Published by Indie Rock Reviews
Release Date: March 2011
Atlanta is called home by some of the greatest artists in the world including Outkast, The B-52s, David Cross, Spike Lee, The Blacks Crowes, and even Kanye was born here. While Atlanta (proper) has a population of only half-a-million people, the Atlanta Metropolitan Area has nearly 6 million residents. The city includes the headquarters of massive corporations like Coca-Cola, Home Depot, AT&T, and Turner along with the busiest airport in the United States. When our city won a bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics, it seemed to breathe a new life into a constantly evolving area. In his book Bicycle Diaries, David Byrne of Talking Heads comments on Atlanta’s “great people, and some serious types as well. Great music and food.” We call it home, and some of my favorite places in the world exist in and around Atlanta. The city has grown faster than our roads, hardly leaving any room for transportation alternatives. A 22 mile Light Rail Line connecting Atlanta throughout it’s city centre in still in development (envisioned by GA Tech Student Ryan Gravel). There is more than enough to do in a few days here.
Things to Check Out while in Atlanta:
Bars/Restaurants:
The Local: Very relaxed pub near Drunken Unicorn in Poncey-Highlands. Cheap drinks, and a constant crowd.
The Local: Very relaxed pub near Drunken Unicorn in Poncey-Highlands. Cheap drinks, and a constant crowd.
Gekko Sushi: Just opened up in Old Fourth Ward. Reasonably priced, fresh sushi with a great atmosphere.
Alfredo’s: Opened in 1974 off Cheshire Bridge. It’s a family-owned jewel with a few tables in a quiet room, and incredible Italian food.
Pure Taqueria: Delicious Mexican food with locations in Alpharetta, and Inman Park.
The Varsity: You can’t visit Atlanta without checking out this burger joint. If it’s a game day (Braves, Hawks, Falcons) you might have trouble getting in. Don’t leave without trying the frozen ‘Creamsicle’.
Chic-Fil-A: Fast food chicken sandwiches and Atlanta cultural icon founded in 1946 with the first ‘Dwarf House’ in Hapeville. Franchises are slowely making their way to the West Coast. I can only hope that IN-N-OUT makes it’s way over here.
Venues:
The Variety Playhouse: Old, WWII-era movie theater turned music venue in Little Five Points. The Sloped floor and acoustics of the room lead to some really great shows.
The Variety Playhouse: Old, WWII-era movie theater turned music venue in Little Five Points. The Sloped floor and acoustics of the room lead to some really great shows.
Masquerade: One of the oldest venues in Atlanta. The stage was once filled with bands like Radiohead and Nirvana. The building was built in the 1800s as an Excelsior mill, and still contains the original emery grinding machine somewhere between Heaven and Hell (different rooms of the venue).
The Earl: Alternative music venue in East-Atlanta. You will undoubtedly find a great band playing to most of a PBR drinking crowd. In fact, on the night that the club first opened a local distributor donated three Kegs of Pabst Blue Ribbon for the occasion.
Drunken Unicorn: Located beneath the chaotic MJC Concourse in the Poncey-Highlands area. This underground post-punk venue gives countless out of town bands a room to play in Atlanta.
Eddie’s Attic: Music Club and Tavern in Decatur. Some of Atlanta’s greatest musical talent got their start playing some great acoustic shows there. Recently, the Atlanta Connective hosted ten musicians each covering a song off Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.
Districts/Entertainment:
Criminal Records: A music staple in the Atlanta community located in Little 5 Points (L5P). The store certainly helped us out a lot while we got our start in Atlanta.
Criminal Records: A music staple in the Atlanta community located in Little 5 Points (L5P). The store certainly helped us out a lot while we got our start in Atlanta.
Alpharetta, GA: Home to some of the greatest people that I know.
Wax and Facts: Another record shop in L5P. Houses some really great used Vinyl.
BeltLine: $3 Billion dollar development project that will shape the way Atlanta grows in the future. 40 parks in Atlanta will be connected by bike or walking paths that allow you to visit many of the spots mentioned above without ever hopping into a car. The newest development is the Historic Old Fourth Ward Park off Glen Iris that just opened last month.
Wuxtry Records: Record shop with outlets in both Athens and Decatur.
