#the church at ponce and highland | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

toldnews-blog · 6 years ago

Photo

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/travel/atlanta-best-places-to-eat-drink-and-play/

Atlanta: Best places to eat, drink and play

Atlanta (CNN) — Downtown Atlanta is home to a host of densely packed attractions — the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the College Football Hall of Fame and more.

But the city’s real flavor comes from its neighborhoods, and any visit to Atlanta should skew heavy on food and beverage outings, as this guide does.

So while fans in town for the Super Bowl would do well to check out what the area around the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium has to offer, they should also explore a bit beyond downtown.

Grant Park

Zoo Atlanta is home to more than 1,500 animals, including several giant pandas.

One of Atlanta’s most interesting and storied spots, Historic Oakland Cemetery (248 Oakland Ave) opened in 1850, making it the city’s oldest public park.

The graves serve as resting places and reminders of Atlanta’s layered history. Jewish, Confederate and African American grounds are all part of its 48 acres. Mayors, former slaves, athletes and authors are all buried here.

The elaborate Victorian cemetery carries its dual role as a park into the modern era. Picnickers and dog-walkers are welcome, and Oakland Cemetery is host to a whole calendar of events from music festivals to Halloween tours. Tickets for various tours can be purchased in advance.

Memorial Drive near the cemetery runs along the border of the Grant Park neighborhood to Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown, where Petit Chou (662 Memorial Dr) and Home grown (968 Memorial Dr) are top spots for breakfast or brunch.

In the evening, Golden Eagle (904 Memorial Dr) serves up expertly crafted cocktails and bites in a knock-your-socks-off space — think plush, retro hunting lodge.

For a kid-friendly outing, Zoo Atlanta (800 Cherokee Ave), located in 131-acre Grant Park, is a crowd-pleaser. The zoo is one of only four in the US to house giant pandas.

Old Fourth Ward

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in this house, right, on Auburn Avenue.

James Duckworth/Courtesy of ACVB & AtlantaPhotos.com

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birth Home (501 Auburn Ave) is located about a mile from downtown.

The National Park Service offers ranger-led tours that are first-come, first-served and limited to 15 people. Getting to the visitor center early in the morning to sign up is key.

A block south of the MLK birth home, Atlanta’s young (and youngish) gather along Edgewood Avenue.

Among its eclectic bars: “Nerdy dive bar” with arcade games Joystick Gamebar (427 Edgewood Ave) and Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium (466 Edgewood Ave) — Church, for short — where adult beverages meet ping pong, a church organ and all manner of irreverent religious art.

Also on Edgewood is Staplehouse (541 Edgewood Ave), named America’s best new restaurant by Bon Appetit in 2016.

The Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine connects several intown neighborhoods.

James Duckworth/Courtesy of ACVB & AtlantaPhotos.com

About a mile and half north, Ponce City Market is a beacon of adaptive-reuse development and premium dining and retail.

Casual chef-driven eateries — fish shack, burger joint, fried chicken, tacos, ramen, doughnuts — dominate the market’s Food Hall, located in the rehabbed 1920s Sears, Roebuck & Co. warehouse.

Ponce City Market sits along the Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile urban trail that, when finished, will connect 45 intown neighborhoods. This stretch, the Eastside Trail, is the place to people watch and get a sense of Atlanta’s rapid redevelopment.

A few blocks down Ponce, in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood, the Clermont Lounge (789 Ponce De Leon Ave NE) is a you-have-to-see-it-to-understand Atlanta institution where a 60-something stripper named Blondie crushes PBR cans with her breasts.

Upstairs, the trendy boutique Hotel Clermont recently opened, complete with a sultry lobby bar and a fun rooftop watering hole with great views of the city.

Midtown

The “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors” exhibit has been a sold-out success in Atlanta.

In Midtown, the fabulous Fox Theatre (660 Peachtree St), has hosted musical acts, theater performances, movies and more in its ornate Moorish- and Egyptian-influenced auditorium since 1929. Ticketed tours of the space can be booked in advance.

The Center for Puppetry Arts (1404 Spring St) is the largest American nonprofit dedicated solely to puppet theater. There’s a museum with a Jim Henson Collection and a Global Collection, rotating performances (for kids and adults), workshops and other programs.

The High Museum of Art (1280 Peachtree St) is wrapping up its blockbuster showing of “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors.”

Advance tickets are sold out, but for the patient and optimistic visitor, the museum offers 100 walk-up tickets to the Kusama exhibition each day. Lines for those tickets begin several hours before the museum opens. There’s also a cache of tickets going on sale on February 5 for the final week of the exhibition (February 11-17).

Nearby, 200-plus acre Piedmont Park is Atlanta’s biggest city park and a hub for exercisers, meanderers and a host of festivals and events.

Hungry now? Empire State South (999 Peachtree St) serves creative takes on Southern cuisine, while Lure (1106 Crescent Ave) is a stylish seafood restaurant.

East Atlanta Village

Banshee is an upscale restaurant addition to the no-frills East Atlanta neighborhood.

Courtesy Banshee

Southeast of downtown, East Atlanta Village is home to a bevy of casual bars (and food, too) at the intersection of Flat Shoals and Glenwood avenues.

The Earl (488 Flat Shoals Ave) offers consistently good bar food, a winning dive-bar atmosphere and a full schedule of local and national bands in the back room. (Take note: smoking is allowed inside.)

Down the block, the menu at gastro-pub Argosy (470 Flat Shoals Ave) ranges from hot chicken to charred octopus, plus a long list of craft beers.

Across the street and down an alley, Gaja (491 Flat Shoals Ave) offers contemporary takes on Korean classics alongside cocktails, soju shots and so on.

Mary’s (1287 Glenwood Ave) is often voted Atlanta’s best gay bar. Tuesday night karaoke is popular at the 21+ spot.

