#plus he is definitely attractive considering like half of the federation is in love with him wether they like it or not

[phatcatphergus]

Guys can we give qtubbo a chainsaw and a cowboy had bc I think that would go hard as fuck

[brightershadows]

Euphorically Honest-- Euphoria, Teenagers, and the Realities in Hardship

OVERVIEW

Euphoria is brutally honest about the hardships of life. Focusing on the stories of a group of teenagers in modern-day California, it navigates through issues of drug addiction, sexuality, masculinity and femininity, violence, and depression. It can be tragic and liberating. But it is honest. Created by Sam Levinson, a screenwriter for Assassination Nation and The Wizard of Lies,  the story reflects on his own experience with drug addiction as a teenager, as well as having a loose basis in an Israeli show of the same name (Stack, 2019). The story follows a group of young people of varying genders, ethnicities, classes, and sexualities, including the drug-addicted narrator Rue, new-to-the-suburbs Jules, Cassie, beautiful but easily manipulated, her kind and easy-going sister Lexi, Kat, who embraces her body type as she gains confidence through sex, Nate, a manipulative and dominating male with control issues, and his girlfriend, Maddy, who battles her self-identity and her reliance on Nate (Levinson, 2019). Euphoria can be seen as overly graphic, or critiqued as too sexual, but its mature nature allows it to unearth the ugly truths about life, living, and loving, and the beauty behind the hardships too. 

EPISODE TWO REVIEW

In “Stuntin Like My Daddy,” Nate discovers his father’s sex tape collection at a very young age, videos of his father having sex with several people. This is where Nate’s disdain male sexual anatomy stems from. Nate quickly becomes infatuated with Maddy. Whether disturbing or romantic, he fantasizes about hurting or killing the person who dares harms her. A series of flashbacks from Rue’s summer shows her consuming various drugs and getting high, fighting with her mom, waking up in the hospital, and singing in the car with her mom and sister, highlighting what she has gone through as well as her relationship with her family. On several occasions, Rue relapses. Reluctantly and unable to say no, she takes a dose of fentanyl. Unaware of the consequences, Jules is called to take care of Rue. Their friendship further develops. Kat learns that an explicit video of her has been posted to a porn website. When the video’s view count continues to grow, Kat is intrigued and signs for a web cam streaming account. Obsessed with Maddy, Nate begins stalking Tyler, Maddy’s most recent hookup. Maddy, still wanting to get back together with Nate, tells him that she was blacked out and did not mean to do what she did. This causes Nate to believe that Tyler had raped Maddy. Furious, Nate breaks into Tyler’s apartment and beats him half to death. At the end of the episode, we learn that the guy Jules has been texting is named Tyler but it actually turns out to be Nate.

Nate Jacobs is the typical football jock, yet he exhibits anger, aggression, and sociopathic behavior. Rue Bennett struggles with her own psyche as she suffers from ADHD, bipolar, general anxiety, BPD (borderline personality disorder), and drug addiction. Jules Vaughan is unapologetically herself, although she seems to seek attention, approval, and sexual relationships from men who are undeserving of her. Maddy Perez is the popular cheerleader who knows she is attractive and she goes after what she wants. She stands up to everybody else except Nate. Kat Hernandez may seem like a side character, the fat best friend, at first, but she finds her confidence grows as an individual. Fez/Fezco is Rue’s main drug dealer. Although he supplies her, he also cares for Rue and does want her to get mixed up with a worst crowd.

Although there are people of color in the show, there could always be more representation of race. Rue and her sister, Gia, are mixed, with a Black mom and a white dad. Maddy is Latina as both of her parents are Latino. Kat Hernandez is also of Latin descent but we do not see much of her parents or family. Every other (main) character in this episode is white, this includes Nate, Jules, and Tyler. This show, and episode, is not particularly making any waves or strides with their representation of race. And with the representation of race that they do have, there is no portrayal of racial identity, culture, or heritage. Jules definitely stands out as she is a transgender woman. She is currently taking hormones and her father and closest friends accept her for who she is. Jules goes on to have sexual encounters with older men as well budding romances with boys her age. Nate is a stark contrast to Jules, with him being set in his heteronormative, gender binary ways. Most, if not all of the characters identify with the gender that they present. The males, Nate and Fez identity as male. The females, Rue, Kat, Jules, and Maddy identify as female. The main characters mainly fall into one of the two binary genders. All of the romantic or sexual relationship aspects in episode 2 revolve around a male and a female, such as Nate and Maddy, or Maddy and Tyler, or even Jules and her mysterious texter (a man). To my knowledge, there is no presence of a non-binary or agender character. Jules, a transgender woman, challenges Nate’s notion of the strict gender binary system.

