it seemed like a good idea to our three and four year old brains.  Anyway, having twin boys up and running around at 6 am wasn’t my folks idea of a relaxing Sunday morning.  Their solution?  Hartsfield.

This was of course back in the day when you could get as far as the gate without a ticket.  My folks would pack up the car, drive the two of us to the airport, and get on the trains that run between the terminals.  They’d sit us on the “for elderly and disabled” bench on the last car so we could stare out the windows at the tracks.  Then we’d ride the rails for hours.

There was something incredibly meditative about sitting there and staring out the window as the tracks went rushing by.  El hermano and I were entranced.  From what my folks say, the airport was usually empty that early in the morning.  There was no one to really bother us.  I just loved it.  I think my folks liked it because a) it gave them a bit of a break; and b) it was cheap!  All they had to pay for was parking.

Sometimes I still get nostalgic for being able to ride the rails for hours.  I actually kind of envy James and the fact that he gets to take MARTA every morning.  As close as I live to school, and as late as I get out of class, it just doesn’t make sense to take MARTA every day.

I still love riding the train, though, and I love that the East line of MARTA has some great views of the skyline.  Beyond the impact on the environment, or the cost savings, I wish Atlanta had a working rail system simply because there is something magical, meditative, and romantic about taking the trains.  I always feel more alive, more in touch with the movement of others’ lives, and more in the moment when I’m on the trains.

I cannot emphasize how massive this thing is. And how awesome.

I just had the most incredible breakfast at Parish on N. Highland Ave in Inman Park.  I also can’t remember when I ate this much.  I had the Eggs Poulet:

Eggs Poulet – buttermilk biscuit, Creole fried chicken breast, poached eggs, andouille sawmill gravy, pontalba hash

Oh. My. God.  Fantastic.  I’m conflicted about this meal, though, because as incredible as it was, it was just too much.  The fried chicken was large enough to serve alone as my dinner.  The waitress looked at me with concern when I asked if anyone ever finished the whole thing.

Unfortunately, I have a complete inability not to eat things that are in front of me (James can testify to this).  I simply cannot stop shoveling things into my gut.

I ate this entire thing, and I feel like I have been beaten.  About half way through, la novia looked at me and laughed.  “You look stoned,” she said.  I was slumped in the chair with a vacant stare, my eyes drooping and my mouth half open trying to collect myself.  I felt like a prize fighter between rounds, trying to rally for the bell.

I have lots more to say about Parish – the market below is great, the interior architecture is fantastic, the wait staff is great, the history of the building is interesting – but I’m still recovering from the breakfast.

GSU's Aderhold Learning Center anchors life on Broad Street

I love when college starts in the late summer.  When I was in undergrad, it meant college football games – now I have to settle for catching my team on TV.  However, I started my penultimate semester at GSU for my MBA on Monday and can’t help but think about how much GSU has changed downtown.

Downtown isn’t awful when school is out, but it feels a little empty.  There is all this infrastructure and all these buildings, but it doesn’t really feel like anyone is home.  Downtown feels so different when school is in – there are just thousands more young people walking around.  Broad Street during lunch time is fantastic.  Downtown is alive, finally.

The GSU effect is relatively new – until the HOPE Scholarship, GSU was traditionally a commuter school, a part time school for non-traditional students who worked full or part time.  My mom finished her degree there in the 70’s while she worked as a secretary at a Five Points law firm.  A lot of the buildings on the central campus area were built in the 60’s and 70’s, and it shows.  They are concrete bunkers – closed off from the street, with virtually no windows.

GSU's 1970's era buildings: designed for troglodytes

The HOPE Scholarship made GSU attractive for a more traditional college population.  UGA got more competitive, and suburban kids who used to be able to get in there started having to look elsewhere.  GSU started building dormitories and new classrooms.

The result is that in the last 15 years GSU has slowly been turning Downtown into a lively place.  Broad Street restaurants stay open a little bit later now, getting a bit of a dinner crowd for folks like me who go to evening classes at the Aderhold building.  Woodruff Park has constant daytime traffic of students walking from the main cluster of buildings at Decatur St. and Peachtree Center over to Aderhold.

There are lots of opportunities for GSU to keep growing, and keep changing Downtown.  They opened a new freshman dorm this fall, and they’ll have a football team starting play in 2010 at the Georgia Dome.  I think GSU continued growth is in fact the best chance Atlanta has for reviving Downtown.

The report on the use of drugs includes the names of former Braves players Gary Sheffield, David Justice, Denny Neagle, Todd Pratt, Kent Mercker, Mike Stanton, Paul Byrd, Matt Franco, and John Rocker.