East Atlanta’s newest and swankiest dining option, Banshee (1271 Glenwood Ave) showcases locally sourced ingredients, plus creative cocktails from its arresting turquoise and indigo bar.

West End

The historic West End neighborhood is a classic Atlanta story — an area that started out as a transportation hub (a trolley stop), hit hard times but is bouncing back strong now.

One thing driving that resurgence is the West End Trail portion of the BeltLine. And for those who find the Eastside portion too crowded, you might find a little more elbow room here.

For a classic soul-food experience, the no-frills Q Time delivers (1120 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd). You can fill up on large portions of delicious Southern favorites such as turnip greens, black-eyed peas, fried chicken and peach cobbler.

If that’s too heavy, the opposite end of the food spectrum is nearby at Tassili’s Raw Reality Cafe (1059 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd), with a menu of raw vegan delights such as Moroccan Couscous or their Original Kale, a wrap with kale salad, avocado and tomato.

West End also has two sightseeing attractions worth a visit:

The Hammond House Museum (503 Peeples St) is an excellent place to learn more about the contributions of visual artists of African descent. The museum has 18 works by influential 20th-century artist Romare Bearden.

The Wren’s Nest (1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd) is an Queen Anne architectural pleasure and the former home of Southern newspaper writer and fiction author Joel Chandler Harris of “Uncle Remus” fame. It’s a close-up look at how an upper-middle class family lived at the end of the 19th century.

West Midtown

Howell Mill Road and the surrounding area is a hot spot for shopping and dining.

Long a hub for furniture, fabric and all things design, the Westside has filled in with restaurants, boutiques and chain stores.

Bacchanalia (1460 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd), opened in 1993 by chefs/owners Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison, has been at the top of Atlanta’s fine dining scene for decades.

Entertainmentwise, The Painted Duck (976 Brady Ave) offers duck pin bowling in a glamorous venue also equipped with shuffleboard, horse shoes, air hockey, etc.

And in an area teeming with craft cocktails, Northside Tavern (1058 Howell Mill Road) is the spot for a bottle of beer, lives blues and a game of pool. This smoky dive bar dates back to 1972, and it’s holding its own as new buildings rise up around it.

CNN’s Forrest Brown contributed to this story.

#Atlanta&x27;s neighborhoods: Best places to eat #drink and play - CNN #foodanddrink #latest travel news #travel deals #travel magazine #travel map #travel money #travel news

0 notes

creativinn · 6 years ago

Text

Atlanta, GA — Ponce City Market/Beltline Engagement | Michael & Grace

Weather in Georgia for an engagement session can be…

By Georgia standards Atlanta had a very strong winter. Temperatures stayed unusually low throughout the spring and rain seemed like a constant fixture almost every other day. Then out of nowhere we get a day in the low 90’s with scorching sun for Michael and Grace’s Ponce City Market and Beltline engagement session. That’s okay since this couple has all the warmth to match the setting.

A chance meeting

Grace and Michael met through their church. She had recently moved to and really didn’t know many people. Thankfully her sister-in-law arranged a big lunch with many friends and invited her to come along. That’s where Michael came into the picture. They bonded immediately over the terrible Chinese buffet food they just had and how much they loved talking trash about each other’s favorite NBA teams. The rest is history as they say.

The details on their proposal

So, when the time came, how did he propose?

“He proposed at the Garden Lights, Holiday Lights show at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in front of the lighted trees that changed colors according to the musical arrangement. It was magical and I was shocked (had no idea it was coming)!”

We met inside Ponce City Market which has quickly become a favorite spot for most Atlantans. Located on the Old Fourth Ward, this old Sears, Roebuck & Company building was renovated into a contemporary marketplace with a focus on food that reflects many of the flavors of this great city. The Atlanta Beltline connects right up to the market providing quick access to 45 great neighborhoods such as Virginia-Highland, Midtown and Inman park. The Beltline itself is a 22-mile loop of multi-use trails, parks and streetcars – all based on railroad corridors that formerly encircled Atlanta. It runs right through Piedmont Park(Atlanta’s version of Central Park) and it is packed with murals and sculptures from an eclectic mix of artists; becoming the largest temporary outdoor art exhibition in the south. As you can imagine, a location like this feels like a gold mine for both art-loving couples and photographers.

Our session began inside the market so we could take advantage of the backlit colored windows located throughout the Central Food Hall. Not to mention the air conditioning was cranking! A perfect way to kick off an engagement session with a couple so they could ease into the process. This couple truly has a blend of modern style with timeless elegance. Michael was rocking a navy bespoke suit with Allen Edmonds wingtips. His suit was a surprise gift from his future father-in-law during their most recent trip to . Grace was glowing in a bohemian hunter green dress with Clarks Spiced Ava sandals. Both providing great contrast against all the backgrounds we used across the afternoon. From there we jumped directly on the Beltline so we could photograph one of their favorite murals at Paris on Ponce. A richly colored flower mural with a mini faux Eiffel Tower sculpture. The heat was starting to kick in a bit so we huddled up in a slightly shady corner of this display to catch a few silly moments with a rusty gorilla. Then we were off again, doubling back to the cartoon mural just over North avenue and a somewhat new favorite; the Tim Frank columns sculpture. Once again we scurried for some shade and managed to find some interesting green benches under an overhang adjacent to the entry back into Ponce. It was cooler there which gave us a chance to grab a few quick shots before we had to move on. Grace and Michael had some other murals they wanted to photograph with so we hopped in the car and drove a bit further down the Beltline so we could keep them nice and cool in their nice outfits. That trip brought us to two very popular pieces of art. First up their personal favorite, the Hense mural by Alex Brewer. Or as they call it, the “bubble” mural. As one can imagine, a beautiful warm day in Atlanta means there was a lot of foot traffic going through this area. So, we decided to incorporate shots of joggers and bikers coming through our shots using a slow shutter drag. Directly on the opposite side is the second point of interest. Brandon Sadler’s / Rising Red Lotus masterpiece. A large mural featuring a circular pond of brightly colored koi.

