The granddaddy reality TV series is starting up again for season 17, this time in Brooklyn.  17 seasons, and all I really remember is San Fransisco, with Pedro and Puck.  Oh, and that all the cast members in Las Vegas were alcoholics.  Honestly, I stopped watching after San Fransisco (season 3), except for when I occasionally got sucked into some marathon viewing session.

You may be saying to yourself, “WTF?  This is the Atlanta Metblog.  Atlanta Metblog. What does the Real World have to do with Atlanta?”  Well, I for one, want to know how out of 17 seasons, MTV never decided that Atlanta was a good location.  Atlanta is regularly listed as a top location for young people, singles, college grads - the same folks who grow up watching the Real World.  It is prime real estate for showcasing your city!  All the show does is follow a bunch of twenty somethings around as they go to bars and clubs, and maybe they’ll throw in some socially conscious “job”.  Well, we have great bars and clubs (just not downtown).

Seriously, look at some of the place the Real World has shot.  Obviously I’m not delusional, and I don’t think Atlanta is as neat as London, Paris, Sydney, or New York.  But San Diego, Austin, and Denver?  Aren’t we at least that interesting?  They’ve now done New York three times, and LA twice.  Some on-line sleuthing suggestst that a Midtown loft may have almost made the cut for Season 16, and was on the short list for Season 19.  What happened?  Give us some love!

One thing that Atlanta is missing that the Real World needs to work is a pedestrian environment.  IIRC, for the most part, the cast is denied cars and they spend their time walking to and from the many bars.  There are plenty of neighborhoods that would work, though.  Put our ardent potential alcoholics in a Castleberry loft with a view of downtown, or in a penthouse in a Midtown condo building like they planned to five years ago.  This shouldn’t be that hard.

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I didn’t know John Henderson.  From what I’ve read in the paper he sounds like a cool guy.  I’ve never been to The Standard, where he was senselessly murdered, just 3 miles from my house. His tragic death yesterday morning has stirred real action. Today I got to be a small part of that.

News of the vigil first appeared on Twitter yesterday afternoon. Last night I received an invite to the vigil on Facebook. By the time I sent my RSVP to go over 250 people confirmed they’d be there as well. I got there this morning just before 7 a.m. Already there were 4 news vans and 2 Atlanta-Journal Constitution cars. Later I heard NPR was there as well.

I didn’t know anyone there when I arrived. I looked around and saw lots of emotion, some tears and lots of hugs. The darkness that visited The Standard was still lingered, I could feel it. Seeing the plywood on the front door that was smashed was surreal. However as more and more people showed up a sense of hope and calm emerged. Some say as many as 400 people showed up to the vigil.

I feel a real sense that something positive is happening from this tragedy. This website, Atlantans Together Against Crime & Cutbacks, has been created and is organizing future events. Folks were giving their e-mail addresses to become involved. This Facebook group has been created and has already grown to 470 members at the time of this writing. A meeting has been organized on Sunday at Aurora Coffee in Little 5 Points.

For the 7 years I’ve lived in East Atlanta I’ve felt safe. I recall the murder of Christian Henderson five and a half years ago. The only other major crime I can recall in my time here was the kidnapping of 2 Atlanta men in July of 2007. I still feel safe in my neighborhood. There is a strong community and we look out for one another.

I pray that John Henderson’s murder was an isolated event. Seeing the vigil today and the subsequent action that is coming, I believe that we as citizens are doing what we can to make it so.

Please see Creative Loafing’s and The AJC’s coverage of this story.

