Cabbagetown
{ Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 }
Wisconsin Badgers Atlanta Real Estate NFL Draft Mashup
I am passionate about Atlanta real estate…I am also passionate about Wisconsin Badgers football. The NFL Draft is Thursday night. I smell a blogortunity!
So here’s the deal- I’m going to profile three Wisconsin Badgers, all of whom could potentially be drafted by the hometown Atlanta Falcons. Below is a snapshot of who they are, why the Falcons should draft them, and my unsolicited Atlanta real estate advice for them.
Who is he? He’s the Quarterback, the field general, the All-Big Ten Quarterback who led the Badgers to their second straight Rose Bowl in 2012. Magentic personality, cannon arm and superior football intelligence.
Why should the Falcons draft him? There’s no doubt that Matt Ryan is the franchise, but he needs a backup. With all due respect to current backup Chris Redman, he’s nearing the end of his career. He’s been in the league since the days when Bill Clinton was President, Gladiator was a box office champ, Napster was the free music hub du jour. The Falcons are a twisted ankle away from Chris Redman putting down the clipboard and running the franchise. It might be time for a new alternative.
Where should he live? Buckhead. More specifically, the Ritz-Carlton Residences. Word on the street is that Matt Ryan purchased a place there last year, so it’s the perfect spot for Russell. He can enjoy the full service amenities that the Ritz-Carlton has to offer, while also learning from a pro’s pro what it means to be a quarterback in the NFL.
Who is he? At 6-5, 315 lbs., Peter Konz is- even by NFL standards- a very, very big man. Konz is a center, the anchor of the offensive line.
Why should the Falcons draft him? The Falcons are in desperate need of more offensive line depth, and their current center, Todd McLure, is about at old as… Chris Redman.
Where should he live? Country Club of the South. The Falcons’ training center is in Flowery Branch, and the ‘Birds obviously play down at the Georgia Dome. Country Club of the South is, geographically speaking, a decent compromise. That, and it offers a ton of great amenities that’ll help the rookie ease his way in to his post collegiate, baller lifestyle.
Who is he? Phillip Welch is a kicker. He kicks. That’s all I know about him. He’s a kicker, after all. Am I supposed to know more than that?
Why should the Falcons draft him? Welch is money. Current Falcons’ kicker Matt Bryant has proved to be serviceable, but Welch could take the position to the next level. While I wouldn’t reach too far for him, Welch would be a smart pick in the later later rounds.
Where should he live? Cabbagetown is wonderfully eclectic, the perfect home for a young NFL kicker searching for an identity in the big city. The kicker is typically the outcast, the nerves-of-steel outsider who spends much of an NFL game inside his own head. Cabbagetown would provide the perfect respite for Welch, a hipster-laden enclave ready to embrace a rising star with a golden boot.
Photo Credits: Chicago Tribune (Wilson), Business Insider (Konz), Scout.com (Welch)
{ Monday, August 15th, 2011 }
Amy Handler, The Kids Are Alright
The Kids Are Alright is one of my favorite programs on my favorite radio station in Atlanta, 1690 The Voice of The Arts. Host Amy Handler’s weekly show is a cornucopia of all things fun, nostalgic, brainy, artsy and good. I was listening to it pre-baby, and still set my clock by it every Saturday morning at 9 (replays on Sunday at noon). I’ve always wondered where the inspiration came from, so I was thrilled that Amy shared a peak behind the curtain…
Q. Where do you find inspiration to put together such an original, wonderful radio program?
A. Aw, shucks- an thanks! I have always worked in the field of children’s entertainment – television, theatre, radio, dance, and education. When I teach I do the same thing that I do with my show – integrate every single facet into a shiny neat little package of info and fun for the kids. Because I like everything to relate and interconnect, I use what’s around me for show ideas. Examples: For Mother’s Day I played all mummy songs. When our best pals had their sweet baby Adelaide, all baby songs. And for April Fool’s day, all banana songs because don’t you know how hilariously funny bananas are? (the next week we did all monkey songs becuase the monkeys supposedly heard last week’s show and took over the radio station to get all those bananas they heard about). So, yeah, I come by it all very honestly – it’s how I live, what I do, what I love, and, suddenly most importantly, what I want my actual kids to be exposed to. Once I asked one of my student’s parents how they kept their kids from liking Barney and Brittany. They told me “we all listen to the same music together”. That really stuck with me. And that’s what I do with my family. You gotta expose your kids and lead by example. If not, they will turn into mindless zombies swaying and singing along to Justin Bieber. If I can inspire some kids to reach past that, I have done my job.