Before we knew it almost 3 hours had gone by since we first began the shoot. A testament to how much fun we had with this couple and their incredible disposition. They were willing to go along with every crazy request we threw their way to obtain the most artistic imagery we could create on the spot. Battling large crowds, long walking distances and blistering temperatures in a suit and dress, no less. Thanks Michael and Grace for allowing us to share our love of artistic photography with you. We can’t wait to continue our adventure with you this summer at your wedding, where we look to document so many friends and family coming in from various destinations from around the world to share in your special day!

From there we jumped directly on the Beltline so we could photograph one of their favorite murals at Paris on Ponce. A richly colored flower mural with a mini faux Eiffel Tower sculpture.

The heat was starting to kick in a bit so we huddled up in a slightly shady corner of this display to catch a few silly moments with a rusty gorilla.

Then we were off again, doubling back to the cartoon mural just over North avenue and a somewhat new favorite; the Tim Frank columns sculpture.

Once again we scurried for some shade and managed to find some interesting green benches under an overhang adjacent to the entry back into Ponce. It was cooler there which gave us a chance to grab a few quick shots before we had to move on.

Grace and Michael had some other murals they wanted to photograph with so we hopped in the car and drove a bit further down the Beltline so we could keep them nice and cool in their nice outfits. That trip brought us to two very popular pieces of art. First up their personal favorite, the Hense mural by Alex Brewer. Or as they call it, the “bubble” mural. As one can imagine, a beautiful warm day in Atlanta means there was a lot of foot traffic going through this area. So, we decided to incorporate shots of joggers and bikers coming through our shots using a slow shutter drag. Directly on the opposite side is the second point of interest. Brandon Sadler’s / Rising Red Lotus masterpiece. A large mural featuring a circular pond of brightly colored koi.

The post Atlanta, GA — Ponce City Market/Beltline Engagement | Michael & Grace appeared first on Wedding Photographers in Atlanta | Viridian Images Photography.

Source

http://virimages.com/atlanta-ga-ponce-city-market-beltline-engagement-michael-grace/

0 notes

365footballorg-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Atlanta City Guide: Everything you need to know for 2018 MLS All-Star

July 23, 20187:26PM EDT

We’re less than a week away from this 2018 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, and people in Atlanta are already mad at me. There’s no way to get this perfect. What’s beautiful about Atlanta – and one of the many reasons it’s the greatest city in the world – is that inside the sprawl are handfuls of sub-cities, each littered with their own distinctive neighborhoods. And yet a culture persists in all of them that is in someway uniquely, and indisputably, Atlanta.

My Atlanta experience is different than the next Atlantan’s, and that person’s will be different from the next; however, I still feel capable of guiding you through your short stay, hosted by Atlanta United. There will inevitably be disagreements. But if having a discussion about where to go, what to do and what to eat doesn’t devolve into an argument about which is the fourth-best barbecue restaurant in Atlanta (it’s Heirloom), then have we even had a discussion about Atlanta? The good news is, even the fourth-best of things in Atlanta are amazing. You can’t go wrong. I’m just here to give you some ideas.

Where to Eat

Home grown GA | http://www.homegrownga.com/

Let’s start with the basics. After afternoons of attempting to chase down Zlatan to get even the grainiest of pictures of him on your Insta-story (that’s why you’re here, right?) and taking in everything else this week has to offer, you’re going to be hungry. Since there are no other MLS teams in the South [Yet. We see you, Nashville!—ed.], I’m going to assume that if you’re using this guide, y’all ain’t from around here. Fortunately, there are plenty of places to get authentic Southern food or great food with a Southern twist.

Breakfast

If you’re a breakfast/brunch/insane-amounts-of-calories-early-in-the-day person, it’s hard to go wrong going to places like Homegrown in Reynoldstown for their signature comfy chicken biscuit, Ria’s Bluebird in Grant Park for pancakes, The Flying Biscuit Cafe in Candler Park for (duh) the biscuits, and, if you’re on the Westside, the West Egg Cafe. If you get the option to put pimento cheese on anything, do it. If you’re unsure of what that is, you’re just going to have to trust me.

Lunch and Dinner

For lunch and dinner, there are no shortage of incredible options that, in addition to being delicious, will keep you from bankrupting yourself before the end of the trip. More high-end places exist, but if you’re looking for those ,you’re asking the wrong 20-something writer.

My first recommendation is to go to the massive and extremely popular adaptive reuse project known as Ponce City Market, look at Ponce City Market, watch people who don’t know any better go into Ponce City Market, and then as soon as you can, go across the street to the tiny white building known as Eats for an incredible “Meat-and-3” plate from an Atlanta institution. I recommend you get the jerk chicken for the meat and demand that one of your three sides be collard greens.

If the intro had you wondering what my top three best barbeque restaurants in Atlanta are, I’ll settle this debate quickly: B’s Cracklin is third, Community Q is first and somewhere in the middle is Fox Bros. All three are phenomenal though.

If you’re looking for a burger and fries, the standard in Atlanta is at Holeman & Finch Public House. Famously, the restaurant sells just 24 of their double cheeseburgers each lunch and dinner. If you don’t want to work that hard for a burger, you can head to their always open Ponce City Market location if you really want to, or you can just find the nearest Grindhouse for a cheaper and equally delicious option. For some of the best fried chicken in America, find a spot at Busy Bee Cafe, The Colonnade or the famous Mary Mac’s Tea Room.