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things are bad at marta right now. really bad.

the ajc is reporting that marta’s budget shortfall is growing every day as the economic crisis worsens. no before you go all crazy on marta, you have to know that marta gets the bulk of it’s funding from a sales tax in fulton and dekalb. if people don’t buy, marta doesn’t get money.

some of the measures being considered are drastic to say the least. eliminating weekend service, cutting bus routes, raising fares.

i also know that most of you don’t ride marta and you probably could care less, but consider this, if marta eliminates my bus route, i might just be back on the streets with you trying to get to work, as will all these other people on the bus with me right now (yup, i am writing this from the bus.) some of them may not be able to even commute to their jobs.

if you live in atlanta, a strong public transportation system helps you big time, whether you ride or not.

and don’t start to bitch about how marta’s problems are of their own making. for the crap funding they get, they do a pretty damn awesome job. you can get anywhere in fulton or dekalb, safely with (most of the time) a smile. marta has done a lot to clean up it’s act too. our own ben did a good job of making this case here.

the state can help. they can give marta money, or at least ease the restriction that forces marta to tie so much money up in a captial reserve. either would help.

jill chambers, who most of you have never heard or, heads the marta oversight board. please contact her and tell her that marta is good for all georgians and the state NEEDS to step in.

you can find her info here.

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I’ve lived in Atlanta for fourteen years, nearly ten of those have been in East Atlanta. When I moved to my neighborhood I never realized that I’d be able to relive my teens/early-twenties a mere handful of blocks from my house. The time machine into which I step is also know as The EARL.

At The EARL I’ve seen performances by Dick Dale, two-thirds of Hüsker Dü (namely Bob Mould and Grant Hart performing solo shows), Mission of Burma, as well as others. And this weekend I’ll be at there twice, to catch both performances put on by The Long Ryders. Here’s the kicker about this… these shows will be the first United States shows put on by The Long Ryders in over twenty years, they are likely be their only performances in the United States, and there is a chance that they may never get back together again.

For those of you not as old as me, The Long Ryders were up-and-coming “alternative” music stars back when “alternative” music was in its infancy. In those days The Long Ryders toured the globe headling shows and were scheduled to tour with bands such as U2. However, their path to rock stardom was interrupted when some of the band members chose other paths and the band broke up in 1987.

Tickets for the shows can either be purchased via Ticket Alternative; or at The EARL on the day of the show.

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This morning, some of our city’s citizens killed another one of us. They fired hot bullets through his bones and cold fear into the surrounding community. One is dead, many are hurt. Every bullet ricochets.

Throughout the day, links to news stories covering the crime have been passed from house to house, neighbor to neighbor. A lot of people are angry and a lot of people are afraid. Every bullet ricochets.

The victim was shot at his job while the APD continues to see pay cuts. It feels like everything lately is about work and money — these are big targets, and whenever a bullet is fired there’s a good chance it’ll hit one of these. Would these robbers be robbers if things were different, if jobs were secure, if the economy was healthy? Would these robbers be killers? Would John Henderson be alive if there were more police, if there was more money, if budgets weren’t cut? Every bullet ricochets.

As mentioned in the comments on James’ recent post, citizens from neighborhoods around the crime scene — The Standard Food & Spirits, on Memorial across from Oakland Cemetery — planned a public protest of recent budget cuts “in police protection and public safety.”

Here’s a press release circulated earlier today:

PRESS RELEASE:
Southeast Atlanta Residents to Protest Rising Crime Rates at Site of
Robbery and Murder

Atlanta, GA, January 8, 2009 – Due to the January 7 shooting at Grant
Park bar, Standard Food and Spirits, residents of Southeast Atlanta
have united to protest cuts in police protection and public safety.
January 8, 2009, concerned citizens should meet at 7 a.m. at the
Standard to remember the victims of crimes city-wide and to voice
concerns. Participants are encouraged to bring candles to light as
well as large signs and placards to help convey their message.

Word is there’ll be television news coverage of the event, making this a chance for local citizens to be heard on the larger issues.

At the request of The Standard’s operators, however, please note that this is not a protest — it’s a vigil. Bring candles. Bring something to say. But do not bring your protest signs and do not bring your chants.

Every bullet ricochets, but let’s turn our thoughts to those who have bled.

[More about the robbery-homicide here: MyFox Atlanta and the AJC.]