Q. You’re in charge of creating the ultimate ‘The Kids Are Alright Weekend” in Atlanta. What’s on the agenda?
A. First of all, you would wake up and listen to my show that has an appropriate theme for the weekend – places to go. Then we would get on our tandem bike tour (I am imagining a huge long Dr. Seussish bike that spans the whole block) and have coffee and breakfast at Parkgrounds in Reynoldstown. It has a dog park so we can watch the dogs play while we play battleship. Then off to the new BeltLine park with the spraying water and 3 people swings and a trampoline enveloped by ropes. Now we are tired and hot so we head to Lotta Frutta for fruit cups and smoothies. We grab some extra bags of chulpe (ecuadorian corn. a total obsession of mine) to fuel us for our hike at the Fernbank Forest. Did you know you can go to the forest in the middle of the city? Its behind the science center, not museum, and you feel like you’ve driven far, far away. Last we stop by Antico Pizza (all other pizza is dead to me) and pick up a pie and some cannoli to take to the Starlight Drive-In.
Next morning the Grant Park Farmer’s Market, where we will and always do have the King of Pops for breakfast. Then off to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Star Provisions for lunch (fluffernutter sandwiches- they’re are all you’ve dreamed of and more), then to the Oakhurst Community Garden to play with their chickens, hang out in their cob house, catch frogs in their pond, and wade in their stream. And then for dinner, how about a drive out to Marietta for amazing chinese food – Tasty China. Driveling messes falling asleep in car on way home if you are lucky but at least you squeezed it all in. Well, not all, but it’s enough for now.
{ Monday, August 1st, 2011 }
Terry Kearns, Architecture Tourist
Terry Kearns is the author of Architecture Tourist, one of my favorite blogs. It was fitting that we recently met one another while touring a home, and serendipitous considering that I’ve wanted to feature Terry on A Is For Atlanta for quite some time. If you’re interested in Atlanta architecture, history or neighborhoods, Architecture Tourist is not just a must-read, it is the must-read. I’m really not sure how else to put it. Fortunately for me, Terry was generous enough to field a few questions from me recently- I hope you enjoy as much as I did…
Q. You’ve got three hours to meander through any neighborhood in Atlanta. Which one are you choosing, and why?
A. I’d choose the Dekalb Avenue east from Krog. It’s not an obvious place to look. Start at Krog Street Bridge and head east, turn anywhere into Inman Park, just anywhere. Make sure to check the “war” streets just west of Moreland: Battery and Degress. After you cross Moreland, cruise the “lady” streets in Candler Park: left on Josephine, right on Euclid right on Elmira. In Lake Claire you’ll see the huge continental divide mural at the Arizona Avenue underpass. Then turn left at Connecticut and tour the “state” streets: Connecticut, New York, Arizona, and Delaware. Then cruise “Southerland Hill.” Turn left on Southerland Place just east of the Lake Claire swimming pool to see Southerland, Oxford, and Gordon. Finally, tour the “garden” streets. Cross East Lake and turn left at Drexel. Make sure to see Melrose and Emerson, home to Ryan Gainey’s Garden of Poetry and Prose. Go home via Oak Grove, Kirkwood, Edgewood, Reynoldstown, and Cabbagetown…but that’s another meander.
Q. What are the essential “must sees” for Architecture Tourists in Atlanta?
A. How about downtown’s public lobbies? Whatever your tastes these lobbies impress. The Grant Building lobby is straightforward and reserved. The former C&S Bank is Atlanta’s Pantheon. The Healey Building has a gothic ribbed rotunda. The Hurt Building’s main entrance is an elegant rotunda that softens this huge building. The Candler Building lobby is small and perfect and ennobling. Visit the Victorian portrait gallery at the Ritz. At 191 Peachtree see the colossal Helena Hernmarck tapestry “Urn” and ride the escalator down to see Ray King’s “Atlantis.” The Peachtree Plaza’s lobby conveys the sense of the colossal hotel almost floating overhead. The Regency’s groundbreaking lobby remains spectacular and cozy. The Marriot Marquis’s lobby is a multi-level playground that my eye can never fully take in. When it’s busy – think Dragon Con – it’s one the best people watching places in Atlanta. Finally, the Sun Trust Tower’s elevator lobby is a pyramid in a square in a circle in a square with breathtaking clarity.