If you can’t decide what you want and you’re looking for multiple options all in one place, Krog Street Market and Sweet Auburn Curb Market have you covered. For ethnic cuisine, head to the legendary Buford Highway and take in any of the 1.3-mile road’s diverse restaurants, especially Pho Dai Loi 2 for incredible Vietnamese.

Late Night

If you’re up late, leave where you’re staying and walk either a half mile to the left or a half mile to right. Either way you’re going to run into a Waffle House. If you’ve never had the pleasure of a late-night trip to Waffle House, you won’t truly be able to appreciate the South until you do. Other options include the Cookout on Moreland Avenue (entirely better in every way than the one on Ponce De Leon), Midway Pub in East Atlanta Village or Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand.

Speaking of late night . . .

Where to Drink

The best way to attack Atlanta at night is to go by neighborhood. For a more low-key night, head to East Atlanta Village or Poncey-Highland (which includes the famous Clermont Lounge). For a solid mix of college kids, hipsters and clubs check out Old Fourth Ward. Decatur has plenty of options. Midtown is extremely LGBTQ+ friendly. Head to Buckhead to waste all of your money. Little Five Points and Virginia Highlands each have their own popular hangouts. Like with food, it’s hard to go wrong going out anywhere in Atlanta. Everyone is welcome everywhere.

Additionally, you can take some time to take in some of the South’s best breweries such as Monday Night Brewing, Torched Hop, Sweetwater, Orpheus and Second Self to name a few.

Now if you’re trying to drink a little earlier and catch a match . . .

Where to Soccer

[embedded content]

Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points, one of Atlanta United’s official pub partners, is the most popular soccer bar in town. Midway Pub and Elder Tree in East Atlanta Village both have plenty of scarves on the walls. As an added bonus, Elder Tree houses one of the best and most dangerously seductive drinks in Atlanta with its EAV Sweet Tea.

Meehan’s is an excellent stop if you’re downtown and if you happen to be a Liverpool supporter. Fado Irish Pub locations in Midtown and Buckhead will always have a game on.

If you’re hoping to get into a game rather than watch, check out our now world-famous 5-a-side pitch at the Five Points MARTA Station. You can also bring a ball to the gorgeous Piedmont Park fields and join a game there.

What Else to See and Do

Posing in front of the Innovation Mural on the Beltline. | Courtesy of Atlanta United

Go to Sweet Auburn and visit Martin Luther King Jr.’s house and the King Center. Go see some of the best street art in the world – use the handy map provided by StreetArtMap.org, and checklist these ATLUTD-themed specials:

Go catch a concert at The Masquerade, or Aisle 5, or The Tabernacle or one of the many other brilliant venues. Look at all the used chicken wings on the ground and wonder how they got there and why there are so many of them.

Go to Centennial Olympic Park, remember that Atlanta once hosted the Olympics, and then shell out some money to visit some of the more touristy yet still awesome attractions around the park, like the Georgia Aquarium and other museums that happen to be just down the road from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Take a short trip up I-75 and climb Kennesaw Mountain for one of the best views in the state.

Walk The BeltLine. Go to Jackson Street Bridge at sunset for the customary picture of Atlanta’s skyline. Go to church organ karaoke at Sister Louisa’s. Go to metal karaoke at Dark Horse. Go see a bad movie at The Plaza Theatre. Get a Frosted Orange at The Varsity.

Go the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Drive and stay in your car to catch a movie at Starlight Six Drive-In Theater. Get a popsicle from King of Pops. Go find the Dungeon Family House.

Ask a random stranger on the street what to do, they’ll tell you 50 more things. You won’t get bored here, I promise.

How to Get Around

Courtesy of ATLUTD.com

Traffic can be a slog – build in time. Note you can take MARTA straight to the Benz [My ATLUTD season-ticket-holding brother-in-law confirms it’s the best route on gameday.—ed.] And if you’re up for a bike, you can always Ride the Stripes thanks to Atlanta United and Relay Bike Share.

How to Prepare

Know the culturally appropriate response to “Knuck if You Buck” if it comes on. Listen to as much OutKast and Pastor Troy as possible. It’s spelled “y’all” not “ya’ll”. We reserve the right to banish you to Florida if you say “Hotlanta”. Be prepared for Atlanta United fans to be welcoming, hospitable and completely smug about our incredible team and culture. Grits are just ground corn.

That pretty much covers it. Welcome to Atlanta.

Series:

Topics:

hr.top-border-fade {background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) linear-gradient(to right, #ffffff 0%, #dfdfdf 50%, #ffffff 100%) repeat scroll 0 0;margin:20px 0 0 0;clear:both;border:0;height:1px;color:#dfdfdf;} .asg-tickets-block {background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) radial-gradient(50% 30px at 50% 100% , #ebebeb 0%, #fff 110%) repeat scroll 0 0;padding:15px 15px 22px 15px;margin-bottom:20px;} #content .asg-tickets-block a {color:#AF272F;} .asg-tickets-block .item, .asg-tickets-block .copy {display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;} .asg-tickets-block .item {line-height:0;} .asg-tickets-block .item img {line-height:0;} .asg-tickets-block .copy p {margin:0;} .asg-tickets-block .copy p.asg-tickets-block-text {font-size:1.0em;line-height:1.40em;} .asg-tickets-block .copy p.asg-tickets-block-title {font-size:1.4em;margin-bottom:3px;font-family:’din_regular’,’Helvetica Neue’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { .asg-tickets-block .item {margin:0 15px;line-height:0;} .asg-tickets-block .item img {width:100%;height:auto;} .asg-tickets-block .copy {margin:20px 0 0 0;} .asg-tickets-block .wide {display:none;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { .asg-tickets-block .item {margin-right:20px;line-height:0;} .asg-tickets-block .item img {width:120px;height:auto;} .asg-tickets-block .copy {width:70%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { .asg-tickets-block .item {margin-right:20px;line-height:0;} .asg-tickets-block .item img {width:165px;height:auto;} .asg-tickets-block .copy {width:70%;} .asg-tickets-block .copy p.asg-tickets-block-title {font-size:1.3em;} }

<!–

Stay connected: Get access to breaking news, videos, and analysis from North America’s best soccer reporters via “This Week in MLS” newsletter or using our FREE mobile app.

