Commentary

For Atlantans, translating what it means to live or be from here to outsiders can prove to be a challenge, and we tend to show more than tell.

Most southside Atlanta residents aren't shedding any tears for the demise of the airport Sheraton, and nor should they. Future developers would be wise to build hotels and offices that integrate with both the airport and the communities it sits smack in the middle of.

Publications as geographically and ideologically diverse as the Guardian, Fox News, Variety, the Hill, and others ran stories or segments about Oprah Winfrey’s campaign appearances with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Yet regardless of the depth of coverage, the two events held in auditoriums in the Atlanta suburbs likely impacted the local crowds in a much deeper way than what could be conveyed to national viewers.

We created this helpful guide for Georgia businesses with illustrator Tommy Siegel.

Tom Petty's final concert was my 88th show. He ended the encore with “American Girl.” The band took a bow, and exited stage left. Then, uncharacteristically, Petty looped back around, solo, and waved to fans once again. Did some part of him know?

"One thing most people know about me is that I love my wife and daughters with a fierce, protective love. I cannot imagine leaving home, knowing that my family faced FBI-level threats, and still going to work and hitting bombs daily."

A sunny Saturday in mid-March, the day before my 26th birthday, is one I have come to think of in the weeks since as “the last good day.”

Done right, CIM Group’s redevelopment of the Gulch could stitch together more than 200 acres in downtown, creating a new chunk of the city core. The opportunity to build a new grid, one that’s open to pedestrians and transit users, doesn’t come along often. We can’t design and develop for one tenant or one use. We’ve got one chance to do it right.

The problem isn’t that residents have chosen not to participate in the process of renovation downtown Atlanta's Central Library; it’s that they weren’t given the opportunity to truly engage in the process.

Boosters say the streetcar will transport more people around downtown, connect riders to the larger MARTA system, and bring business to struggling areas of town. If they want to come close to that, here are six things they should consider doing based on my experience commuting by the Atlanta Streetcar for the past eight weeks.