Maybe since I’ve lived in the south my entire life (I know, lame) I have a different perspective? However I have done some traveling and seen lots of other cities. I think it depends on where you go in Atlanta. There are pockets of true “southerness.”

Drive down Peachtree Street on Sunday about 12:30 p.m. You’ll see church after church letting out. Folks parading in their Sunday best heading to lunch. Go to The Colonnade on Chesire Bridge. Even in Buckhead, where I work, I see lots of old Atlanta. I meet the perfumed ladies and seersucker clad gentlemen with that “old south” accent.

Generally folks down here are friendly. We’ll help someone with directions. I find that folks are open to talking and meeting new folks. I’ve found those same qualities in New York and San Francisco but you have to be more intentional in meeting folks. Atlanta doesn’t have that urban energy and heartbeat that New York or LA has. Atlanta’s pace is more relaxed, especially in the summer. Where else will you hear, “Ya’ll,” spoken so frequently?

True Atlanta has changed and is an ever-growing urban city now. Still I think that Atlanta will always maintain an air of the south. What do you think? What makes a town southern anyway? Is Atlanta a southern town or are we simply just a city now? Does Atlanta still have its southern charm?

I got to thinking, if I could have a few wishes to make this town truly world class, what would they be? Let’s have fun and see what we can imagine?

The first few are obvious. #1, a good public transit system. Sure MARTA does the best it can with what it has but we can all admit it’s far from world class. So first would be an outstanding public transit system on par with New York, San Francisco and London.

#2 would be for Atlanta to be a must stop for all musicians. So often I’ll look at artist’s tour dates and Atlanta is nowhere to be found. However you’ll always see New York, LA, Chicago, San Francisco or even Miami. I know there are routing and expense issues. I’m dreaming here. So every act I want to see should come through Atlanta!

Right now #3 would be to have a safer city. Crime plagues our city at present. Since January headlines are often filled with sad news of someone being wronged and even worse, murdered. There will always be crime, but it shouldn’t be this bad.

What are some dreams you have for Atlanta? What would make Atlanta world class for you?

Chazz is at 517 Flat Shoals Ave. next door to Club 529. I’m a little anxious for Chazz because it’s in “that spot.” You know the spot where nothing ever stays open long, where a new business opens and closes every 3 months?

If Chazz keeps doing what they did on Thursday then I’m optimistic for their future. We asked who Chazz was, Chazz is the owner’s son.

As soon as we walked in we were welcomed warmly and the wait staff quickly set up a 4 top for us. I got the feeling I was at someone’s home, not a restaurant. Old soul music from Al Green and James Brown played. A birthday party was happening in the middle of the restaurant and they were having a great time, laughing and shouting.

The waiter came over and took our orders. I love soul food so everything on the menu looked good, so I asked for his recommendation. He asked if I had any diet restrictions and I said no. He recommended the pork ribs, with candied yams and mac ‘n cheese. I know this is heresy to some but I’m not a big fan of yams. So I opted for the collard greens.

It only took a little over 10 minutes for our food to arrive. I had 5 ribs covered in sweet BBQ sauce. The meat fell off the bone. The mac n’ cheese was delicious. The collard greens were my least favorite. I don’t like my greens chopped, I like them in long strands and with a little kick of spice. Each plate also came with cornbread which was also excellent.

After we ate the owner came over and talked to us. He asked if everything was ok. He put his hands on my shoulder and gave me firm, caring squeeze. He genuinely appreciated our business. All 4 of us were happy with Chazz.

I loved the personal touch at Chazz. Again it feels like you’re at someone’s home, not a restaurant in the middle of East Atlanta. My meal was only $10 and I left a $2 tip. So for $12 I got a great meal and great service. I highly recommend checking out Chazz when you’re in the mood for some great soul food.

Yogurberry proved to be a rewarding experience. My date and I were greeted by a beyond enthusiastic Brian Hah. Brian high-fived me at least twice and was jumping out of skin to tell us about the yogurt. We both got the Brian Special. It was a mix of the Korean yogurt with toppings selected by Brian.

The texture is like any other frozen yogurt. The taste is quite different. It’s tart but the sweet toppings balance it out. It doesn’t melt quickly.

Yogurberry is not cheap. I did get the large though, she got the medium and it was $18. All in all, that’s an inexpensive date. We had a great time talking outside and people watching.