–>

Stay connected: The all-new, completely redesigned, FREE official MLS app is your best mobile source for scores, news, analysis and highlights. Download: App Store | Google Play

#block-block-188 {padding:0;} #stay-connected {border-top:1px solid #ebebeb;margin:20px 0;} #stay-connected p {margin:0;color:#4d4d4d;line-height:1.5em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:708px;} }

MLSsoccer.com News

Atlanta City Guide: Everything you need to know for 2018 MLS All-Star was originally published on 365 Football

#2018 #AllStar #Atlanta #City #everything #Guide #know #need

0 notes

pristineilluminations · 7 years ago

Photo

Add this holiday market to your list this December: Fair Trade Art & Gift Market at the Church @ Ponce & Highland 1085 Ponce de Leon Ave, Atlanta Saturday, December 2, 2017 9:30 am til 2:30 pm See the artists on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/125602414863559/?active_tab=about Pulled Pork Barbecue Sandwiches Cookies and Hot Cider Silent Auction Everyone is welcome (at Atlanta, Georgia)

0 notes

daysofnikki-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Tuesday Morning.

Saturday night I went to Trevor Hall at the Cobb Energy Arena. Ryan took me. Beforehand we had dinner at Kiosco’s on the Marietta Square. He made me pay, which is not something I’ve ever experienced on the second date. If we’ve been dating a while, sure, lets split the bills, but on the second date (and I hate to sound high maintenance) but I kind of expect you to still be wooing me a bit. He kissed me after the show and it was awful. He did not pick up on my bodily hints well. He’s texted me about a billion times since then.

Sunday Hamza and I went to the PRIDE parade and it was AMAZING. Glitter, rainbows, and unicorns everywhere. We arrived an hour late which was perfect because the parade was an hour behind. Somehow we got an amazing spot and had a front row view of everything right beside the Fox Theatre, underneath the traffic lights where Ponce meets Peachtree. A team of men on roller blades did a dance routine with handstands; draw queens danced atop mirrored cars; good music and vibes came from all around and candy fell from the sky. The best part of all, though, was seeing so much happiness and love spread everywhere. People marching in support of loved ones, churches marching to show tolerance; it was so uplifting to be in such a place of love and acceptance.

After the parade I hit someone with my car. Just barely, in the parking lot. I have really been beating myself up about it. I don’t have a few hundred dollars to pay for someone else’s paint job. I can’t even afford to get my own windshield fixed. After, Hamza took me to Hand In Hand in Virginia HIghlands and we had tacos (3 for $5!!) and two pitchers of PBR ($5 a pitcher!). We had really in-depth conversations and it helped mellow me out a good bit.

Josh couldn’t see me this weekend. His grandma broke her hip in Tennessee, and his mom’s car was broken down, so he had to drive her back and forth to there. She’s staying with him a few days. I think it’s already driving him crazy.

Monday I got back on the dating apps. Found a couple of guys that I liked the sound of. Yesterday I met Matan, an Israeli transplant whose parents were smart enough to birth him in New York so he’d have citizenship here.

A few defining factors about Matan; comes across at first as a little boring and feminine but that quickly went away once we started talking more. He’s well-read, an atheist without being rude about it, and doesn’t make me feel like a piece of meat when we talk. We met at CHAR, a really cool Asian bar that I’m going to have to come back to at some point. They had just had their Friday the 13th party, which “was lit” according to the bartender. We came in to a seven foot tall killer clown at the door greeting us. While we talked demonic babies hung upside down from the bar that was littered with hearts and brains.

I liked it.

But I was telling you about Matan. Matan was a paratrooper in the Israeli army; after that he fulfilled his dreams of going to Columbia in NYC and only managed, he said, by getting every grant and scholarship possible, and “living in the library.” He started working with a 20-person start-up business in college, but wanted to pay back his loans when he graduated so he worked for two years at Goldman Sachs, and “ate only $1 pizza slices” for a year and a half in order to kill his loans, quick. And he did it. And you can tell he’s very proud of it. And I’m kind of proud of him for it, too. He went back to the small company, which had then grown to 150 people, and loves it. Loves his job, loves his CEO, loves his life. After six years in the city, living in Chelsea, he moved to Atlanta and bless him, he can not get used to the change of pace. I’ll have to teach him how to slow down and enjoy things. He speaks about the City as if it were an old girlfriend of his that he loved dearly.... it’s quite endearing.

At the end of the night we took a walk down the Beltline and kissed. It was very good so I asked for another. I might have gotten just barely carried away, but not enough to embarrass myself.

Not sure if anything will come of this or not, but I really enjoyed my time with him.

0 notes

oliveratlanta · 5 years ago

Text

First look: At ‘doorway’ of Virginia-Highland, 10 upscale townhomes are rising

An empty lot’s planned replacement at 1261 Virginia Avenue NE. | Renderings: Ardyn-Jackbilt, via Ansley Atlanta Real Estate

Prices begin in the $900Ks for this “inviting haven right in the heart of the city”

Along Briarcliff Road, at what’s being marketed as the “doorway” to Virginia-Highland, a batch of townhomes is under construction that harkens, in a way, 30A’s Alys Beach.

With peaked rooflines, white exteriors, and a goal of modernized elegance throughout, the 10-unit community called Ardyn has recently begun listing as construction goes vertical.

It’s the latest venture from Atlanta homebuilder JackBilt, whose active townhome projects are dotted from Midtown to Kirkwood.

