Well, here’s another Atlanta Streetcar update
Sure, the project is over budget and behind schedule and the exact details of who’s going to run it remain in limbo, but today the Atlanta Streetcar project reached a construction milestone as the last track concrete was poured—at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Sweet Auburn.
Modal Citizen: Amanda Rhein, MARTA’s transit-oriented development maven
If you’ve paid attention to news out of MARTA the past several weeks, you’ve no doubt heard the phrase “transit-oriented development.” That’s urban-planner speak for the development of land surrounding transit stations. Lindbergh City Center, with its mix of residences and retail, is a prime example. MARTA has lately secured developers for massive mixed-use projects at the [King Memorial][1] and [Avondale][2] stations and solicited proposals for [Edgewood/Candler Park][3]. Seven other stations have made the [working short list][4] for similar projects.
Winter shutdowns had a brutal impact on some small businesses in Atlanta
When all of us are hunkered down at home, it means no one’s going out for drinks or dinner or a haircut or to a gallery opening. For hourly workers, small retailers, and people in the food and service industries, the shutdown of metro Atlanta—twice!—in a month means millions in lost revenue.
#iceATL: In which Atlanta makes the most of it
This time around, most people stayed home ahead of the storm, or at least got home in a reasonable time. So those who still have power (or at least, charged cell phones) have been celebrating the rare sight of frozen Atlanta.
#iceATL: In which Atlanta runs out to the store
Okay, after being trapped in gridlock two weeks ago, and the dire warnings of a storm of historical proportions this week, can you blame Atlantans for freaking out? Evidently, when bad weather looms, we all crave carbs. Here's a collection of the best of the pre-storm "surge at the supermarket" photos, now a social media specialty of its own.
A storm do over for Deal and Reed?
For parents this latest weather crisis means more snow days, cabin fever, and scrambling for childcare—the APS, DeKalb, and Fulton school systems already announced closures. For businesses, the storm means more disruption. For Deal and Reed, on the other hand, the prospect of ice, rain, or sleet falling from the heavens is a heaven-sent opportunity for a political do-over. Which means that voters will be watching their response as closely as the governor and mayor are watching the skies.
Sam Massell: It’s time to say “never again”
Last Tuesday night, huddled behind the steering wheel in an overcoat, gloves and a hat, Buckhead Coalition president Sam Massell was gridlocked on Atlanta’s main artery, stuck in the slush with the rest of us. As his usual 16-minute Buckhead commute down Peachtree Road slid into an hour, Massell, 86, had time to reflect on half a century of metro Atlanta's mass transit maladies.
Steve Penley has a message for Atlanta’s weather whiners
Atlanta artist Steve Penley had a message for the city Friday, so he took to his paints and brushes to best express himself. In black paint, Penley wrote: “Atlanta is very lucky to have a great mayor and Ga. has a great Gov. Get a grip everyone. It’s weather!” He posted it on his artist Facebook page. So why did Penley feel the need to address the ongoing criticism of Georgia governor Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed? For starters, Penley’s work has been unintentionally ridiculed all week.
Atlanta’s “unapologetic mayor” apologizes. Again.
Mayor Kasim Reed’s annual address to the Atlanta Press Club originally was scheduled for earlier this month, but rescheduled to today because Reed traveled to Washington D.C. to testify on transportation. It’s safe to assume he wish he’d stuck to the original agenda, given this week’s snow-induced gridlock that made Atlanta’s transportation woes an international news story.
The Daily Show pounds Atlanta with fresh snark storm
Just like Georgia governor Nathan Deal’s response to Tuesday’s wintry mix, Atlantans were completely blindsided Thursday night when Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with John Stewart devoted six minutes of airtime to mocking us mercilessly. Describing our traffic snarling weather event as an “ice age doomsday zombie apocalypse,” Stewart pondered: “I can’t even imagine how much snow it would take to bring on the zombie apocalypse. Three feet? Ten feet?” Cut to a clip of a Fox News anchor: “Two inches of snow hit the area.” “Really?” asked Stewart. “Two inches of snow? Is that what happens when the south is confronted by something not specifically mentioned in Revelations?”
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