Mark Bradley, I’ve been thinking the same thing
AJC sportswriter Mark Bradley poses a great question today:
The Braves are in first place. Why is the ballpark half-empty?
You can read the rest of his post here.
I’ve been thinking something along those lines: it’s summer, it’s not rainy as it was last summer, the Braves are doing well, and you get a good view from even the cheap seats at Turner Field. So where is everyone?
Freelance work has taken over my time, and I’ve become an occasional blogger. But I’ve been attending Braves games all season, and the weather has been pretty great every time I’ve gone (including last Friday night, though the Braves meltdown that night did push me to look for other distractions. For example, it’s fun to get a drink and then stand by the railing that overlooks the Visitor Bullpen and call down to the players. Some of those Marlins players area really flexible!)
But I digress. So what’s the problem?
Mark gives you lots of options in his piece; I’ve only got one thought.
Transportation.
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CL: Streetcar funding update, etc.
Filed under: Cityscape, POLITICS, SMART GROWTH, transportation
The adorable Thomas Wheatley, as we call him here at Atlanta Unsheltered, has a great update on the city’s plans to apply again for streetcar federal funding.
The twist is that the Beltline, the 22-mile rails-to-trails corridor, will not also apply for the funding, even though it, too, has considered streetcars for the transit portion of the loop.
You can find all the details here at Creative Loafing.
It’s not the only interesting nugget Wheatley has shared in the last week. He also linked to an article in the Economist about MARTA. Yes, our MARTA in, yes, THE Economist.
It’s a brilliant article. Here’s how it starts:
“FROM downtown Atlanta, the 113 bus trundles past many of the city’s most prominent attractions: the Martin Luther King memorial, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola and Centennial Olympic Park. It serves residential neighbourhoods in Sweet Auburn, Candler Park and Inman Park; students at Georgia Tech; and tourists heading to the city’s museum and arts district. It does, in short, precisely what a city bus is supposed to do—make it feasible for people to get around without a car. On September 25th, it will cease operating.”
Here’s the link from CL.
My favorite intersection
Almost got hit by a car here Monday evening. Mind you, I had the white ‘WALK’ symbol in my favor (like you see in this old photo), but because it’s the off-ramp for a highway, cars come flying up to the stoplight and are already in turn mode by the time they reach the crosswalk.
Nothing like the sound of screeching tires to get your blood moving!
If you don’t know it, it’s the intersection of Boulevard and I-20. I’ve written about this intersection before; in fact, I tried to get the city to install a better crosswalk.
Unfortunately, the intersection is owned by GDOT, and I’m not sure they really understand that people walk through this intersection quite a bit.
Regrettably, someone probably will have to be hit by a car before anyone really cares.
I’d like to say also that it works both ways. I’m sure the driver Monday was a bit shook up himself; he really had to slam on the brakes. Maybe by adding this, I might get the attention of officials in charge.
If you don’t want to help this annoying little walker, help the drivers who are sometimes caught off-guard by walkers!
Jeanne on TV!
Yep that was me on the panel Sunday for the Republican 12th and 13th Congressional District runoff debates that were broadcast from Georgia Public Broadcasting. The makeup made me feel like Cleopatra!
As you may know the debates are sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club, and they are a great way to get to know the candidates. Well, that is, if they show up. One of the debates featured just one of the two candidates. The moderator, Lisa Rayam, WAGA, even said, “Ray McKinney is represented by an empty podium.”
One of the districts — the 12th — is out near Savannah so there’s less local interest. But the other debate featured the two Republican candidates for a district that includes parts of Cobb, Fulton, Dekalb, Douglas and other metro Atlanta counties so their answers, when they did actually answer the question, were of great interest.
I asked about high-speed and commuter rail. But I think at least one of the candidates didn’t hear that! Maybe I speak too softly. Regrettably rail is overlooked in favor of such hot-button issues as immigration, abortion and if you can believe, states’ rights.
Anyway, if you missed this debate, you can find it here. You can also find the debates for Governor and other offices archived on the site.