Ardyn is described as an “inviting haven right in the heart of the city,” with three and four bedroom plans (and elevator options available in some of them).

Features include gourmet kitchens, two-car garages, rooftop terraces, and courtyards called “lush.”

Google Maps

As seen last October, the corner lot where Virginia Avenue meets Briarcliff Road (at left). Vertical construction is underway now.

Four-bedroom options thus far range in price from $936,900 (for 2,378 square feet) to $1,129,900 (2,931 square feet), as listed by Ansley Atlanta Real Estate.

The 71 WalkScore is deemed “Very Walkable,” per the algorithm, but that number could seem underwhelming for such a centralized location.

On the flipside, for families, the address allows for entrée into nearby Springdale Park (SPARK) Elementary, per the builder.

The townhomes are rising up the street from Minerva Homes’s multifaceted 1200 Ponce.

That project is converting the longtime home of Druid Hills United Methodist Church and its preschool into a condo and townhome community where Briarcliff meets Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Have a look at sample renderings for Ardyn interiors below.

source https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/7/17/20696935/virginia-highland-townhomes-home-atlanta-for-sale

#OliverAtlanta

0 notes

oliveratlanta · 5 years ago

Text

Exploring the Beltline’s downtown Connector corridor and what it could mean for Atlanta

Recently acquired “critical link” aims to open Beltline and downtown access for English Avenue, Bankhead, beyond

It’s a drizzly afternoon at a place most Atlantans have never been: an elevated, abandoned railroad corridor directly west of Bank of America Plaza, the city’s tallest building. Given the corridor’s narrow width, height above neighborhood streets, and skyline views across rooftops and graffiti-strewn warehouses, it feels a bit like New York City’s High Line, in some nascent early phase before the tourist influx.

Closer to the corridor than Midtown sky-rises, however, are scenes indicative of economic activity (and disparity) most Atlantans are very familiar with. Along Northside Drive, a 12-acre, mixed-income redevelopment of Herndon Homes led by Atlanta Housing Authority looks like a rolling pasture of red clay; it’s meant to be a catalyst for future development but also a beacon of diversity. Meanwhile, even closer, the exterior wall of a film production studio is being enlivened with a Greg Mike mural, in collaboration with Porsche.

It’s the disparate forces of a changing Atlanta commingling, and this railroad corridor—a future Atlanta Beltline link that leaders call crucial—is right in the middle of it.

In February, Beltline officials announced they’d closed a deal with church-led Bethursday Development Corporation to use $5.1 million in TSPLOST dollars and acquire a former rail segment described as a “major piece” and “critical link” to the grand scheme of multi-use trails across Atlanta.

Atlanta Beltline Inc.

The dotted blue line shows the most recently purchased path area. The bold purple section represents the “kudzu line” and a planned Beltline section branching north.

Stretching three-quarters of a mile, the corridor had been owned by several religious groups and colloquially known as the “church line.” It starts where Northside Drive meets Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, across the street from the Georgia World Congress Center.

From there, it extends northwest to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, through an area with an unsavory, drug-addled reputation known as “the Bluff,” before linking with another nicknamed segment: the 1.8-mile “kudzu line,” which will eventually be incorporated as part of the Beltline’s Westside Trail.

If that’s confusing, take heart in knowing the pastiche of trail monikers is going away soon.

Atlanta Beltline Inc.

A closer look at the kudzu line (in blue), which was purchased by the Beltline for $6.3 million in August, and the planned mainline Beltline it would link to.

The entire three-mile trail will be known as the Westside Beltline Connector. And it will allow anyone at, say, Centennial Olympic Park to bicycle, ride e-scooters, jog, or simply walk from downtown, via protected lanes, to the mainline Beltline and under-construction Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry, planned to be the city’s largest green space.

More importantly, project leaders say, the collaboration between the Beltline and PATH Foundation will lend transportation options and trail connectivity to neighborhoods—namely English Avenue, Bankhead, Knight Park, and Howell Station—that have thus far been largely cut off.

“You talk to folks in English Avenue and Vine City, and they feel a little disconnected to the Beltline, because they’re not neighborhoods that are right on it,” says Beltline spokeswoman Jenny Odom. “This will connect them into the Beltline, very directly.”

When the latest corridor purchase was announced in February, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom described it as helping pave the way “for a more unified and accessible Atlanta.” We recently ventured with project officials into the swampy corridor, following a string of stormy days, for a firsthand look at how this unification vision might play out.

“We’re going to make this trail a showstopper,” predicts PATH Foundation executive director Ed McBrayer. “I hope the Westside is ready to get something really cool.”

As they have with projects spanning from Proctor Creek to the wildly popular Eastside Trail, PATH is collaborating with the Beltline to make the Connector piece a reality. McBrayer describes it as a means of traveling paved trails and bike lanes from around Ponce City Market and points east to downtown, the Westside, and potentially all the way to the Silver Comet Trail.

Along the way, the Connector trail will bisect English Avenue, which the New York Times described in 2017 as one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Southeast, where roughly 40 percent of residents were living in poverty. Alongside neighboring Vine City, police data showed English Avenue as being the city’s most high-crime area for years, in terms of calls for assistance and violent offenses; but since 2016, crimes across all categories have plunged by more than 40 percent, thanks to the installation of surveillance cameras, homes reserved for officers, and the broader philanthropic efforts of groups such as the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and Quest, according to the Atlanta Police Foundation.

But despite a retention strategy—including an Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund for homeowners that launched in 2017—the area’s population continues to dip, and just 17 percent of residents in the broader Westside are homeowners, as officials told Curbed Atlanta earlier this year.

