Atlanta is a boring city

agree!

Also agree.

And it’s full of Yankee trash from New Jersey.

Yeah, it is just awful.

Did you go to Little Five Points?

Yeah it's not thrilling. It has that big aquarium, which has a cool big tank with whale sharks in it. But that's about it.

And it's HOT AS FUCK.

Where did you get the idea it wouldn’t be boring?

Most American cities are boring as fuck actually.

In Europe even the little burgs in Italy have something that's a billion years old.

I think you missed some of the good parts. I think the Inman Park neighborhood, and Decatur are great. They're also not segregated. In fact there are no neighborhoods in ATL that are segregated. Housing is integrated. But people may or may not hang out together. They will self segregate. No one who lives here cares about Coca Cola . If you were in that area you should have walked across the campus to see the Civil and Human Rights Center. It's a very powerful place to visit. Great neighborhood restaurants, and Ponce City Market and Krog Market are fun.

I can't believe you actually went to a place called Aunt Pitty Pat's Porch. LOL! You are a fucking tourist. Real people never go there.

Tourists are real people, r9

Was there one weekend for both a Madonna covert and a Liza concert! Aside from these events there wasn’t ‘t much to do.

You may have missed all the country rough trade that loves hot sneaky sex.

I had lots of it when I lived in Atlanta

Of all of the major cities, Atlanta is the most unsegregated. There are very few places that are all white or all black.

Go see Ebenezer Baptist church and the MLK house where he grew up About 10 years ago got to sit next to Corretta Scott King in her church. She was elegant and beautiful.

[quote]Of all of the major cities, Atlanta is the most unsegregated. There are very few places that are all white or all black.

That I really liked about Atlanta. I'm white but I felt like everyone just didn't give a shit about your race there either way. That is unreservedly great.

Still, not exactly chock full o' things to do.

It is boring. Atlanta has a highway running through it. Most great cities have at least a river.

If you didn’t go to the Varsity and Swinging Richards you didn’t really experience Atlanta.

R16 That is because Atlanta was built as a railroad city, and then became an interstate city.

I love Atlanta. When I go there for a Hawks game I also get a city pass which gets you into Coke, CNN, zoo, Aquarium. I think it's fun.

R8 nails it, you were either badly advised or did poor research. Inman Park, Decatur and Druid Hills are a few of the great neighborhoods. The old-money part of Buckhead has its charms, Chastain Park and Piedmont Park are lovely and west Midtown around Howell Mill can be fun. There are tons of wonderful independent restaurants that aren’t in strip malls and I agree with the Ponce City Market rec. If you wanted soul food you’d have been better off at the Busy Bee. Locals don’t go to Pittypat’s and most of us hate the World of Coca-Cola.

Poorly planned, though - I’ll give you that one.

What is fun about CNN? Seriously. It's a fucking shit quality news network. What fun does it bring?

JOBS are what it's about there. Some pretty decent ones, at that.

My son lived in Atlanta for a couple of years in Midtown. There was never anyone out on the street, the two times I did see someone they were both drunks. He lived in a beautiful doorman high-rise but at night the hookers would hang on the corner and the cops did nothing. Its not a city, its a bunch of places to drive to. Good food though.

Twenty-seven years ago Mayor Bill Campbell and the Feds formed a program to rehab at-risk neighborhoods while there's still time to same them. We chose the Edgewood neighborhood. The program put a new roof, new furnace and replumbed the house. We also got a 10-year tax abatement. All this for $40k. I would say now our neighborhood is about 90% gentrified. At first, we lived in a fresh food desert, but now have The Edgewood Center with Kroger, Supertarget, Lowe's and many others.

No doubt, Atlanta is The Black Mecca. As was mentioned: The Civil and Human Rights Center, The King Center and MLK's childhood home. Then there is Sweet Auburn. But as a native Eldergay, Atlanta is no tourist destination.

R24, and you have a Barnes & Noble!

Ah SO. Where every place in America outside of Manhattan and WeHo sucks.

Don't know why my phone corrected DL* to SO.

I used to live there, for work. It was super liveable, friendly people (they still let you merge in traffic). That said, it has very little to attract a tourist or visitor. Anything MLK-related, and that's pretty much it. Can't speak for the art museum, never went. But the Civil War-related stuff is hopelessly kitschy (think Cyclorama and Stone Mountain).

Also, the people there did have a chip on their shoulder. They thought that with all the money in Atlanta, it was punching below its weight culturally and intellectually. I worked at Emory, and all my colleagues looked in the mirror and saw a Harvard professor looking back at them.

The museum at the Carter Center is interesting.

Sadly the OP and a few others on this thread are too stupid to look to see there are lots of things to do there. But then anyone with a brain knows what the OP is up to. Trollin' trollin' trollin'. And I'm sure the good citizens of Atlanta were very glad when the OP left town.

R31, my friend is a planner so she was more than happy to pick out things for us to do. I did some research but nothing I was die hard on seeing so I just left it up to her. What do you suggest I see when I go back to visit and help my friend pack up her place?

I suggest you stay away. You're clearly too dumb to travel.

It's a great place to live but a dull place to visit.

R13, visit Milton and then visit Ashview Heights and get back to me.

[R29] What's Emory like? One of my students is going there on a full scholarship.

is it as ethnic as Chicago?????

My best friend just moved there from Fort Lauderdale. He took me to The Colonnade which I liked in an old school way. Also we went to The Corral where, just as he said there would be, were some HOT black guys. Sorry if that makes me racist, The food wasn't bad either.

But tbh i'm gonna miss visiting him in FL.

Are the transplants mostly from smaller southern cities or from up north?

R7 = Eurotrash

DOn't forget Little Five Points.

Actually, Atlanta has a style of its own. You just have to overlook the Buckhead trash and Vinings wannabes to get at it. There is a lot to do, but not necessarily the same things you would go to in another city. THe history museum, for example, is spectacular. So, in its own way, is the Cyclorama. MLKing birthplace, home, and museum. Gibson Gardens. Lots of cool places, actually.