Q. Hidden Atlanta gems?
A. There are so many. I enjoy small scale public or public facing places: Oglethorpe Hill, The Villa Apartments, the former Scottish Rite Hospital in Oak Grove, the Cator Wolford Gardens on Ponce, the Little Chapel at Glen Memorial. Allow me to add the renovated Hinman Building at Georgia Tech though it’s not open to the public. It may be the most exciting indoor space in Atlanta.
Q. If you were given an unlimited budget, unquestioned power and the edict: “make Atlanta more beautiful”, what would you do?
A. Beautiful things continue to enrich us. It may be physical beauty; it may be functional beauty. But I’m rather an anti-planner and would be a terrible Tsar. So I’d abolish the position and retire with a big pension. Then I’ve volunteer to help folks enjoy these places and to find ways to preserve them as best we can.
Q. What is Architecture Tourist, and why is it awesome?
A. The most awesome thing about Architecture Tourist Blog is meeting people. Blog posts connect people. Once in a while we meet in person. What a pleasure.
Photo Credit: Architecture Tourist
{ Thursday, April 14th, 2011 }
Atlanta Neighborhood One-Liners
Everyday is a beautiful day in these beautiful neighborhoods...
Creative Loafing recently published their Ultimate Neighborhood Guide (the complete issue in pdf format). It’s chock full of good information, including one-liner “upsides” and “downsides” to different neighborhoods. Below, some of my favorite one liners. If you follow the hyperlink to each neighborhood, it will take you to the neighborhood page on my site which includes a brief description as well as an active database of homes currently for sale.
Cabbagetown- Because of its history as a refuge for young, artsy types, Cabbagetown boasts strong support for nonprofits like WonderRoot, Trees Atlanta and the recently relocated Eyedrum.
Candler Park- From the Kashi ashram to the First Existentialist Congregation to the Hare Krishna temple, this is ground zero for alternative spirituality.
Decatur- A small-town-yet-progressive vibe; great schools; a strong LGBT community:;and beer.
East Atlanta- More hipsters than you can shake a PBR trucker cap at.
Grant Park- Good place for families with kids. Seriously, have you ever seen so many strollers?
Inman Park- Gorgeous homes and plenty of greenspace.
Midtown- The 189-acre Piedmont Park is reason enough to live here, never mind that it’s close to everything, exceedingly walkable and super cultured.
Old Fourth Ward- A thriving restaurant and nightlife scene and a perfect destination for urban pioneers.
Sandy Springs- Great for families, thanks to its low crime rate, top-notch schools and great public library.
Virginia-Highland- The neighborhood is picturesque, active, safe and eminently walkable.
{ Thursday, September 30th, 2010 }
A Perfect Weekend For Neel Reid and Oakland Cemetery
The opportunity to tour eight Neel Reid designed homes in one day doesn't come along that often...
Now that Atlanta’s finally emerged from its oppressive heat wave, we can finally indulge in activities that do not require air conditioning. Fall has never looked so good.
Two excellent real estate events this weekend are for architecture and history aficionados. The Ansley Park Tour of Homes is featuring 8 homes designed by Neel Reid, arguably the most influential architect in the history of the city (with all due respect to John Portman, who has certainly had a pretty signficant impact himself). The tour is the perfect opportunity to amble about Ansley Park, one of Atlanta’s most beautiful neighborhoods, while also sneaking a peak at some architectural gems.
Of course, you could always head a little bit further southeast to Lake Claire, where they’re having a tour of homes and gardens of their own. You’re bound to see a pretty eclectic mix of homes- probably not quite as traditional as the Reed-designed masterpieces in Ansley, but worthy show houses nonetheless.
If houses aren’t your bag, you should head down to Oakland Cemetery for the annual Sunday In The Park. This year marks the 31st anniversary of the “Victorian Street Fair”, an event that features mausouleum tours, costume contests, live entertainment, living history demonstrations, story tellers, food and more. If you’ve never been, it’s a ton of fun and it benefits the preservation of one of Atlanta’s most notable landmarks – the Cemetery itself.
The Relevant Linkage
Browse Homes For Sale In Ansley Park
Browse Homes For Sale in Lake Claire
Browse Homes For Sale near Oakland Cemetery