Of that list, I’d say David Justice, Kent Mercker, and Mike Stanton would be players whose use would make me sad.  Not that I liked them that much, but because they were important parts of the early 90’s clubs that I idolized so much. I don’t want anyone’s steroid use to taint those memories, and knowing that those players steroid use came while they were with the Yankees makes me laugh in a bitter, craven manner.  I don’t feel anything special about those particular players, just… the g-d Yankees.  Of course.

But that is old news.  I’m sitting here thinking about the list of 104 players who tested positive in 2003, and of who could have been using during the Braves mid-90s runs.  Some guys, like Gary Sheffield, were no surprise.  David Justice was a bit of a surprise.

If I’m honest with myself, who would I not be surprised took steroids?  I’m not saying I think these guys took steroids, but if I had to admit some Braves were using, this would be my list of guys to be suspicious of:

1. John Smoltz. Sorry, I know he is supposed to be a great guy, and very Christian and moral and everything.  But the guy was only pretty good until about 1996, when he turned into a fantastic pitcher.  He’s also the kind of hard throwing pitcher who I associate steroid use with, and his truly great years came once he turned 30.
2. Andres Galarraga.  He just seemed too wide.
3. Mark Wohlers. Aside from how fast he threw, the guy had three incredible years in the mid 90s before melting down.
4. Ryan Klesko. He’s on the debunked list of 103 steroid users, or he probably wouldn’t be in my head.  Still, he was one of the larger home run hitters we had during those years.
5. Andruw Jones. I’ve read articles where AJC writers say he’s never mentioned, but we all watched the guy get really big over the years.  Also, the guy’s home run total errupted in 2005 and 2006.
6. Javy Lopez. See Ryan Klesko.

So, my “method” has basically been a) who seemed freakishly big or talented; b) who had sudden changes in success or ability.

Players that would genuinely make me sad if they were steroid users:

1. Chipper Jones. He has never seemed to seek the kind of attention and records that the big steroid users sought.  His power numbers haven’t been ridiculous, although he did hit 45 homers in 1999.  Also, one of my favorites.
2. Ron Gant. Man, he was pretty ripped.  Played a little too early to be in serious danger of being in the “steroid era,” but he was one of my favorites, too.
3. Obviously Maddux or Glavine, but these guys never threw hard enough to elicit suspicion.

Your thoughts?  Am I totally off base?

I should have kept watching the game.  The Braves rallied and won.  Baseball is a cruel mistress.  Some days you get rewarded for loyalty with Cleveland steamer of a 9th inning, and some days your cynicism is punished by missing a stirring come from behind victory.

At least we aren’t in the Western division anymore.  Although I must admit my true sports love has shifted to Michigan football, I grew up a rabid Braves fan.  As a child, I watched the Braves every chance I had.  I remember getting into soooo much trouble during these west coast games that started at 10:40.  For some reason, my brother and I had a small tv in our bedroom, which was next door to our parents room.  I would turn on the game with the volume off and the lights off.  The whole room would flicker in blue light until my dad would open the door and yell for me to go to bed.

I don’t think any of the current NL East opponents measure up to the Dodgers of the late 80s and early 90s though for “villain factor”.  The Darryl Strawberry chants alone are better than anything we’ve got today, and of course Tommy Lasorda was larger than life.  The lack of a wild card and going straight into the NLCS if you won made the rivalry that much more exciting.  It was truly something special when the Dodgers came to town in those years.  How did we ever come back from 9 1/2 out at the break??

I digress.  I don’t have the stamina for baseball watching that I used to.  Nowadays I usually pull out my computer and do work in front of the TV with the game on in the background.  I typically lose momentum around the 6th inning.  More than football, baseball slowly murders my nerves.  The game is slow enough that every pitch is its own drama of anticipation and climax, with each pitch slighly more important than the last and each out more meaningful than the last.  “Oh man, only one more batter and we are out of this inning,” or, “one more out and we’ve wasted this inning with no runs,” etc.  Inevitably, it seems, there is some heartbreaking collapse where I think, “ah, screw it, this game is done.”  And yet sometimes my patience is rewarded by a thrilling comeback, or the Braves DON’T give up that late inning hit.

I think I have selective memory – all I remember is how awful the losses feel.  When the Braves win, I feel as though I escaped a beating, and when they lose I am dejected and blame myself.  “Every time I watch, they lose.  It must be me…”  Did I mention baseball is a superstitious game?  During that 1992 game 7, my brother, mom, and I would wiggle our fingers and “hex” the Pirates’ pitcher during his windup, and then stop as soon as he let go so we didn’t hex the Braves batter.

Hey, I was 10.  Oh, also,  IT FREAKING WORKED.  You can thank our voodoo magic for that win, guys.

Anyway, watching the Braves kind of drives me a little crazy.  All these emotions go on in my head, and all that escapes my lips is, “ugh.  sigh.”  I can’t wait for football season, where I can yell and scream and scare the dog every five seconds, and at least let it all out…