Euphoria definitely relies on stereotypes because the writers of this show intend on having the characters break said stereotypes. Kat is initially insecure and self-conscious. After she has sex for the first time and the video of the act gets leaked, she redefines herself. Her sexuality blossoms throughout this show as she also begins to have casual sex which normalizing women having and enjoying sex. Kat becomes comfortable with herself by wearing clothes that are considered more edgy, outfits that she would have never worn before. Kat’s character breaks the sexuality stereotype because the media hardly ever sees a plus-sized woman be expressed in a sexually positive light, even though it may not have started out that way. Nate’s character is embodiment of the toxic, cis-gendered white masculinity. He describes the perfect girl as dressing more feminine, acting like a “proper lady,” and overall more “girly” as opposed to “tomboy.” Because he is so uncomfortable with the male sexual anatomy, and even disturbed by how comfortable others are, he may have some issues regarding internal homophobia. Nate does not really defy this stereotype, his character is the epitome of this stereotype. Maddy, a cisgender, heterosexual female, understands the delicate nature of the gender constructed society. She has prioritized Nate and his needs sexually by watching porn in order to mimic what the porn actress does so that she can please Nate. Her sexuality is rarely mentioned, it only rises in conjunction with other boys. Jules’ character as a transgender person challenges the conventional gender roles and constructs. Jules is very comfortable with herself and her sexuality and is proud of who she is.The concept of a non-binary gender system perplexes many people. With the current administration, transgender rights are not protected. In fact, transgender people are continued to be discriminated against. The Trump administration has played a major role in “withdrawing regulatory protections for transgender children in schools, fought recognition of transgender people under federal employment laws, banned transgender people from serving in the military, rolled back protections for transgender people in prisons, and threatened to cut off funding to schools that let transgender girls participate in sports” (Thoreson). Although Jules is able to be who she want to be and live the life that she wants, this may not be the case for many transgender people in the real world outside of the show.

Today people are often quick to criminalize or shun drug users and addicts. They are quick to judge and want the most severe punishment to be given. But medical professionals know that addiction is a very serious disease, one that requires “treatment, compassion, and support” (Siegel). Euphoria attempts to destigmatize and humanize addiction. The legal system should not be punishing people who have abused drugs by putting them into a jail cell where they are isolated from society, instead these people need real help through rehab and various treatments. Due to the fact that Rue had several relapses once she completed her rehab program, one may say that these programs do not work; however there is no singular timeline to get better. It may take weeks, months, or years, and the journey is difficult. But society cannot give up. Social and political reforms concerning drug use/abuse and addiction is very much needed. 

EPISODE THREE REVIEW

In ' Made You Look,' Nate meets Jules on a gay dating app disguised as Shyguy118. Although Nate doesn't identify as gay, Jules reveals being transexual and quickly falls in love with Shyguy118, oblivious to his true identity as a classmate at the same school. Maddy becomes skeptical of Nate and searches through his phone and, in shock, learns of Nate's involvement with a gay dating app and nude sending with Jules. Jules's heightened obsession over the mysterious Shyguy118 leads Jules to agree to meet Nate for the first time in person near a lake at night. While all of this unfolds, Rue, who is Jules's supportive best friend, at first, entertains Jules's fantasies by helping Jules send pornographic images to Nate. However, tension arises when Rue exposes her worries for her best friend and undeniable attraction for her as more than just friends. Unfortunately, Jules did not reciprocate the kiss they shared. This sent Rue spiraling into a frenzy and falling back into the addictive habit of taking pills and getting high, undoing Rue's 60-day clean streak. Embarrassed, Rue runs straight back to Fezco, her drug dealer, in hopes to illegally obtain more drugs to numb the humiliation she felt. Fortunately, Fezco doesn't give in to Rue and shuts the door on her, leaving Rue to look toward Ali, an omniscient man she met at a therapy gathering for drug users to seek guidance.