The Carter PResidential Library is there. The High Museum of Art is nothing special as museums go although the Warhol exhibit they did earlier this year was wonderful. Hamilton is here now and the production is absolutely stellar. Flawless. There are a lot of great restaurants and some nice clubs. Most new peopl and there are a lot of them, are from outside the U.S. and from the north. Atlanta is a jobs mecca. But in spite of being the world headquarters of CoCa Cola, Home Depot, and a few others, the philanthropic impulse from the corporate community has not yet resulted in a world class art museum. The History museum has a lecture series featuring famous best selling authors, Emory always has something going on, their regional theater offerings are fine, and They have good shows at the Fox theater. Savannah College of Art & Design is here too. I was surprised to discover how important writers are here. they have a huge book festival in Decatur over Labor Day, and there are art festivals in various areas and music festivals all over the metro area. It's fun here. But surprisingly expensive housing. Cost of living is higher than I expected. I love the weather. It gets cold here in the winter I'd say from December thru March it's hovering in the 30's with slushy rain and the occasional inch or two of snow. but that's it.

Didn’t there used to be a 24 hour gay nightclub there? Is it still open?

not if you black

R 11 I was in ATL in 2004 and saw Madonna and Liza during the same trip. Was fun and gay. It was July so it was sweltering seeing Liza.

Atlanta is boring. You are correct, Op.

I agree that the High Museum is just meh, and The World of Coca Cola is one big yawn.

But the Delta Air Lines "History of American Gay Life" in Snellville is not to be missed.

Not if you're XL Adventures. We have a great time and a beautiful life.

meth capital of the south

[quote]The hotspot restaurants were in strip malls.

sorry, america at its WORST

Even Donald Glover's hit show cannot help Atlanta!

Love traveling there on business. Delta’s hub means there’s always a direct from/to anywhere. It’s not as manic and touristy as LA or NYC, outside of the airport at least. It’s also the smallest (big) city where you can always find and escort/masseur.

So I can always plan to 1) finish at customer location, 2) eat dinner somewhere tasty, 3) eat twink hole back in my room before bed, 4) be up in time to tackle that monster of an airport.

Agree - it is the black Mecca. There are so many rich and successful black people - it's inspirational to other black people who haven't seen that.

I'm not sure why it all happened in Atlanta - but it's undeniable. I had a good time in ATL many years ago - but nothing that said - THIS IS YOUR CITY!!

R36 it’s not as Long Island Jappy as Tulane, but it’s getting up there.

How dare you make such generalizations about my sister's alma mater Julane.

I've been there twice. Once at the invitation of white people and I only met a lot of white people. The other time at the invitation of black people and I only met a lot of black people.

Is it as segregated as it seemed?

I actually liked Atlanta. One of the few cities I've traveled to on business that I liked enough to go back on my own.

OP , honey chile ain't no local been to Aunt PP since the early 1970's. Go to the Colonnade for southern food and gay cocktails.

It’s the home town of our favorite actress Julia Cunt Roberts, America’s Sweetheart.

[quote]It's a great place to live but a dull place to visit.

It’s actually neither. When I lived there, I had a friend (also a transplant who moved away as quickly as possible) who observed “only people from small towns and worse cities like Atlanta.” We both agreed it lacked the culture and identity of other, more vibrant cities. It’s less a city of neighborhoods and more a collection of suburbs filled with strip malls and connected by interstates. It’s LA without the culture, the ocean or the celebrities.

Yes, R56, that’s the segregation in Atlanta. The people arguing thag it’s not segregated are in denial. They think “lots of black folks” = inegrated, which is asinine. The deep south always had large pockets of black populations. However no one mixes. No one even engages the other side in public. My parents visited, spent a whole weekend, and when it was over my mother thought it was strange that the only black people who spoke to theme were service sector workers. She said she tried striking up friendly conversations (my mom is like that) but got cool receptions from white and black. “Southern Charm” is also a myth busted by my time in Atlanta.

I grew up in Atlanta. I do not miss it. I don't miss the traffic, the smog or the racial tension. Lots of valid comments on this thread. I grew up in rich, soulless Buckhead. Very few interesting neighborhoods. Virginia-Highlands was one of the few that had a there there.

I left Atlanta three years ago after living there for 20 years, and you couldn’t pay me to go back. The city is a dirty muggy traffic congested piece of hell. And the gay men who live there are -truly- insane. Lotsa folks keeping it real and doing what they got to do. Horrible city. Horrible people.

Just saying Aunt Pitty Pat's Porch was not on my bucket list. My friend is a huge GWTW fan (we also went to Margaret Mitchell's house) and she really wanted to go so since she was letting me stay with her, I obliged. Sounds like I didn't miss much with the High museum.

There sheemsh to be a lot of roadsh named Peachtree in Atlanta. It ish eashzy to get losht there.

R61, well thanks. Good to know. Your parents "spent a whole weekend" Right. Well then, that's it.

I'm a transplant. I live here. What I loved instantly, is the energy. There is a good vibe here and a lot of progressive people in the Atlanta metro area., and I've seen more interracial couples and their kids in 6 months than I ever did in ten years in Chicago. We're also about 4 hours from the ocean in Savannah. And we can easily get to Charleston, or Charlotte, or even New Orleans for those long weekend jaunts. We're fine. Traffic is horrible, schools need improving, and we have some backward assed Republicans in the outer suburbs, but we are leaning Blue more and more every day. Your life is what you make it. I'm making a good life here.

I moved there for a job transfer. Bought a house in Decatur. The job petered out and I beat a hasty retreat out of Georgia. Don't miss it.

Only 4 hours from the ocean, R66?

Worked at the big gay Caribou at Piedmont and Monroe back in the day. The 96 Olympics were fun... and then it was over.

Lived there for a year. It is quite boring, if you're visiting. Not a world class city, but has decent shopping and restaurants.

[quote]Your parents “spent a whole weekend.” Right. Well then, that’s it.

Yes, douchenozzle, while I lived there for 8 fucking years. One weekend was enough, no one who visited me there ever wanted to come back. It’s a hick town with skyscrapers that empty out at 5pm.

[quote]We're also about 4 hours from the ocean in Savannah.

Wow. “Only?”

I reiterate: the only people who like Atlanta are people who came from even shittier places.

ITA OP! I moved to Atlanta after 9/11 and moved back to NYC 1 month later! I should’ve just visited instead, but was desperate for a change after 9/11 and was sold on the hype. Downtown Atlanta is scary. Although black and white people live in the same areas, they do not hang out together. Boring, depressing and hot with ants everywhere. Slowwww.....no energy at all. Gay pride was just a sad affair. However, I did go to a nice house party, had some great food and met a hot guy who had a nice place and wanted me to move in with him LOL! (I liked his looks, but not his personality and I did not want to depend on a stranger)

There's money to be made in ATL .

I’m surprised no one mentioned Tara.

[quote]The Coca Cola Company and Aunt Pitty Pat's Porch underwhelmed.