The experience of meeting Brian is worth it alone. He tells each customer to, “Have a positive day,” with sincerity and enthusiasm. If you’re in the Buckhead area I highly recommend checking out Yogurberry.

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Yogurberry
3280 Peachtree Rd., NE #140B
Atlanta, GA

What I want to know is does Atlanta feel like home to you? If so, why? What do you like about it? Why do you choose to stay?

The mall and the airport are great people watching locations, obviously. Back in the day when we had festivals and concerts at Piedmont Park, that was also a great place to people watch.

What are some other places in Atlanta to enjoy all the diverse folks that live here?

One of my favorites from Goodie Mob. One of the best things about Atlanta is all the great restaurants. In this song the Goodie Mo B mentions one in particular that every ATLien must experience, The Beautiful. Without a doubt some of the best soul food I’ve ever tasted. Don’t know if JJ’s Rib Shack is still open but I bet it’s good too.

“Come and get yo soul food, well well
Good old-fashioned soul food, all right
Everythang is for free
As good as it can be
Come and get some soul food”

“Oh, Atlanta, hear me calling, I’m coming back to you one fine day. No need to worry, there ain’t no hurry, ‘Cause I’m, on my way back to Georgia, On my way back to Georgia.”

If you’re a fan of the ATL, maybe crank this as you taxi down Hartsfield-Jackson or sit in traffic on 75 north.

My friend Andrejs invited me out to The EARL last night to see Mary O. Harrison and The Tiny Tears.  Mary O. Harrison is a pop songwriter from Atlanta whose music jumps from singer/songwriter, raucous rockers to Burt Bacharach/Stereolab styled gems.   A multi-instrumentalist, Harrison transitions seamlessly from guitar, keyboards to flute, sometimes all within one song and while singing.

With a brand new drummer backing her, Harrison and the band sounded tight and were obviously having fun on stage.  Playing songs from her 2008 record, Factory of Days, and several new songs, Harrison showed a wide range of songwriting skills.  The band ended the set with an anthem about “Facing my maker.”  The song slowly built and ended with an extended 2 chord jam.  Another highlight was the song, “My Old Island.”  The song blends Bacharach sensibilities with a Stereolab vibe.

You can listen to her entire album on her site, http://www.maryoharrison.com/.

You can catch Harrison preforming a solo acoustic show, April 18th on the Planet 420 Stage at SweetWater’s annual Earth Day Celebration in Candler Park.

http://www.myspace.com/maryoharrison

The Echo Lounge in East Atlanta, now East Atlanta Ice House, was my favorite club.  I saw so many great shows there: Death Cab For Cutie, Spoon, Dresden Dolls, Don Caballero, John Vanderslice and Ranier Maria to name a few.  Their sound system was big and loud.  Bands enjoyed playing there.  Due to some weird zoning laws the club had to close because of misfiled permits.

Another favorite club was The Point, now The Clothing Warehouse, in Little 5 Points.  I loved the intimacy of that club.  The band would have to walk right by you to get to the stage since there was no “backstage” there.  I saw many great shows there from Lush, The Ocean Blue and Ben Folds Five.

One last club I liked that bit the dust was The Cotton Club on Peachtree St., next to Jock’s and Jill’s. I didn’t care for the rectangular layout of the club but I did see some great shows there: Mojave 3, Floyd’s Funk Revival and missed seeing a sold out Mr. Bungle show. I couldn’t believe it sold out.

Clubs like The Masquerade and The Variety Playhouse never went away and still have national acts every week.  I like Variety and The Masquerade but they’re much bigger than the Echo Lounge and The Point were.

My favorite club now that has the intimate vibe that Echo and The Point did is The EARL.  The EARL is small and you can get right in the face of whoever is playing.  I recently saw Les Savy Fav there and was treated to the performance of a lifetime.  I’m glad I got to see such a great band in a small venue like The EARL.  If you’ve seen Les Savy Fav you know it’s as much performance art as it is music.  It’s an interactive show to say the least.

Right down the street from The EARL and across from The Clothing Warehouse is The Star Bar. I’ve always enjoyed seeing shows there. Star Bar leans more towards local acts so honestly I haven’t been there as much. I do like the vibe there and they have a good sound system.

What about you? What were some of your favorite clubs from the past? Which ones do you like now?