Kat, a Tumblr fanfiction queen, masks herself while exploring her curiosity for explicit content and webcam streaming. She exposes herself to lingerie and twerking on her account; she agrees to perform a private camera meet with a man who falls in love with Kat's powerful and sexual dominatrix persona. Originally insecure with her weight, Kat eventually learns to embrace her curves and dives into a new and unusual world of femdom. This episode also introduces Cassie. She displays as a bold, open-minded party girl that isn't phased by frat party endeavors. McKay, Cassie's crush, invites her to his frat-hazing event, and they both fall deeply in love with each other, foreshadowing potential problems to come from concupiscence for one another.

This episode involves various races but is primarily white-dominant. Cassie is blonde and white, represented as audacious and open-minded. Maddy is a cis-gender Latina and, in this episode, victimized by Nate, a white playboy who cheats on Maddy. Rue and her sister are a mix from a black mom and a white dad. Despite various races represented, this episode minimally illustrates heritage background and racial and cultural distinctiveness. There are very minimal cultural representations and race diversity besides the racially represented individuals such as Rue, Maddy, Kat, Ali, and Fezco. Although the film is predominantly white race influenced, there is still a general race narration awareness displayed in the show.  

Sexuality representation is a flourishing topic within each episode in Euphoria. Arguably one of the most influential characters in this episode, Rue, a lesbian half black teenager, finds herself falling in love with her openly transgender best friend. This tricky love triangle is demonstrated between Rue caring for Jules while she cares for Nate. Jules is head over heels for her classmate, Nate, who hasn't announced is gay but is chatting with Jules on a gay dating site. Moreover, Nate's girlfriend in this episode, Maddy, is only now beginning to question if Nate is straight like he demands he is.This episode centers around redirecting the audience's view of how a character's sexuality is initially perceived to how each character's sexuality is either nonchanging or questioned and altered due to more self-awareness. For example, Jules, from the beginning, identified as transgender and unchanging while Rue begins to question her sexuality and feelings for her friend after kissing her. Male, female, and non-binary characters speak and act quite differently in Euphoria. Male actors such as Nate, Ali, and Fezco are very much dominant and slightly manipulative in this episode. Nate is a controlling and manipulative character fueled by curiosity and confusion. Ali is a mysterious, omniscient figure who sees past Rue's addiction. Lastly, Fezco shuts Rue out when she almost dies from the drugs he gave her. The females include Maddy, Rue, Jules, Kat, and Cassie. Non-binary characters were not present in this episode; however, Nate being on a gay dating site and taking an interest in Jules knowing her being transgender urges the question of what Nate's sexuality may be. 

Cassie, in this episode, played an essential role in breaking gender profiling stereotypes. When Cassie was at the weekend frat-hazing party with McKay, she stood up to the guys at the party and took a shot of water with a live goldfish in it without hesitation, while McKay was hesitant and wanted to reject the challenge. Cassie taking that shot was significant because she didn't abide by her gender role limitations. Instead, she proved that she could equally compete alongside the frat boys at the party.

Illegal drug use for underage teenagers is very much a political issue. The creator of Euphoria, Sam Levinson, opens up about his struggles with addiction growing up. He talks about how his personal history of drug use as a teenager animated Rue's similar struggles in Euphoria. It's essential to recognize that Rue was not using drugs because of peer pressure but because she was struggling with "obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), general anxiety disorder, and even bipolar disorder" (Health, 2020). Many teens go undiagnosed with disorders like these and spend their teenage years fighting addiction and going to rehab centers, sometimes more than once in hopes of ending the addiction. There are other situations where undiagnosed individuals who don't fall victim to drug addiction still live a life of struggle with their mental illness. Euphoria sheds light on addiction and mental health and de-stigmatizes mental illness, a topic that should be further normalized and empathized with. 

EPISODE SEVEN REVIEW

“The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed” tackles a lot of issues. In many ways, this episode is openly candid about the hardships of life and the modern influences of distraction and avoidance. The candor of this episode is heartbreaking, revelating, and so, so real. The episode before the season finale follows multiple characters, including Jules, a trans woman battling confusion about her relationship with her best friend and her changing life; Cassie, a beautiful blonde teenager facing an unplanned pregnancy; and Rue, a drug addicted teenager battling a major low in her depression (Levinson 2019). This episode follows many differing plots that do not intersect in its time; however, at the root of the 59 minutes is the juxtaposition of two teenagers, the structures of family, and the deconstruction of femininity. 