Stupid, cheap tourists.

[quote] I moved to Atlanta after 9/11 and moved back to NYC 1 month later!

You sound rather irrational.

Locals don't go to Aunt Pitty Pat's Porch. For old-fashioned atmosphere and Southern classics they go to Mary Mac's Tearoom.

R77 That is a horrible tourist trap, too.

Only locals on a budget with no taste go there.

Born and raised in Chicago. Went to graduate school at Emory. Hard to get used to, but eventually adored it.

I have lived in every part of the country. Midwest, west coast, east coast, north and south. Atlanta is at the top of my list.

The south is, first of all, beautiful. Brutally hot and humid summers, but not different in the extent of the discomfort ---- only in the duration. Hot and muggy starts in May and goes till the end of October. But Falls and Spring are beautiful and winter is practically non-existent (at least for someone from Chicago). Until you have seen dogwoods, wisteria, azaleas, lilacs all blooming at once, you do not understand the beauty of spring.

Aside from the natural beauty (and really, you should go to the North Georgia mountains if you love the outdoors and hiking. It is BEAUTIFUL), Atlanta has the Jimmy Carter Center (which is amazing!) and the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site, including Ebenezer Baptist Church. Talk about sobering history. The Carter Center alone makes you aware of the world outside of the US. Jimmy Carter has taught in every single department at Emory, including the Biology department, where (when I was there in the 90's) he lectured on the challenges of developing vaccines that could withstand a lack of refrigeration. It was amazing. He has a PhD in nuclear physics, so of course you expect him to be a genius physical scientist, but a brilliant microbiologist? Yes. There is the CDC. They have a ton of lectures that Emory participates in, but now, in collaboration with the Smithsonian, have opened a world class natural history museum. It has self-guided tours, as well as lectures and guided tours, and if the Carter Center gives you an idea of the things going on in the world, this place brings home how much of humanity continues to suffer from third world problems.

thing that is unique about Atlanta is that there is no downtown. There simply is not. The metro center has hotels and corporate headquarters, but no commerce, no nightlife. For that you go outside of downtown Atlanta. Decatur, Little Five Points, Athens. Athens may be the last great university town in the country. About an hour from Atlanta. If you are willing to drive a piece, there is Savannah, which is stunningly beautiful. On the ocean. Go to St. Simon's Island, for the world's best seafood. Beautiful white sandy beaches. Romantic. Mysterious.

I am a music geek, always have been. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is no CSO, but dear god, it is really good. When Robert Shaw conducted, it was world class. For my money, still is. the High museum has always been revered in Atlanta, but I never knew why. It is a really fancy building, with almost no art in it. Maybe that has changed.

At any rate, I'd say there is plenty to see and do in Atlanta. As others here have said, Life is what you make it!

[quote]thing that is unique about Atlanta is that there is no downtown. There simply is not. The metro center has hotels and corporate headquarters, but no commerce, no nightlife.

Which is the number 1 complaint of its detractors. Weird that you consider it a plus.

Atlanta lovers are so funny. Invariably they will boast about attractions and features (Athens, a whole other city, Savannah, ditto, and four hours away by car, etc.) that are well outside the city. It’s laughable. The city itself has nothing. “No downtown” is actually a bad thing, folks! And the Carter Center is nice, MLK Center is historic, but (most) other cities have similar attractions too.

There is nothing unique about Atlanta besides the pitifully low standards of its biggest boosters.

Lectures at the CDC is an attraction for Atlanta? Hard pass.

Guys, they have EMORY UNIVERSITY. No other city can boast of their own (often plural) prestigious learning institutions! No other university can compare! All bow down before EMORY UNIVERSITY.

Don't most people say "nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." Many people upthread defending Atlanta have said it is not a great place to visit so why then would anyone want to fucking live there??? Seems like those who are defending it are grasping at straws as to what make its great.

[quote] You sound rather irrational.

Why? After a month, I hated Atlanta and knew it wasn’t for me. Plus, I missed NYC. No need to wait it out. It was time to go. My only mistake was not visiting first.

R79 wins the gold metal for most desperate Atlanta love. Virtually every other city on earth has a mountain range and beaches within a 5 hour drive. Many have them much closer, even within the city proper. I also find his comment about “natural beauty” hilarious. You’d think Atlanta had forests and waterfalls. It’s a city, nothing more. Some nice parks but “natural beauty?” Where? Oh, in the “North Georgia Mountains” and no where visible from the city.

If you think the South is “beautiful,” well, hmmm... you either have no reference for beauty or you’re blind. The west and the northeast/New England are far, far more stunning. I’m from PA and even my boring state, with its rolling hills, majestic mountains and mighty rivers running all through it, is 10x more beautiful than anything I saw down south!

Atlantans are so defensive they think you’re “irrational” if you don’t like their miles of strip malls and interstates surrounding a dead downtown.

I’ve lived in New York, Los Angeles, and now Atlanta. I like all three, but I find Atlanta the most livable.

I remember Atlanta being pushed as "Hotlanta" as a new mecca for gays. This was in the 90s, and they were competing for Miami South Beach's gay crowd.

Seems like a place to visit for a weekend and then never have to go back to.

R89 I'd say it worked out pretty well...

If you are attracted to black men it could be great. Atlanta or Washington DC would be your places. I am not being racist, or not meaning to be.

All American cities are boring except San Francisco and New Orleans (and possibly Boston).

Some of you sound quite snobbish. I bet for most major cities, there's not much difference as far as "things to do". The metro area is 39 counties, 6.5 million people, and 10.5 thousand square miles. People who are really trying to experience a city don't want to follow a tourist list.

There's nothing to see north of Buckhead. It's subdivision city interspersed with Zaxby's and Chick-fil-A (Closed Sundays). There is nothing to see south of I-20 except small shithole towns like Jackson and Stockbridge. You don't want to step foot in downtown. Stone Mountain is nice tho so there's that.

This is what I mean. What exactly are y'all trying to see? Because nothing is relative.

Guess I'm not sure WTF you were expecting. This isn't NYC or NOLA. It's Atlanta. People live here, work here and there is plenty to do. If you find it boring, go somewhere else. Like every other city it has flaws, it has a down side, but I like it here. I have friends here and I've built a life here.

Downtown is not unsafe. I never felt afraid there once. Unlike downtown Dallas.

97 don't apologize. There is very little to do in metro NYC, Chicago, LA or any of the other favored cities that you can't do in metro Atlanta.