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a server was shot in an armed robbery at the standard restaurant and bar on memorial drive in grant park early this morning. according to the report in the ajc, the server was shot after he had already handed the four armed robbers the money they demanded.

reports later today are out that the man died at grady hospital from gunshot wounds.

this happened two miles from my house. i guess it is a reminder that no matter how hip and cool these gentrified neighborhoods become, they are still in the middle of a city that has a big old crime problem it’s leaders don’t like to address (well, beyond changing street names.)

it’s also a reminder that the human capacity for evil is alive and well.

my thoughts and prayers are with the family of this victim and all who work at the standard. i am sure they are in shock.

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Thanks tons to my dear husband and the kind folks at EAVBuzz for introducing me to a concept that will likely leave me in nightmares tonight.

The Atlanta Cuddle Puddle Meetup

Really coulda gone my whole life without seeing this, much less knowing that it is going on all around me. I mean, to each his own, but. . . eeeewwwww. Any CuddlePuddlers out there? I have to admit, i’m a smidge cuddlecurious.

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not to long ago, i wrote a somewhat tongue-in-cheek post about the renaming of simpson road to joseph e. boone boulevard*.

nothing tounge and cheek about this recent article about “boone avenue” in the ajc though. according to the article the 1300 block of simpson road is the deadliest block in the city of atlanta.

Three killings occurred in a recent 31-day span. Demetrius Holt, 25, was killed and four others were shot Dec. 7 when an unidentified man opened fire in the American Legion hall. Ronnie Hill, 46, was shot to death Nov. 28 after an altercation that began at the Tasty Dog. Paul Martin, 19, was shot to death Nov. 6 while in his car outside Ruby’s. No one has been arrested in connection with any of the slayings.

i’d like to sit here and rant about how the city and law enforcement should get serious about cleanig place like this up. the article says they have tried and failed and many things.

beats me what the answer is, though in the us in 2009 there ought to be one. at least better than just changing the name.

anyone got any thoughts? nothing our leaders come up with seems to be working.

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Last night I was able to attend the premiere of Kooza, the latest Circque du Soleil offering under the yellow and blue striped big top at Atlantic Station.

Walking in and being greeted with flower bearing characters on stilts forces your mind to the place it should be: imagery and imagination and letting go of those pesky grown up thoughts that nag and plague us all.

As we waited for the doors to open so we might take our seats, we wandered about eying (and buying) schwag, opting out of the hours devours being passed by staff dressed in black and masks, and watching the “making of” and snippits from the show being projected on flat screens throughout the climate controlled (bless you, Cirque) tents that form the show compound.

The show itself wasn’t terribly unlike the only other Cirque show I’d been to: Allegria. I was particularly fond of the women who contorted themselves in ways that seemed impossible, but clearly wasn’t. Who should have snapped their spines, but didn’t. The music was different, the story was different, the set and the players were different, but what remained the same was the length the choreographers and performers go to when throwing themselves about on stage for our entertainment…and how well they did it.

At dinner before the show, we were asked twice if we were “going to the circus”. We laughed smugly, because a circus means the stench of elephant dung, droopy cotton candy, and a scary old dude in a top hat. In hindsight, we were wrong. The similarities are there if you’re able to see ‘em: to awe the audience, to cause them to gasp, to allow them a place where they can let go of the world and its burdens, and to connect to a quieter more youthful mind. Sure, there were dirty jokes and innuendo that the children (kicking my chair) didn’t get, but the wee ones in my sight all sat on the edges of their chairs, just like I was.

If you have the opportunity to see the show during its run (Jan 2 - March 1), and can find loot in your budget for tickets (anywhere from $38 - 125), I recommend it wit a two wee caveats:
- Don’t bother trying to have dinner at Atlantic Station first unless you make reservations. The wait at Rosa Mexicana was 1hr 20min, and the service at Strip was hideous (there will be a Yelp posting about that, shortly)
- If ya gotta “go”, do it before you walk over. The loos are probably clean, but are those mini-building deals you have to walk up steps to get to that have four stalls per.

Footnote: many thanks to Dave Coustan for the comp tickets that allowed me to begin my new year the way it should: with the arts.