Your weekend away: the Beltline’s Southwest side
Please don’t tell me you have Beltline fatigue, kind readers, because I’ve finally made it over to the temporary trails on the West and Southwest side and I’m eager to sell you a travel package on it!
Of course all you have to do is bike across town, or take MARTA to the Ashby station. From there, it’s an easy half-mile ride to the start of the temporary wooded trail. And once there, you really won’t believe you’re still in the city.
I’ve covered this territory already, having walked part of this trail a year ago. But now, instead of a three-hour walk, you can take an hour-long bike ride (or less, depending on how far you go).
Just as on the Northeast side, which I’ve covered quite a bit, there is art to see. How about this piece?
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Beltline sightings — July 21
I was biking on the temporary trail on the Northeast side of the Beltline Wednesday night around 8 p.m. and I saw:
*Three other mountain bike riders
*A man walking with his baby
*Two men walking two dogs
*Two cats
*One mouse
It’s a start!
Beltline picture in New York Times today
The New York Times published a photo of the Beltline near Parish in a story today on how New York’s High Line is inspiring other cities to consider reviving old rail beds.
The story actually does not talk about the Beltline or Atlanta’s efforts to revive that rail corridor. But the picture is pretty darn big!
You can read the story here.
Beltline 2.0 — Some questions and thoughts
Sometimes the right thing comes along at the right moment, and you can overdo a bit. I was looking for ways to enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise, and along comes the Beltline’s temporary trails, and for now, that’s my go-to place to explore the city, relax and be wow-ed either by nature or by the sunset or both.
So I was back on the trail Thursday night, in part to see the art works that had been vandalized (you can hear a piece on the vandalism by my fellow WABE freelancer Aleck Ragsdale here).
The vandalism sucks, obviously but I have other things on my mind.
Like, how will I be able to get from the Beltline to the Freedom Parkway Trail and vice versa? You can see the intersection of the two paths, and the steep drop that separates them in the photo above. (Note, I think the answers to some of my questions have been discussed, but I’m not sure where we are in the adoption or implementation processes).
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What’s before 1.0? Trying to describe Atlanta’s streetcar sitch
Thomas Wheatley at Creative Loafing sums up Atlanta’s transit situation nicely this afternoon with a post entitled “Atlanta tries again for streetcar while Charlotte pops the champagne.”
It details Atlanta’s second, much more modest attempt at winning federal dollars for a streetcar line while, Charlotte…wait for it….learns it’s already won federal money for streetcars!
Those lucky son of guns! I’m so happy for them. I mean, really. I mean, shoot, maybe I should move to Charlotte!
You can read his post here.
Alive and kicking (Beltline 2.0, cont’d)
Filed under: ARTS & EVENTS, Cityscape, RIVERS/TRAILS, SMART GROWTH
I was back on the Beltline’s temporary trails over the weekend, and I saw something that was a bit amazing. And I don’t mean the art (but more on that in a minute)
Like conquering heroes, runners from the Peachtree Road Race were slowly walking from the race’s finish in Piedmont Park back to their homes/cars in Inman Park and beyond along the Beltline.
It just made the trail seem so useful!
By heading back to the Beltline on Sunday, I got in some traffic-free biking, which is key for someone like me who is really not ready to brave Atlanta’s drivers.
But my main objective was to snap a few photos of the art installations on the Beltline. (Just as a brief reminder, I access a short spur of the Beltline on Memorial Drive, and then take the Krog Tunnel to connect to the rest of the Northeastern section of the trail. Oh and I use a sturdy mountain bike — it would be tough-going on less robust bikes.)
There’s been a lot of hype, in my humble opinion, but I can tell you I was truly impressed by the innovative works of art I encountered along the path. They reference the South’s history, agriculture and economy. And it’s almost like an obstacle course where you want to check off each challenge. As I’ve mentioned, I still need to check off one big challenge: visiting the installations on the less developed Southwestern portion of the Beltline.
Anyway you can see my favorite work of art, and others in photos after the jump.
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Our new website!