Here is the thing: Nobody gives a toss if you like their city or not, if they do.

Next.

All I know is, if you live in South, even your soul will have a layover at Hartsfield-Jackson before going to its final destination.

I think the people who like Atlanta come from small podunk towns and smaller cities where anything is better. But people who come from NY, San Fran, LA etc will see it as nothing special with no natural beauty (unless you travel hours outside)

R36, the students are great: hard-working, from lots of different places, etc. The faculty are high-fliers, if somewhat disappointed that their careers ended there.

Oh yeah, since people mentioned restaurants. I obviously lived in Decatur, where there were a lot of chains (Outback, Longhorn, etc.). These places used to have lines, you'd have to wait to eat there! Part of the reason was, there weren't as many mom/pops for whatever reason.

They sure do love their Chick-fil-A down there.

The tourist attractions are minimal and hanging out in neighborhoods is ok but not exciting. Atlanta is not very attractive and a bit boring.

What the hell is Aunt Pitty Pat's Porch?

R107, it’s a cathouse for eldergays.

I always enjoy Atlanta when I visit. Then again, I have friends there, so just hanging out is fun.

R107, it's a restaurant named after Aunt Pitty Pat from this little known movie called Gone With The Fucking Wind.

Seem to be a lot of pretentious gay people who attach their identity to their belief that most people think more of them because of the reputation of the city in which they live. What grown person with a sense of self worth and friends and family puts down a city? 🙄 Folks always think their City is better. That's why they are there. Still wondering what it is that y'all are trying to do that you seem to think isn't done in Atlanta too? 🤔

What else is there in terms of playhouses so you're not at the mercy of what's touring at the Fox Theatre?

No other options for theater?

[quote]There is very little to do in metro NYC, Chicago, LA or any of the other favored cities that you can't do in metro Atlanta.

As someone who has spent time in all of these cities and lived 8 years in Atlanta, I can say that this statement is batshit insane. Atlanta is a mid-sized city with a decent zoo. The other three cities are major cultural centers and international cities. Set aside Chicago because it’s the lesser of the other three, but New York and LA? You’re saying Atlanta has anything remotely analogous to Broadway or Hollywood? Really? Really.

R114 speaks the truth. That comment is ridiculous. The comment should read: There is very little to do in Atlanta. NYC, Chicago and LA are the favored cities.

Hollywood is an huge industry in LA, and LA is a world city and cultural center, but how does Hollywood itself really provide anything for visitors to do? I guess studio tours or live tapings.

Sorry, r40, but no, not eurotrash. I'm as American as a hot dog, lol.

[quote]I guess studio tours or live tapings.

Oh, are you sure? Any other guesses while we have you here?

There is over a century of history related to the film industry in Los Angeles. This includes tours of stars homes past and present, as well as sites related to the lives, works, and deaths of many iconic Hollywood figures. There are also multiple red carpet events, including the Oscars, of which there is not another cultural event on American soil that rivals it, except possibly the Super Bowl, which is held in different cities every year and does not attract the same global attention.

I'm not debating the importance of LA as a cultural center; it's just that a lot of the "culture" that Hollywood produces doesn't have to be consumed in LA. It's not like Broadway - you actually have to go to the theater to see the play. The Oscars, or The Grammys, or any awards is a huge cultural event, but most people don't engage with it in LA.

LA has a lot of natural beauty - the beaches, hiking Runyon Canyon and Griffith Park, the views from Mulholland, the smell of eucalyptus. Atlanta has no natural beauty.

People seem to get very defensive of Atlanta if you say it's a crappy city yet they can't come up with reasons to support why they think so. Just "there's plenty to do."

[quote]It's a great place to live but a dull place to visit.

This. It has a lot of amenities of being in a city, while still having an easy cost of living and quality of life.

But yes, there isn't a real downtown, it is a lot of highways and strip malls. Not really a cool city to visit.

If you want to live in a city then ALL of America is a shithole. And yes, that now includes New York.

Move to Europe.

Honestly, most of the cities in the South are like this. Good places to raise a family, but really awful in terms of entertainment and culture.

It seems like a lot of Atlanta has been developed over the last decade. If so, what was it like in the 80s/90s? Mostly trees?

OP Maybe Atlanta is boring because it is segregated.

"Atlanta has one of the largest gay populations in the country and scored full marks in an LGBTQ rights index, but things are far from perfect.

"The gay scene is noticeably racially segregated, says Iv Fischer, a 20-year-old YouTuber, student and activist. “There is a big separation between the black clubs and the white clubs in Atlanta [which] has an effect on communities with less visibility. A lot of big acts that come to Atlanta only do business with the white clubs. Really all the gay events happen in white clubs.” As a black transwoman, Fischer says she can feel unwelcome at some of these events. “There’s definitely a different aura and it can be alienating.”"

But, but, but...Hotlanta!

It is very segregated. The SNL guys did a joke at the Emmys about doing a white version of Atlanta calling it "15 Miles Outside Atlanta"

Saying in the South is you gotta go through the Atlanta Airport to get to Heaven. Atlanta was awesome 20 years ago especially midtown. Backstreet was the best club in the South. Everybody went to Atlanta to shop. Lennox and Phipps were great. Buckhead was great until the shootings and the bumper to bumper late night cruising by the car people. Traffic in Atlanta now is unbelievable and unbearable. The developers are tearing down everything to build mixed use residential upstairs and commercial street level. The most interesting war is on Cheshire Bridge. High end apartments overlooking Tokyo Valentine. You want some adult entertainment go in there but beware! Anything and Everything goes on in there.

Black cock/butt.

Anyone who says Atlanta is segregated has obviously never been to Atlanta or rarely ventured more than a couple blocks from their hotel if they have.

Many like Atlanta (and the rest of the South) because for many people their earned dollars go much further in terms of housing and savings than other “better” parts of the country. I understand that. It is a retreat from civic life but so be it.

Oh — I think THINK Atlanta is probably a relatively great place to be if you’re young and black. Don’t know about young black and gay.

I went to Georgia Tech as an undergraduate. Uptown Atlanta was wonderful back then. I still visit for a few college and pro sporting events each year. When there, I'll dine with local old friends who know the best, newer restaurants. I've never liked the traffic though.

"Many people upthread defending Atlanta have said it is not a great place to visit so why then would anyone want to live there?"

The things that make someplace an interesting place to visit are actually not always the same that make it a nice place to live. For instance, nice neighborhoods full of old bungalows and pocket parks. Nice to live in. Nothing for a visitor to see.