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I drove into Midtown this morning for some part time work before classes start at GSU next week.  About half the staff at the office I’m working at is taking the day off - I’m sure most of you guys are having the same experience.

I kind of love being one of the only people out in the city on days like this. There was zero traffic, although I never have much trouble getting here since I live in-town, but everything is pretty quiet. One or two hard-core joggers were out as I drove past Piedmont Park, bundled up but still running. The sky had that almost-night gray haze you get in the winter, where even though it is 8am it still feels a little too early to be out.

It felt like the city was taking a breather.  I went out for breakfast yesterday, but it really just felt like a Saturday since everyone was out, too, and the weather was great.  Today is a day where maybe you feel just a little guilty for taking it off, or you at least had to spend a vacation day on it.  It doesn’t have the same out-of-school-early feel that New Year’s Day has.  With the overcast weather, it felt like the city was still sleeping.

No one is motivated, but for once it is okay.  I had one companion on the elevator ride, and we both were oddly chipper for going in to work today.  We seemed to share the knowledge that it would not be a hard day, since no one else was going to be in to make trouble for us.  We still get credit for coming in, but it’s not like we are going to get anything done.

My work place has a nice big window that I stare out of half the day, where I can see out over Ansley Park and probably out into DeKalb County.  It actually looks very peaceful, because the treets obscure most of the buildings and the land rolls into hills just a bit.  The sky is still grey and overcast, and there might even be a little fog covering the trees.  Good luck getting anything done today.

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For those of you reading who have a green thumb, you may remember that year or so back The Urban Gardner relocated from its home on Boulevard to its new home off the square in EAV, across from Graveyard Tavern.

This move was apparently not for the better, and last week they closed their retail doors for good (if you were in the know you may have picked up bargain planters and pots like I did, HT to Amanda for the heads up). According to co-owner Robin Marcus they’ll still be conducting workshops, performing landscape design and many of the other outreach programs they had running. It’s sad to see them go.

In related news, Farmer D has opened a retail shop in Atlanta which is being run out of (ironically enough) one location of a car wash chain he founded when he was 14. Amazing and true, as is the story of his relationship with Whole Foods Markets and our having an unsung environmental hometown hero in our midst. Read more about him here and visit his little shop, they’ve got most of what you need for your gardening delights, and what they don’t have yet, they will. Be sure to keep an eye on them come spring as well, when they’ll be offering classes and the like.

Now on to food stuffs. Does anyone have the scoop on why last night when I called in a delivery from Johnny’s O4W the phone was answered “Jack’s Pizza and Wings”? A surprise to be sure, and I’m not clear yet on if the change of name involved a change of ownership, if it was just the one store or the whole chain, or who designed their new logo (enh).

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So, your intrepid blogger here went to the Unwrapped event to check out the local internet scene.  I’ll have to admit I’m not much of the “scene” type - I don’t meetup, I don’t Tweetup (or whatever).  Most of the folks I know who blog I know socially, and then it turns out they blog, too.  I had coffee with Rusty once, and I think that is the fullest extent of people I have met through blogging or reading blogs.  I like Groucho Marx’s line, “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member”.

So the Unwrapped event wasn’t my usual day-after-Christmas thing.  However, I was pleased to run into Thomas Wheatley and Jamsmooth, both friends of mine who happen to blog.  I was supposed to meet up with Will, but that didn’t happen (it has only just occured to me while linking to his profile here that he has a picture of himself on the page that would have aided me in meeting up with him.  I am that smart, people).  

While attempting to find Will, I asked Tessa if she knew him - figuring that the person who put the thing together and who everyone assured me was the social maven of the crowd would be able to point me in the right direction.  Turns out Tessa also went to high school in town, and we had a fun game of “do you know” that actually turned up quite a few names from middle and high school.  Atlanta is quite a small town in that regard, in that it turns out that some of our middle and high school debauchery took place within two degrees of people.