As a whole, this show is unapologetically divergent from the stereotypes of society. It does not hesitate to tackle hard issues, easily addresses controversial issues regarding race, sexuality, and gender, without negating their seriousness. It makes normal the darkness we all battle in our private lives, especially in this episode. In it, characters from all walks of life get a say in the plot. Not only is the narrator and main character a gay Black women in love with her best friend, we also follow the story of Jules, a trans women, and hear from Cassie, a straight cisgender blonde girl who falls victim to the confines of the patriarchy, allowing herself to be sexualized and invalidated as a possession by the men in her life (Johnson, 2014). My only criticisms regarding this episode’s diversity is that there is little male influence or perspective on the storyline, and further, that there is little diversity outside of “black and white.” That is to say, while there are many Black characters given voice to this episode (and, by default many white characters as well), there is little representation of other ethnicities. We do not hear, for example, from the perspective of an Asian-American. That, to some extent, is an area that can be improved as the show continues. 

Earlier I mentioned the juxtaposition at the core of this episode, and I want to dive a little deeper into that. Cassie and Rue are, in many regards, polar opposites. Rue is Black, gay, struggles with drug addiction and is a social outcast. Cassie, in comparison, is blonde and blue eyed, gorgeous, and popular. Rue is an older sister; Cassie is the younger in her family. But this juxtaposition highlights the conditions of the patriarchy that define familial dynamics, such as sisterhood and motherhood, both amplifying and deconstructing those norms. For example, at the end of the episode, Rue and Cassie both go to their moms, the caretakers, for help when they reach rock bottom. Those mothers show up, and they do their job: care. However, at the same time, these mothers have taken up the role of being the breadwinner for the family as well, defying the stereotype of reliance on the male for prosperity and survival. Rue’s mom, however, is portrayed as more successful and put-together than Cassie’s mother, whom we see to be an alcoholic and basically a hot mess. This is contrary to racial stereotypes that typically portray the black community as one falling apart and the white suburban mom as picture-perfect. The gender and racial norms that society and time have produced throughout our history in America are blurred as these two realities are expressed in this show (Scott, 1986).

This episode also attacks femininity. Speaking with her friends from the city, Jules, says, “In my head, it’s like if I can conquer men, I can conquer femininity” (Levinson, 2019). This conquering, or, as Jules later says, obliteration of femininity is addressed throughout the episode. Cassie, conforming to societal expectations, allows herself to be objectified and sexualized by all the men in her life, using that perception of beauty to define her over the course of her life. Rue, on the other hand, does not conform to femininity at all, as we see in the way she dresses, and even the persona of the masculine “detective” she took on in a manic state. These three approaches to femininity contrast each other, as each one represents a different sector of diversity: race, sexuality, and gender identity. 

Euphoria is inherently political. It brings to light the reasons why the personal is political, especially in the midst of an election cycle where the rights of those who don’t conform to societal norms are under threat. This show creates an avenue for those rights and the real people behind those laws to speak and tell their own stories. Not only that, it represents mental illness and drug abuse, revealing the realities of living with these issues and bringing to light the struggles of the individual and their community through addiction and mental health crises. The show helps create empathy; empathy creates connection.  And connection, more than anything else, is something we deeply need right now. 

CITATIONS

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson on his controversial show: 'I hope it opens up a dialogue' [Interview by T. Stack]. (2019, June 16). Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020, from https://ew.com/tv/2019/06/16/euphoria-creator-sam-levinson/.

Health, A. (2020). How HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ Depicts Teenage Drug Addiction Accurately. Retrieved 14 November 2020, from https://amhealth.com/2019/09/25/how-hbos-euphoria-depicts-teenage-drug-addiction-accurately/

Johnson, A. G. (2020). Patriarchy, the System: An It, Not a He, a Them, or an Us. In 1046495481 799935172 G. Kirk & 1046495482 799935172 M. Okazawa-Rey (Authors), Gendered Lives: Intersectional Perspectives (Seventh ed., pp. 62-70). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. (The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy, (2014))

Levinson, S. (Writer). (2019). Euphoria [Television series]. HBO.