And Atlanta is less segregated than many other cities. Social scientists can and do study and measure segregation; beyond schools, neighborhoods and businesses, they even estimate and measure such things as likelihood and occurrence of daily interaction between races. Many Northern cities that consistently pat themselves on the back for how wonderful they are score terribly on many of those measures, often worse than Southern cities, and certainly have nothing to crow about.

I lasted 5 years there and had enough.

Since I bailed 15 years ago, I've only passed through Hartsfield or on Amtrak going elsewhere.

Don't miss it ... except in Fall and Spring. Those seasons are lovely there.

Let me guess. Most of the people on this thread who say they hate Atlanta and moved on are the usual DL malcontents whose main joy in life is shitting on anything and everything they come into contact with. They lost their jobs in Atlanta and couldn't find other work and had to relocate. When their jobs in their new cities run out and they have to relocate again they'll say those cities were shit too. The others are the usual ill mannered dolts with shitty attitudes from some other part of the country who just couldn't get those Atlanta folks to enjoy their personalities, or lack thereof. Most likely these people will spend much of their lives relocating.

I was at a conference there a few years back; the hotel was downtown (a major chain...Marriott?)...we were warned not to walk downtown at night. That told me all I needed to know.

[quote] I think THINK Atlanta is probably a relatively great place to be if you’re young and black. Don’t know about young black and gay.

There is probably not a better place in the world if you want to be around other black gay guys.

And whether Atlanta is boring depends on what you are used to. Most people are moving there from elsewere in the South and they love it.

If you are coming from NY or LA it is going to fall short.

Swinging Richards is simply glorious.

if you arento black guys, Atlanta wouldnt be boring I would think

Atlanta has the most rabid defenders on DL and off which eludes me. The go to is "There's plenty to do in Atlanta, you just have to find it." Yet they never go into specifics.

And for those who say it's not segregated, the number of black people in Milton and the number of white people in West End can be counted on one hand.

According the data Atlanta is the second most segregated city in the US, second to Chicago.

I lived 35 miles north for a year as a foreign exchange student in the 90s, high school, in Gainesville, small town, very rural; it was great. So I am not an American, so of course don't know much about the US, and I have never lived in a big city, or a suburb of one, so I don't know that much about the topic, and more from theory and studies and thinking, but anyways. Some people commuted to work from Gainesville to Atlanta every day, big traffic of course, and you Americans aren't into public transportation, except plane, of which it has a great and important airport. I guess it's better in smaller towns around there than in Atlanta. The climate is also good, which makes living also cheaper, and Lake Lanier is pretty good and very big, and it is in many ways always better when a state has a coast than when it doesn't, Georgia has of course.

Good if you like to watch sports, much better with college sports and high school sports though than professional sports, and good place in the towns around to raise a family or to have a childless suburban or small town life. Atlanta is very modern, partially because it was burnt down in Civil War, that also makes it less nice, but again more modern, I guess many Jews bought property there, and their influence made all more enlightened and rational and tolerant, South with tolerance, rare; and Georgia State (?) University is a huge university, and it is a city university, then there is Georgia Tech, also in Atlanta, so lots of college students, besides the other universities there, I guess some students from UGA in Athens come down to Atlanta sometimes as well. Fun people and it is all very much about relationships and dating, and people are pretty sexual; people talk a lot there; of course the city doesn't give you as much as a metropolis as New York, LA, London, Paris et al., it is better to live than to experience there a whole lot besides life and fun, and regular life and work and studies. Somewhat good metro as well, and a bit famous. I guess many areas in Atlanta are pretty safe as well, not just the towns around it, some very wealthy areas, don't think such are very pleasant regions to live in though, people wise. It had quite an alternative scene in the 90s. A gay friend of a good friend of mine from my home country went to Georgia State University in the 90s as a foreign exchange student, and he really loved it there, and it is better for adults than for students, so. You will still probably find many alternative and critical and pensive and hippiesk people there.

Many clubs and restaurants and house parties and church activities and clubs and barbecues and garden parties to go to, certainly not a walk around city. In Gainesville there was alot of cruising, by car; I guess there will also be that variant with a bi and sometimes gay option in Atlanta, and I guess also pure gay cruising spots. My host mum had moved to Gainesville from Miami, to raise her family there, her mother moving in the same neighborhood, and I guess you will find many people from metropolises like New York, Chicago, LA, Toronto, London, Miami etc., who have moved to the Atlanta area in recent years and decades, to escape crime, cold, hectic, single, drugs, gangs, unemployment, price-out, desegregation et al. Quite good with education; Lazy South.

It's not a hip as people try to make it out to be. When you're favorite trendy restaurant is in a strip mall, it's time to re-evaluate your life.

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

WATCH YO MOUTH.

Whenever I read these posts about how some DLer lived in a city and hated it I wonder how much effort and open mindedness they put into getting to know the city and people for what it is as opposed to what it's not.

I've put a lot of effort and kept an open mind and still hate it.

My favorite things in Atlanta: the Tara theatre, the Colonade restaurant, Book Nook, Fantasyland record store, Buford Highway restaurants from all over the world, upscale Phipps Plaza, BJs for male stripper fun and playing pool and Richard's Variety Store. Great antique collective down the street from me too. In fact, most of this stuff is within five miles of my home.

No, not much fun for a tourist but these things make living here a little bit better for sure.

R150, I much prefer Swinging Richards to BJs.

Is Swinging Richards still ridiculously expensive? I went a few times and couldn't believe how much the cover alone was. BJs even has free pool on Mondays (and I am five minutes away from it).

R152, just look at the SR website. You can see when to pay lower covers.

Whoever said downtown has no core upthread is spot on. It's basically hotels and apartment buildings with one theater and few mediocre restaurants.

Wait til you see the new Underground! Then downtown will have a new core!

Until it gets three or four years old and gets trashy again. . .

What is the new Underground supposed to be?

Atlanta is absolutely segregated but both NYC and Chicago are more segregated than Atlanta.

NYC doesn't even make the top 10 of most segregated cities r157. Every city is segregated, but many are worse than New York.

[quote] When you're favorite trendy restaurant is in a strip mall, it's time to re-evaluate your life.

You've obviously never been to Los Angeles. At least in Atlanta we know the difference between "your" and "you're" and when to use them properly.

But please tell all your friends and neighbors in whatever mecca you live in just how boring Atlanta is. Anything to get some of these idiots who keep piling into this town every week to stay away. We don't need you. We don't want you. Stay home, or go somewhere else, we beg you.