In places, the Connector piece provides the flipside view of Atlanta than what Eastside Trail patrons see: landmarks such as Westin Peachtree Plaza and the Coca-Cola Headquarters sweep off to Atlantic Station’s high-rises at left. From a socioeconomic standpoint, a place like English Avenue might be the flipside of tony neighborhoods such as Virginia-Highland, but that doesn’t mean residents won’t have a voice, as project leaders stress. McBrayer says community feedback in forthcoming meetings, likely beginning with NPU-L this month, will dictate what the trail becomes and how it’s used.

“We’re already done the survey, gotten it back, and we’re going to propose an alignment with illustrations and seek neighborhood feedback,” McBrayer says. “If they want a connection to a particular street, then we’ll try to work that in. If they don’t want railing on a particular overlook, then we can change.

“We want to assimilate into the neighborhood as best we can,” he adds. “There will be plenty of places to get on the trail, and it’ll become an integral part of the neighborhood.”

PATH has recently installed a cycle track leading out of downtown on Marietta Boulevard and, two years ago, bike lanes that span over Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard.

Where those meet Northside Drive is where the new Connector segment will begin.

Next, an existing tree-lined park space across Northside Drive from the GWCC could act as a respite for trail patrons.

Renderings for the Connector trail’s southernmost beginnings are too tentative to publicly share, but plans generally call for the path to boomerang around these GWCC beehives (below) and then bridge over Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, the gateway to Vine City.

Due to the proximity of a substation and transmission lines next door, Georgia Power has to sign off on trail plans here, and that process is ongoing, says Stacey Patton, the Beltline’s vice president of real estate.

A complete streets makeover is underway on Joesph E. Boone Boulevard, a couple of blocks east of the forthcoming, $45 million Rodney Cook Sr. Park.

The abandoned railroad corridor is visible at right (below), and a new trail bridge planned to cross over this street will have to meet higher clearance standards than one demolished years ago.

“The pedestrian bridge we’re going to be building will have extraordinary views of downtown,” says McBrayer. “And we’re going to have a plaza up on the hump, if you will, where everybody’s going to be taking photos of downtown and everything. It’s unobstructed views from the Westside.”

Next is a view from Jones Avenue, looking back toward Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Engineers are assessing now whether this bridge—and another three blocks north at Jett Street—can be refurbished and reused.

The railroad spur, when active, serviced industrial properties on both sides of the corridor. This section has been dormant for two decades, says Patton.

The bridge over Jones Avenue, from below, as the trail heads toward Meldrum Street.

Next the trail will dip back to street-grade and cut behind the Northside Village Apartments, which face Northside Drive. Plans call for widening an existing sidewalk and slinking behind the building here.

Beyond the apartments, the trail corridor rises again, where work to clear trash—including more than 300 tires to date—and vegetated debris is ongoing.

“It is so sweet,” says Patton of the views from this vantage. “One of the nicest [Beltline] elevations.”

At Jett Street, as seen from the sidewalk below, is the second old railroad bridge undergoing an engineering analysis.

Beyond that is a bridge-less section over Cameron Madison Alexander Boulevard—the second of three elevated gaps where bridges will have to be rebuilt, all still in design. PATH’s McBrayer downplays bridge construction as being any sort of significant hurdle.

“We’re on about our 80th bridge,” he says. “Bridges are no big deal.”

Over a lost section of Meldrum Street, where a campsite has replaced vehicle traffic, another gap is visible.

Beyond this point, the Connector trail will swoop down to ground level again and remain there, via more recently decommissioned railroad lines, until reaching the future mainline Beltline.

The cleared corridor, as seen from North Avenue, looking toward Travis Street, is no longer elevated.

Abutting the trail is Grace Midtown, one of six churches along the trail, where a renovation that installed picturesque outdoor seating areas is expected to wrap in coming weeks.

Just across Travis Street from the church, with a side lot fronting the trail, is rapper T.I.’s newly opened Trap Music Museum and Escape Room, where weekend entry lines sometimes span the block.

Continuing northwestward on the trail, the Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway bridge is reflected in puddles along the corridor.

Beltline officials provided this image and rendering depicting how the trail and adjacent properties could look at Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.

After crossing several other at-grade streets, the corridor enters what previously was known as the kudzu line, as seen here near Law Street.

The rail line through this area has been inactive for about five years, and CSX is expected to have all remaining infrastructure removed by May, Patton says.

Next the corridor passes beneath a Marietta Boulevard bridge and meets active railroad lines.

Patton says the Beltline bought a small, triangular parcel in this area to bring the trail up to Marietta Boulevard, where lanes to Huff Road are planned to be converted into the Beltline, providing a link between the existing Westside Trail and the future northwestern segment.

The hope is that PATH, at that point, will break west to link with the existing, 61-mile Silver Comet Trail.

As for a timeline, officials say Atlantans can expect to see construction on this more pedestrian-friendly Connector soon.

The Beltline’s TSPLOST-funded outlay of more than $11 million paid only for acquisition of the rail corridors, a means of securing the land. Cost estimates for the full three-mile Connector are pending design finalizations, but each segment is planned to open with lighting, cameras, and other infrastructure.

The Beltline is still working to buy a few necessary, adjacent parcels, while McBrayer says PATH is raising and contributing $5 million from the private sector.

The first planned section where Joseph E. Boone Boulevard meets Northside Drive is almost ready to enter permitting phases, McBrayer says. Following neighborhood meetings, construction to bring the trail from there to the Northside Village Apartments, a section of a few blocks, is expected to launch this fall and take about six months to finish, likely next spring.

Meanwhile, the former kudzu line section will enter design phases and ancillary property acquisitions. As McBrayers sees it, the whole Connector trail can be funded and built within three years, providing the missing link to downtown and vice versa.