Levinson, S. (Writer). (2019, June 23). Stuntin’ Like My Daddy [Television series episode] In Euphoria. HBO.

Levinson, S. (Writer). (2019, July 28). The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed [Television series episode]. In Euphoria. HBO.

Scott, J. (1986). Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis. The American Historical Review. doi:10.1086/ahr/91.5.1053

Siegel, Z. (2019, August 06). Euphoria Doesn't Have a Drug Problem. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/euphoria-hbo-drug-addiction-overdose.html

[starboy8]

Anime for me in 2017

So I don’t know what came over me what in this past year 2017 I watched a lot of anime like a lot more than I usually do… and a lot of them where not shows that came out this year in fact a lot of it isn’t but I’m bored on New Year’s and figured I’d write a few things about each show I saw in order of me watching them. Oh I’ll also list what language I saw each show in.

Mob psycho 100: (Dub) A show made by the same guy who made one punch man but with psychics instead of superheroes I already had high hopes going in. So 2017 was off to a good start with me finally getting around to mob psycho 100 honestly. A hilarious show with some great animation from Studio BONES. I can’t decide weather I like this more than one punch man or just as much. (it also has my favorite intro of everything on this list) (10/10)

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon maid: (Dub and Sub) An anime about a dragon who comes to our world to become a maid for an average everyday life Japanese woman. The show is really really adorable honestly smiled a lot while watching it I like tone and I liked The Chemistry Between the main characters. Show us pretty gay and i loved it!! Though a lot of the designs for the characters were a little meh their character is out showed them. (Also please don’t lewe the dragon loli). (8/10)

Interviews with monster girls: (sub) High School teacher ends up in a school with several monster girls and curious about their physiology and Lifestyles decides to interview them across the school year. The show exactly what I wanted from the Monster girl genre. No real fan service mostly just a show about learning about how monster girls would function in the real world. I also really enjoyed how they tackle the succubus character by not making her overly very sexual in fact there’s almost no fanservice with her at all. Instead she’s just someone trying to live a normal life who happens to have powers that attract everyone to her. (8/10)

Dragon Ball Super [UNIVERSAL SURVIVAL ARC]: (sub) though technically not over almost all of the year of 2017 of Dragon Ball super was dedicated to the Universal survival Arc/Tournament of power Arc. Goku and the crew fight in a huge 80 person Battle Royal tournament with a fate of the Universe on the line. With the stakes being higher than ever before in Dragon Ball they thankfully increase the quality of the shows animation and change the artstyle too. The first part of the Arc is nice showing off individual character episodes and how they’ve grown in their normal lives. While the actual tournament itself has its ups and downs for the entire first half however everything on the second half of the tournament has pretty much been fantastic with the animation not even faltering much at all. I like that the tournaments given a lot of characters individual moments and episodes considering they haven’t had it in so long since Goku’s taken the complete spotlight. Android 17 and 18 have been a blast to watch all throughout I’m so glad they’ve been in the tournament (7/10)

My Hero Academia: (Dub then Sub) Does this one need an introduction… just in case… My Hero is a show about A young student attending a school for super heroes with his mentor being the world’s greatest hero. It’s just…. look…. i could gush about this show for so long. Just go see it in don’t even wana give much away minus the fact that i really like it. Wonderful character designs and stories and ACTUAL PROGRESS ON STATUS QUO IN A SHONEN# (10/10) 

Okay so get ready for a lot of GUNDAM suddenly

Gundam Unicorn: (sub) A mysterious new gundam appears holding in itself it code to a long-forgotten secret of the past that could change newtype politics forever. The race is on for the Earth Federation and the remnants of Zeon to find what the treasure is first. This is a beautifully animated Gundam series that creates a lot of interesting questions and sets up a lot of interesting fight scenes yet never really delivers on either. The protagonist is pretty dull as well. A visual spectacle its so close to being good yet it falls to be pretty mediocre with climax that just starts pulling things out of nowhere. The suit designs in the show really good and some of my favorite in the whole franchise. (5/10)