New York overall is much less segregated than many cities. But Manhattan is probably the most segregated borough on earth. Anyone with a brain knows it.

True, the data would probably look very different if you restricted it to Manhattan rather than New York as a whole r160.

Anybody who can't find plenty to do in Atlanta is either stupid, lazy, too hard to please, or a liar. But then we all know why all the Atlanta hate on this board. It's the thing to do to make some look elitist and then give others (who've probably never even been to Atlanta) a reason to latch on for the ride.

So what is there to do in Atlanta R162?

What do you like to do or see R163? Name some things and I imagine Atlanta can fulfill you needs, other than swimming in the ocean (although we do have some huge beautiful lakes just north of the city). It's interesting that all the major movie stars who flock into the city to work seem to love it and comment how much they enjoy Atlanta. But then I guess all those fabulously rich and famous movie stars who are used to the finest of everything have much lower standards than some of the snarky queens on this board.

My friends who are used to from LA tend to like it, while all the New Yorkers I know hate it. I think it has to do with the genteel pace in the south. NYC is very aggressive, fast and loud, while LA is (albeit vain AF, but generally) more relaxed.

LA and Atlanta are both car focused cities r165. New York is truly urban, so there is a big difference. It goes back to the same thing where certain posters were complaining about stuff being in a strip mall.

New York City as a whole is just as car focused as any other city, otherwise the freeways all over metro NYC wouldn't be packed to the gills every day. Only Manhattan is truly urban and even its streets are clogged to the point of being parking lots much of the time. The rest of metro NYC is just like Cleveland.

This article begs to defer about segregation in NYC.

...have you ever been to New York r167? You seem to have no idea what you are talking about.

[quote]New York City as a whole is just as car focused as any other city

This is false. New York is significantly less car focused. Only 22% of households in Manhattan own a car. With the other boroughs only 44% of households in Brookyln and 40% of households in the Bronx own a car.

When you get out to Queens you finally have 62% of households own a car. But compared to Atlanta? 84% of households own a car. There is still no comparison.

R164, I like theater, hiking and dining,

Well then Atlanta has plenty of choices for you. We have many great theatrical companies and facilities. Some with renowned reputations.

The restaurant scene in Atlanta, no matter what one know nothing here claims, is fantastic. Dining choices in Atlanta are wide and varied, no matter what your budget. Whatever your culinary desire the city has it available. The food is one major thing the movie and TV people working here rave about. Robert de Niro and his his partners have just announce that they're building a new Nobu Restaurant and Hotel complex at Phipps Plaza.

As I said before, Atlanta is a big city built in a forest so you are never far from a great place to hike even inside the city. If you want to get outside the city the Blue Ridge mountains are not far away. The Appalachian Trail starts in Georgia and ends in Maine.

Not only have I been there R169, I lived there for 3 years (1983-1986). No, most residents of NYC don't own cars, but somebody is certainly traveling in all those vehicles clogging most of the thoroughfares in Manhattan day and night. And the reason is the mass transit system in NYC would not be able to accommodate all those people who are in all those cars. It can barely hold the people who use the trains and buses now, during rush hours. So yes, NYC is still very car focused.

[quote]most residents of NYC don't own cars

Right, which makes New York very unlike other American cities where you need to own a car.

What do all the bridge and tunnel people clogging up the highways have to do with people who live in New York?

The LA/Atlanta vs NYC comparison is very apt.

The most disconcerting thing about both Atlanta and LA for New Yorkers, is that there doesn't seem to be a center, just random neighborhoods scattered about. It takes time to figure out that's the charm of the place, that it's not all about the city center but the charm of the various neighborhoods, few of which can be figured out by taking a quick walk around, the way once could, say, see all of SoHo in a few hours on foot.

The other thing NYers have trouble with is the fact that some of the best restaurants in both cities are located in strip malls, wedged between a Supercuts and Walgreens.

And if you go to NYC and venture to the outer boroughs you'll see good restaurants in strip malls all over the place. Manhattan doesn't have that because there are no strip malls in that borough obviously. But I can guarantee you if there were there would be restaurants in them.

I have rarely met a native New Yorker who had much good to say about the city and didn't yearn for one thing. To get out. Native New Yorkers are not as fixated on the artificial prestige of living there as the transplants. And if you follow most of the transplants you'll see that the vast majority of them eventually leave, mainly because they get priced out. And after so many years they finally wake up to the fact that in NYC, as opposed to cities like Atlanta, the livin' ain't easy.

Did you see the white supremist “art” at Stone Mountain?

Did you see this fantastic piece of performance art in New York City?

Atlanta is a big city in a big forest. Horrific traffic. There are no natural boundaries to expansion, so it has just kept expanding and expanding outward and the freeways leading outward are like parking lots. The city and counties surrounding it have advocated for more and more corporate headquarters to be located there, without building the infrastructure to get people hither and yon. The solution, as far as I can tell, is that people deliberately find local options for restaurants, shopping and everything else so as not to have to drive for miles. Thus strip malls everywhere. It has a symphony, some theater options, but who in his right mind is going to commute 1 1/2 hours home and then turn around to go back downtown for a cultural event? Gays, as far as I can tell, try to live near Piedmont park if they can afford to, but many can't. Other gayborhoods are springing up, but it's hard to get a quorum going in what is essentially suburbia.....

No one who has a 1 1/2 hour commute from the suburbs into downtown every day would have to drive 1 1/2 hours to get back downtown in the evening, even if he was coming back while the evening rush hours were still in process. That same trip that took 1 1/2 hours in the morning would take less than 30 minutes in the evening since all the rush hour traffic would be headed in the opposite direction. I've driven 25 miles from the north side back into the city during the evening rush more times than I can remember. It's like driving on an empty parking lot most of the way. And lots of people take the train back into the city if they're coming back for some function. Those trains are packed to the gills with suburbanites, especially on evenings when some big event it taking place.

[quote] but it's hard to get a quorum going in what is essentially suburbia.....

Suburbia to most people is any area OTP (outside the perimeter). I have a friend who always says "I never go outside the perimeter unless I'm leaving the country".

I'm up to looking at moving there to help make the state blue. They have a Nobu hotel now.

My best friend is an African-American woman who's scared of raising a son in NYC, so I'm going to propose we move there together.

No more, We full.

I was in Atlanta for a meeting and visited a number of gay bars. Guys were so nice there!

Sorry R181, but the new Nobu Hotel/Restaurant has just been announced. It's not built yet. I don't think they've even broken ground yet.