“To have the connection to downtown—I think it’s amazing,” says Patton. “There were so many people down there at the Super Bowl; with an electric bike rental, they could have been at the quarry park.”

source https://atlanta.curbed.com/atlanta-photo-essays/2019/7/2/18759900/atlanta-beltline-westside-connector-trail-downtown-kudzu

#OliverAtlanta

0 notes

oliveratlanta · 6 years ago

Text

Hotel Clermont, Westview Cemetery score spots on Georgia Register of Historic Places

Seven of 11 sites recently added to the state’s register are in Atlanta

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’s Historic Preservation Division recently added 11 sites to its register of historic places, and few people will be surprised to learn that most of them are in Atlanta.

The most notable additions, perhaps, are Poncey-Highland’s revitalized Hotel Clermont and the Westside’s colossal Westview Cemetery.

Built in the early 1920s on Ponce de Leon Avenue, the eight-story Georgian Revival-style building now known for its gloriously seedy basement strip club and stunning rooftop patio initially served as apartments.

Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta

The rooftop deck, complete with a bar and seating.

In 1939, it was transformed into a motor inn—the Hotel Clermont—and it served travelers and tourists and even some longtime residents until shuttering in 2009.

The infamous strip joint beneath the hotel rooms, the Clermont Lounge, however, has been running strong since 1968—the oldest nightclub in Atlanta—and it shows no signs of faltering.

Today, a $30 million restoration has brought the nearly century-old hotel back to its former glory—and then some. The boutique hotel’s rooftop hangout boasts one of the best skyline views in the city, and new restaurant Tiny Lou’s serves up high-end French fare downstairs.

Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta

Tiny Lou’s.

Over on the Westside, just south of the MARTA rail line between the Hamilton E. Holmes and West Lake transit stations, the Westview Cemetery is the largest civilian cemetery in the Southeast, spanning more than 500 acres.

Founded in 1884, the historic site houses burial monuments that tell a story of the changes the cemetery has witnessed.

Jonathan Phillips, Curbed Atlanta

Westview Abbey in Atlanta’s Westview neighborhood.

The cemetery showcases numerous forms of “decorative burial monuments (mausoleums, obelisks, headstones, and other markers) reflecting funerary traditions from the mid-19th century to 1976, as well as the Spanish Plateresque-style Westview Abbey (1943), a Romanesque Revival-style gatehouse (1890), and several additional buildings and structures,” according to a Department of Natural Resources news release.

Westview Cemetery also features two distinct cemetery design styles—lawn-park and memorial park—which further illustrate how landscape design trends have evolved since the graveyard’s advent.

Jonathan Phillips, Curbed Atlanta

Eubanks, Awtry, Candler, and Hartsfield are but a few of the famous names who’ve taken eternal residence at Westview Cemetery.

Lawn-park style, a design movement that began after the Civil War and survived into the 1920s, looks like sprawling green space with an abundance of headstones and other effigies jutting up from the ground, whereas memorial park-style, a trend started in 1913, features monuments that are flush to the ground, according to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Being listed on the Georgia and National Register of Historic Places does not restrict the “use, treatment, transfer, or disposition of private property,” as officials noted, but properties on the National Register can be eligible for federal and state tax incentives.

Other Atlanta landmarks recently added to the state’s historic register include the Briarcliff Plaza (home to famous Plaza Theatre and Majestic Diner); Collier-Perry-Bentley House; F.H. Ross & Company Laundry Warehouse; First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta; and the Whitehall Street Retail Historic District.

Road Arch

Briarcliff Plaza.

source https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/4/8/18300462/hotel-clermont-westview-cemetery-georgia-register-historic-places

#OliverAtlanta

0 notes

oliveratlanta · 6 years ago

Text

Former Old Fourth Ward church making switch to office space

Initial conversion construction is almost complete, paving the way for tenant buildouts

After serving as the home to various congregations through the years, the church at 629 Highland Avenue in Old Fourth Ward is en route to being born again as office space.

The 1954 structure, now referred to as 629 Highland, hosted three different churches in the past decade and a half. Now, the interior has been gutted and renovated to create three floors of office space.

It’s the latest example of intown churches being repurposed in the face of red-hot residential and office markets.

Not surprisingly, the 629 Highland ground floor contains the most space, with 3,140 square feet; the second floor measures approximately 1,600 square feet, and the third comes in at nearly 2,800 square feet.

The initial construction for converting the space is nearly complete and should wrap up within the next two weeks, according to Ward Bradshaw, who co-owns the property with his parents, Bo and Cathy Bradshaw of The Old Highland Bakery LLC.

Once that’s complete, tenant buildout can begin immediately, Bradshaw told Curbed Atlanta.

A look at what the interior could be as office space.

Although no contracts are signed yet, Bradshaw said he was in talks with a company to occupy the top two floors.

The Bradshaws purchased the building 17 years ago and, in the ensuing years, leased it out to three different church congregations. However, after parting ways with the third church, the company decided to move in a different direction.

Eric Bethany/Kronberg Wall

629 Highland is shedding its image as a church.

“We were burnt out on churches being there,” Bradshaw said. “We saw the neighborhood didn’t have a lot of office space, and there was a demand for it.”

629 Highland is the third property owned by The Old Highland Bakery LLC in Old Fourth Ward; the company also owns the building housing Highland Bakery (no affiliation) and the building at the corner of Bernina Avenue and Elizabeth Street where Melrose & Mcqueen Salon is located.

The church conversion at 629 Highland is just one more in the trend of such renovations throughout the city, including the changeover of Druid Hills United Methodist Church on Ponce de Leon Avenue to a townhome and condominium community; comedy troupe Dad’s Garage’s takeover of Atlanta Metropolitan Christian Church; Inman Park’s Lizzie Chapel Flats; and architecture firm Kronberg Wall’s reimagining of a Reynoldstown church, among others.

source https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/3/22/18276248/old-fourth-ward-highland-avenue-church

#OliverAtlanta

0 notes