Gundam Build Fighters: (sub) In the near future people build model kits on Gundams and have the ability to bring them to life and pilot them for sport. So did you ever want a Gundam show mixed with yugioh… probably not… but here it is. Anyways this show is surprisingly really good and uses its premise to the best it’s ability. With crossover fights of different suits from different series galore it leads to some of the most creative battles. Also thanks to the Gundams being plastic and easy to fix you get to see brutal Gundam fights with limbs being ripped off left and right. It’s a wonderful show for any Fan of Giant robots or model kits. If you don’t like the seriousness of Gundam but still wana watch a Gundam show i recommend this highly (9/10)

Gundam Build Fighters Tri: (sub) The sequel show to Gundam build fighters staring a new cast a few years after the first show where Gundam battles are now done in 3 on 3 battles tournament style. While the first show has some creative ways for gundams to fight and ways for the characters to overcome challenges this one has none of that. This is basically more or less what i originally thought the series would be like. While it’s not bad it’s not as creative in its battles. While many of the mew suits shown are incredibly creative you rarely get to see them more than once. This problem comes from the show being tournament styled which leads to a larger issue of the main characters having huge plot armor because if they lose 1 round the show would end. It’s still a fun series just not as great as the first plus the main 3 characters aren’t too bad I’d still give it a shot if you liked the original. (6/10)

Gundam Double 00: (sub) A group known as Celestial Being uses their machines known as Gundams too “end all wars” through violent intervention. This is a pretty solid Gundam show and I would recommend anybody watches this show over Gundam Wing if they’re thinking of what their first show should be when getting into the Gundam franchise I’m planning on using Wing as the Gateway. Though the Show’s first season suffers from a first-half being honestly pretty boring due to the Gundams being insanely powerful in the show and not really facing any real steaks the second half of the first season definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. In my opinion the first season has much better antagonists as you honestly kind of side with them at times and there’s no real clear-cut good guy. The second season is definitely better for the action however the villains in the season lose any of the charm that the first season had. (7/10)

Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans: (Dub and Sub) A group of Orphans under the banner Tekkaden go on various missions while the governing military body of Gjallarhorn and several other organizations get in their way. This shows awesome plain and simple. Though it’s probably the least Gundam like Gundam show with the exception of maybe G Gundam it might just be my favorite. The action in the show is brutal the story in the show is overall pretty compelling in the first season. You grow to like all the characters for the most part and although the main character Mikazuki is rather a blank slate I like to think he shares the main character spot with his partner Orga who has plenty of personality. The second season has a little bit more of an anthology feel to it with having more individual arcs instead of an overarching story with varying degrees of quality between them. Overall out of all the gundam shows I watched this year I think this was the best and I recommend this one the most. (9/10)

( Also saw bunch of anime movies this year but this list is long enough if you guys want that list I can make it but if you’ve made it this far I think you’ve had enough)

Anyway overall this is a pretty good year I didn't see any shows I didn't really not enjoy and I did see a lot of giant robots beat the shit out of each other

[hometowndruck]

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By Natalie Simms nsimmshh@att.net

The vibrant downtown areas of Rome and Cartersville are spurring a boom in residential growth as young professionals and retirees seek downtown living options.  Rome’s Broad St. already has some 60-plus loft apartments on the market with more to come including condominiums. Along Cartersville’s Main St., though options are more limited, local officials say there is demand.

“Downtown living is very popular. The demand is high. We get calls every day,” says Kathy Mull, a leasing agent with Hardy Realty, who manages over 60 downtown Rome apartments including The Forrest Building, the old Masonic Lodge and The Griffin, all located on Broad St.

“Folks love downtown living. They like to be able to walk to shops, restaurants, the DeSoto Theatre and even the Town Green and nearby walking trails along the river. There is such an attraction to the convenience of restaurants, shops and recreation that being downtown offers.”

Mull says most of their renters are young professionals and retirees. “We occasionally get a call from families, but most are professionals or retired folks…or those who are scaling down and don’t want the upkeep of a house.”

The Forrest Building on Broad St.

The number of downtown apartments has been steadily growing over the last decade. Rome businessman Ira Levy partnered with Hardy Realty President Jimmy Byars to renovate the old Forrest Hotel on Broad St. into apartments that opened in 2003. More soon opened following renovations at the old Cherokee Masonic Lodge and the West Building at Broad and Second  Ave.