That section of town by Phipps is such a clusterfuck already.

After all that discussion of a character having "prime rice from Nubo in his shit" in "Maps of the Stars", I can safely say I will never eat there when it happens here. Half the population won't eat there because they hate bigmouth deNiro now too. Will be interesting.

Does Elton John still have a home there? He used to rave about Atlanta and how great it was to be based there for his U.S. touring machine.

Years ago I read that Jane Fonda was fond of Atlanta because it reminded her of LA decades before.

Atlanta is a suburban-sprawl town. I love living in this city and have no regrets moving here in the 80’s but agree it’s a better place to live than to visit. Atlanta’s tourist sites are too inconveniently spread out for travelers, unlike New York, Boston, Chicago or D.C.

R181, that sounds like a wonderful premise for a shitcom.

I love you, R137.

Yes, Elton still has his home in Atlanta (in this building). He has 1 1/2 floors on the top levels. The full floor is his apartment and the 1/2 floor houses his photography collection.

Some of the posters on this thread sound like complete hick rubes.

"ewwww the traffic is horrible there". Well yes it is. And it's horrible in every other city in America, even cities much smaller than Atlanta.

"ewwww I can't find a restaurant that isn't a chain". Well then you must either be blind, dumb, or too lazy to ask anyone to refer you to non chain eateries that are on every freakin' block.

"ewwww Atlanta is ugly". If your idea of ugly is a city with more trees than any city on earth, well I guess you're right.

[quote] And if you go to NYC and venture to the outer boroughs you'll see good restaurants in strip malls all over the place.

That's simply not true R175

There are some strip malls in the outer reaches of Queens and Staten Island, but they are (a) few and far between and (b) far more likely to have a basic Chinese take-out or Subway than anything resembling "fine dining."

New York is not a great place to live if you're in a job where you're never going to make a lot of money, but neither are most coastal cities.

The hetero friends I have who have moved to Atlanta are able to buy McMansiony houses for $300-400K that would cost them well over $1M in the NYC burbs. That's a compelling reason to live there if you're not all that enthralled by the quality of life in NYC

I've always thought Elton's building looks like an air conditioning vent

IT has a 1962 glamour contemporaneous with the Carriage House and other sixties memories of Atlanta. Of course it was built much later as Atlanta still distrusted high-rises in the 60s due to a bad fire in the fifties where many died, but it is apposite in the sense that the social scene in Buckhead is like a high school production of "Grease."

I can't tell one area from the next north of 285. There's nothing distinctive. Every development looks like the same.

There are some very beautiful homes under the trees you see in the image at r191; many by famed architects Neel Reid and Philip Shutze.

Philip Shutze

The Swan House was the governors house in Hunger Games

Atlanta has the worst goddam roads of any American city, I would wager. You'd think someone would learn how to pave. It's as bad as rural Mexico.

Every time I see another politician from the previous administration get busted for swiping money, I get even more angry since that could've been used to pave even one fucking road. In Midtown. The money areas, no less. It SUCKS.

I found the aquarium to be kinda meh

I lived there in the mid 90s and had a blast. The gay scene was spectacular,the food scene was amazing and there was more dick of every color and stripe than Ive ever seen in my life. We lived about 2 blocks from Piedmont Park,and there were blacks,whites,asians etc all along my street.The only time I felt any racism was one day when some sort of weird black hate cult was having a demonstration .They were all dressed like Aladdin ! They were screaming to kill all white babies and other horrific crap,and being heckled by a bunch of queens of every color. It was hilarious.

Visited last year and enjoyed it. Tons of fabulous non-chain restaurants, lots of interesting places to visit.

I didn't experience the crazy traffic everyone talked about, but we were there on a three day weekend.

[quote] Atlanta has the worst goddam roads of any American city

So you've been to every city in America, have you? You're a typical loud mouthed exaggerating fool, too stupid to see how ludicrous your statement is.

[quote]Aunt Pitty Pat's Porch underwhelmed.

Only a sad, tourist rube would even think of eating at Pitty Pat's Porch -- even in 1983.

You must be the stupidest person ever to eat there in 2018.

Atlanta does have truly terrible roads.

There was some other tourist trap restaurant we avoided. Was it Mary's? Rose's?

I saw the lines outside of it...seemed to be a little away from the center of town on a busy street.

R206, Mary Mac’s. It’s delicious.

R207 Yes, that was it. Gracias.

Mary Mac's Tea Room & The Colonnade on Cheshire Bridge are FAB-U-LOUS!

There is nothing "tourist trap" about Mary Macs. There was a long line because people love it that much. Most of their trade comes from locals, not tourists.

The High Museum of Art was TINY for such a large city - very disappointing.

But I did like the Varsity!

It’s like living in a massive grease fire.

LOL, there is no way R203 is a guy.

[quote] The High Museum of Art was TINY for such a large city.

There is nothing TINY about The High. In 2005 the Renzo Piano designed 312,000 sq. ft. 3 building addition was added to the 135,000 sq. ft. Richard Meier designed main building.

What were some interesting places to visit R202?

R215 We were with locals that are foodies so they took us to some amazing restaurants. The best one, Better Half, just closed, but there were a lot of other good ones (I'll have to find out the names again).

We went to the Carter Center and the botanical gardens, which were amazing.

There was someplace we went for lunch that was an old factory building turned into a big set of shops and restaurants. That looked cool.

We also went to a very hipster ish part of town (Five Points) and did some shopping there.

(R216 is me, also R202)

R216, Ponce City Market? I love going there.

Also, it’s Little Five Points. The “Little” is an important distinction.

R18 Yes, I think it was Ponce City. It was very cute.

Our hosts cheerily told us there was a Kroger nearby which was a murder scene. But apparently things are looking up in that neighborhood.

Hire an escort.

Sorry, R214. Apologies to the High - I was there pre 2005.

Atlanta ranked 4th most fun city in America. L.A. not even in the top 10. The OP will be TRIGGERED!

When it comes to strip clubs, absolutely. The rest... not so much.

Yet it lists no examples of said fun. Atlanta is a cultural wasteland with no nucleus.

Waiting in lines outside and spending ridiculous money to do is quite fun.

So many people from Florida are moving to Atlanta. That says it all.

I think that the majority of people who move to Atlanta from Florida is due to work, not because they want to.

They should want to if they live in Florida.

R228 Atlanta is pretty but Southerners, for the most part, are superficial and class conscious. I hardly ever experienced that in South Florida. Maybe they were better at hiding it, not sure.