Tessa pointed me in the direction of Will, but it turned out to be the wrong Will, which accounted for considerable social awkwardness on my part and an interesting exchange regarding internet social heirarchies.  Wrong Will, I will call him, commented that apparently the first wave of people at Unwrapped had been the programmers and I guess “industry” types, while the bloggers were supposed to be coming “in force” later on.  Wrong Will, of course, was a tweeter.  I couldn’t help but wonder what the implied heirarchy to his comments were - were the programmers better than the bloggers, and the tweeters better than all of us?  Or was there some different structure?

I would like to think that we all fall into the larger social heirarchy above the random Drivin and Cryin fans that wandered into Vinyl from the show, but I’m not so sure.  Regardless, I had a decent time, met a few people, and paid way too much for parking.

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If you’ve ever wanted to come out of your mommas basement and meet some of the folks you’ve been reading in the bloggosphere, now is your chance. Guess what else? It’s for a good cause. I shit you not.

Drive A Faster Car, MailChimp & Atlanta Web Design are hosting something called “Unwrapped” at The CW /

Deets follow:

We know what you’re thinking. It’s the day after Christmas and you are sick of the holidays. Unwrapped is your chance to let loose from the family and drink, mingle, network, dance with others in Atlanta you may have seen around the internet. Bloggers, designers, developers, and Facebook addicts alike are all invited.

Half of all proceeds are going to One Laptop Per Child to help create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.

Friday, December 26
8pm - 2am
Vinyl @ CW Music Complex
1374 W Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309

Official Event Link: here.

Our very own newbie author Ben will be in attendance and writing on it, as will the famous Will Hindmarch. Stop out, give up the green and mingle. The c’mon back here to see how your experience matches up with that of Ben and Will.

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James’ last post about the variable multi-county metro Atlanta area reminded me about an exchange I overhead with old co-workers about a year ago:

“Well I’m looking for a new apartment, probably in the twelve-to-three area.”
“Twelve-to-three?”
“Yeah. Like if I-285 is a clock and the other highways are hands on a clock, the twelve-to-three area is like North Druid Hills and stuff.”
“Oh ok…I gotcha. Well, just don’t look anywhere in the three-to-nine area. Twelve-to-three is pretty good, Nine-to-twelve is kind of expensive though.”

Hands on a clock? Really? AtlantaGeorgia.com gives a similar explanation for explaning how to get around the ATL:

The thing you have to understand is that “inside the perimeter” can mean any direction depending on where you are at the time. Another trick is to imagine that the perimeter is the face of a clock and find out if you need to go to “six o’clock” to get to the airport or “eleven o’clock” to get to Smyrna.

Then there is the inner and there is the outer loop. What do I need to say about these? The inner loop is 285 going clockwise if you are looking at the city from the south with the city center as the middle of the clock and GA 400 as twelve o’clock–and the outer loop goes counterclockwise on the same clockface? Both loops go in all directions (but only one direction at a time) depending on whether you are at 6 o’clock or 12 etc.

I mean, I get the concept, however remedial it sounds, but have you heard it before? Where are you? (I’m in the 6:30 area.)

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atlanta msa

i had the same question i always do? when am i back in atlanta? i know the actual atlanta metropolitan statistical area is the 28 counties in that map, so technically i am back in atlanta when i cross the border into bartow county?

but am i really?

i know plenty of itp’ers who would say no. i think most people that live in canton in cherokee would say yes. but what about cartersville? as i mentioned bartow county is in the altanta msa, but is cartersville really part of atlanta?

for me at least, when i am driving i consider myself “in atlanta” when i cross into cobb county on 75 and when i cross into gwinnett on 85. this certainly puts me at odds with the msa but that is how i see it.

what about you. what is the metro area? does it go all the way to south carolina these days? has it made its way all the way up to dalton?

and what about the southside? i don’t go down there much, but i know plenty of atlantans have made their way to newnan and peacthree city.

it seems to me that the metro area is growing, but the sense of identiity that goes with the city is too. i work with plenty of people that live in cherokee or forsyth, work in alpharetta and never venture south of holcomb bridge road.

food for thought anyway.

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