“I internally think about what I want to do as a project and I also talk to folks to see what Rome is lacking. Over my years of traveling, I saw a need to bring modernization to the downtown community, including a need for downtown living,” says Levy, who in addition to the Forrest Building, also owns the old Atlanta Gas Light building apartments at 527-529 Broad St. and is developing the Third & Broad condo project now under construction.

“I wanted to take the next step with the condo project. It is a small one with only 26 units with either one or two bedrooms, plus retail on the bottom floor,” he says. “Hardy has done a great job with pre-leases and there is a lot of interest. I think people have just been waiting for the groundwork to get underway. Things are moving along now and we hope to have folks moved in within 16 months or so.”

Local pediatrician Dr. Raj Miniyar will be opening his new loft apartments at 114 Broad St. within the next two weeks. The building will have eight loft apartments that are being managed by Hardy Realty. Five of the eight units are already leased.

“There is a huge demand for apartments along Broad St.,” he says. “Before I purchased this building, I was talking to someone who told me there was a long waiting list of folks who wanted to live on Broad St. This is a desired location and the place to be.”

Miniyar’s building, along with the many others on Broad St., features amenities that draw interest including tall ceilings, huge windows and hardwood flooring all in renovated historic buildings.

With so many living options already on the market, can Downtown Rome handle more? Local officials and developers say “yes.”

Robinson’s building at 247 Broad St.

Local developer Wayne Robinson has plans to add 2 or 3 loft apartments to his building at 247 Broad St. and hopefully a restaurant on the first floor.

“To quote the front of the building, the in ‘vogue’ thing now is downtown living…its very popular,” says Robinson, who’s building currently displays the old ‘Vogue’ signage from a decades old retailer.

“I’ve got the perfect building for upscale loft apartments with the windows that overlook the Town Green and the river. It has just perfect views,” he says. “The lofts will be a minimum of 2-bedrooms with an open floor plan, high ceilings, hardwood floors, brick walls and exposed beams. Our architect, Mark Cochran, is working on the design now. We hope to have them open by the end of the year.”

The City of Rome and Downtown Development officials hope the residential growth continues. Rome DDA Director Amanda Carter says the residents have greatly contributed to the economic growth of downtown.

“Individuals are investing not only their money, but all of their time here, they eat in the restaurants and shop downtown on a daily basis. Our trails and natural resources, such as the rivers, are being utilized now more than ever.  You can see how alive our city center is at any point during the day,” she says.

“The DDA’s goal is to continue residential growth. The trend of living downtown and turning downtown Rome into a truly walkable city is not changing any time soon. There are vacant upper floors and we hope investors will continue to take advantage of this great opportunity.”

Patrick Eidson, Rome’s Assistant City Manager, says the city is looking to expand the footprint of downtown so that more living options can be added.

“Absolutely downtown can support more housing options.  We are currently looking to expand the foot print of downtown by extending across the river into our Arts District and we believe our downtown master plan is an excellent blueprint for success.  Good public investment leads to private investment and our downtown is a prime example of this development strategy,” he says.

Over in Cartersville, local officials are doing their best to overcome some barriers to the development of downtown living options.

“We do have some condos and lofts tucked around in a few buildings downtown, but definitely not as much as we would like,” says Lillie Read, manager of Cartersville Downtown Development Authority.

With a very busy train track running right through the middle of downtown Cartersville, that is certainly a deterrent to development.

“I consistently hear the train horn is a barrier to development. We are actually in talks with the City Council to consider using possible SPLOST funds to do a benefit analysis for downtown to implement a ‘quiet zone’ much like the City of Smyrna has done,” says Read.

“I think that would be a helpful catalyst to fuel development. People definitely want it and the opportunity is present, we just have to get over the barriers.”

By federal law, trains are required to blow their horns within a quarter-mile of railroad crossings. There are four crossings in downtown Cartersville, so quite a bit of train noise.

“In a ‘quiet zone’ trains would not be allowed to blow their horns in the designed half-mile area,” says Read. “To be considered a ‘quiet zone’, we have to do a feasibility study with the train company on safety, as well as install a different type of crossing arm that would prevent cars from going around. So, there is a big cost associated with it.”

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With numerous options on the market and more on the way, loft apartments fueling boom in downtown living in Rome and Cartersville. By Natalie Simms nsimmshh@att.net The vibrant downtown areas of Rome and Cartersville are spurring a boom in residential growth as young professionals and retirees seek downtown living options.