Atlanta is the big-city destination for Southerners who want to live in an urban area but don't have the capacity (for one reason or another) to move to Chicago, NYC, LA, SF or overseas. The food scene is fantastic, but the suburban sprawl is obscene, and the city has all the bad aspects of city life (insane traffic, expensive in the interesting areas) without the cultural amenities. Culturally, it's mostly a vapid wasteland. (There are a few exceptions, hence the "mostly".) And it is the South, so of course it's still segregated. Is it better than most places in the South? You betcha. But it can't compete with most major cities around the world or in the states.

(And before some defensive Atlantan gets his panties in a bunch about how I don't know what I'm talking about, I'm a born-and-bred Southerner who lives in NYC -- and has for years -- but still has all family and most childhood and college friends remaining in the South, most in or near Atlanta.)

dull and dirty as dish water

The South is much less segregated than the North

Exactly r230. Atlanta is great for the people it attracts, which are primarily southerners looking for real jobs and to escape their small towns. If you are gay guy or a just a educated professional it is one of the best places to live in the South. But if you are trying to compare it to a New York well that is just ridiculous, they are completely different types of places.

The river that runs through is a major interstate. That right there should tell you something.

I had a friend move to Atlanta from LA for a job. She hated it there, broke her lease and moved back to LA in sixth months. She said it was boring AF. She's originally from Philadelphia so she knows smaller city living too, but still it did not suit her.

The thing about the north is that the major cities are very integrated, but the rural areas are just as bad or even worse than the rural areas in the south.

Eh, the major cities of the north are not "very integrated", that is a fantasy that does not at all track with reality. There is a lot of segregation to be found in the South and the North.

I wouldn't call Philadelphia a small city.

Compared to LA it is.

Philadelphia is certainly smaller, but more of a true city than LA. More dense, more urban, easier to navigate without a car.

way too many black people! i felt like i was the only white person in miles and everyone looked at me as if i'd singlehandedly elected Trump

^^^in atlanta

Whose bright idea was it to have I-75 and I-85 merge right in the heart of downtown?

R241,, you’re a vile racist

Of course anyone with a brain knows R235's story is one big lie. But let's play along as if he wasn't telling a whopper. If your friend was stupid enough to move 2000+ miles across the country, for a job, without making absolutely sure she was going to be happy in her new city, then this friend of yours IS A MORON. And if your friend decided after 6 months to up and break her lease, and we have to assume quit her job, and move 2000+ miles back across the country, then she's a dead beat, a moron, and too fucking hard to please.

But then we all know you made the whole thing up just so you could join in and act like you had some personal knowledge of the fact. And you did that because you're a sad little man who apparently has little to no real life, so you come to this board to concoct a life in front of people who don't even know you. Whatever the case, you've been deemed to be pathetic.

You and your imaginary friend deserve each other.

[quote] Whose bright idea was it to have I-75 and I-85 merge right in the heart of downtown?

You sound mentally challenged. It's 12-16 lanes of freeway. What difference does it make if it's 2 freeways that merge for a very short distance into one big freeway? Do you whine so pitifully about the massive freeways in other big cities that are as big or bigger than Atlanta's "downtown connector" if they're not made up of multiple merging freeways?

There have been some stupid comments made here in the past and surely will be in the future, but that one takes the cake. You are a classic example of the dumbing down of Americans.

I'm pretty sure the hottest black men are in Atlanta

^^Tyler Perry

South Florida not class conscious? Hilarious! Have you ever seen "Ocean Drive," the most ridiculous snobfest magazine in the whole country?

R249 I lived in South Florida from 1963 to 2000 so my memories are from a better time. I know you can't go home again.

I assume R245 and 246 are the same aspie bloody cunt rag. And what difference does it make? 10 lanes merging down to 5, with many cars traveling interstate that don't need to pass directly through downtown? Are you a descendent of Dwight D Eisenhower or something?

Clearly there's no need to attempt to explain anything to you R251. You obviously don't have the intelligence to understand.

Atlanta is built on a range of granite hills that causes traffic bottlenecks.

As opposed to cities in the plains states that are built on the flattest terrain on earth that also have traffic bottlenecks? The terrain has nothing to do with how traffic flows, in Atlanta or anywhere else. Traffic bottlenecks are caused by the amount of traffic on the roads at any given time.

[quote]She's originally from Philadelphia so she knows smaller city living too, but still it did not suit her.

Nice Philly dig, but we’re not small. Philadelphia is the second largest city on the east coast.

Can someone start a "Philadelphia is actually a big city" thread so we can get back to trashing Atlanta?

Philly is not a small city

I mean Philly is a "small city", if by your definition the only two big cities in America are New York and LA. But that seems a silly way to look at it.

Stone Mountain is nice. That was really the only thing I remember from a trip years ago.

Atlanta lacks charm and character. So many things come to mind when you think of NY, LA, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and that big city Philadephia. Besides southern cooking, nothing stands out when I think of Atlanta. Even its skyline is dull.

Atlanta's "character" is that it's black, 80% African-American. That's not a dig. just what we are most known for. Otherwise, the city itself is almost exactly like Dallas.

(P.S. The movie business here is basically a joke, don't buy the hype. We are simply a rental facility where people come to save money and then quickly leave Local actors worked far more when there were more no incentives. It sucks.)

Same problem with Charlotte

I've heard that from other people R261 about the film industry. It will probably dry up like New Orleans and Wilmington did.

Bump

Filming is in Birmingham now.

Really? Haven't heard that.

R249 Most Miamians don't hang out at those places on Ocean Drive; they just walk by on their way to the beach.

Ponce Market and Atlantic Station were nice. Wasn't impressed with downtown at all. Don't feel the need to ever visit again.

And to think people used to say, the only thing wrong with Atlanta is it's surrounded by Georgia.

Any Atlantans do Snow Mountain at Stone Mountain? What's fun to do in Atlanta at Christmas?

Bump

Not much to do. But then again, I was visiting from L.A.

I will be in Athens for 6 days and visiting Atlanta for a couple of days. Is there even a gay neighborhood in Atlanta? Where's the best Asian food?

The gay neighborhood is fine. Lots of trashy gays. But at least there are a few bars. Compared to Alabama, not bad. Compared to most other major cities in the US, a strip mall surrounded by McMansion developments with pretentions of being a first-rate city.

Atlanta has plenty of charm, except for the people.

Every loser from Elmira NY and Creve Coeur MO has made it a slightly nasty place.