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| Atlanta at the Brookwood Split looking south. Photo by me, November 2023. |
Today was the first time I have been down to the city since August when I
was at Ponce City Market and the Beltline. It was a gloomy day with mist
in the afternoon and it was quite nice. I was hanging out in West
Midtown and Blandtown. I still have a kernel of fondness for the city,
especially when it is gloomy, but I do not want to live there again.
Otherwise, I am locked away at home being very productive with the next novel due in 2024. Atlanta and my life there in the 1990s and early 2000s are apart of this book. Much of what I have written is critical of the city during that time, though in some ways it might have been a better city then than now. It was certainly more relaxed and laid back during that period compared to today and some of that criticism could be extrapolated on a national cultural level. The skyline with the new buildings is nice to look at, but generally life in the city proper is not that appealing at street level.
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| Photo by me, November 2023. |
Some of the smaller scale new construction, like this in Blandtown, is hideous and cheap looking. This residential building looks like three shacks stacked atop each other or maybe an overcooked french fry. It also has no relationship with the street other than the cookie cutter stencil style mural. However, I would imagine the price is anything but cheap.
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| Photo by me, November 2023. |
Many years after being built, the 17th Street bridge remains a complete abomination for pedestrians. Imagine walking across that concrete wasteland in the heat of summer with all of the pollution from the traffic wafting upward and no shade. The only redeeming value of the bridge, besides traffic management, is the view of the skyline.
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