Cityscape
Pity the suburbanite and out-of-towner. Every morning, hundreds of thousands of people clog metro Atlanta interstates and land in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and make their way into our city. They're here for business and pleasure. Sometimes they're just lost. They'll work in Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead skyscrapers, walk in Atlanta's museums, and sometimes enjoy the city's parks. And at the end of their workdays or trips, they leave.
Atlantans, however? We get to live here. We wake up and go to sleep in these communities. We not only shop in the stores, but also live next door to the people who own them. Intown traffic might be nuts, but at least we can hop on a bus or train and not wallow in gridlock. And when people knock our city, we defend her because we've put so much of ourselves into making it what it is and is becoming.
But making this wonderful city that we call home actually function takes a lot of work. Approximately 58,000 people keep the world's busiest airport clean, safe, and welcoming to friends and family from far away. Employees at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights start waxing the floors at 7 a.m. in anticipation of tourists. The Piedmont Park Conservancy has a full-time staff that aerates lawns and picks up trash so the city's most popular greenspace remains a jewel. Neighborhood associations slog through long meetings filled with discussions about zoning and sidewalks because, in the long run, those issues make the difference in an excellent community. (And some journalists spend long nights trying to cover the issues that affect neighborhoods.)
Atlantans work damn hard but they don't always get the accolades and recognition. That's why CL every year racks our brains to recognize the people, places, and things that make Atlanta the city we love. We know all about the city's problems. Let's take a moment and applaud those contributing to the bizarre, chaotic, and beautiful cityscape.
— Thomas Wheatley
Best gatherings of the masses: Free event BOA Award Winner
Best gatherings of the masses: Race for a cause BOA Award Winner
Best pack of scarf-wearing, ball-kicking hooligans BOA Award Winner
Best local communities: Family-oriented neighborhood BOA Award Winner
Best local communities: Neighborhood for porch life BOA Award Winner
Best local communities: Neighborhood for walking and biking BOA Award Winner
Best place for a s BOA Award Winner
Best reclamation of an asphalt eyesore BOA Award Winner
Best student revolt BOA Award Winner
- SaveWRAS
Best wearable response to Braves retreat from Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Best legal Hail Mary BOA Award Winner
Best new attraction BOA Award Winner
Best place to commune with nature BOA Award Winner
Best place to people watch BOA Award Winner
Best dose of realness in an email by a city official BOA Award Winner
Best gatherings of the masses: Neighborhood festival BOA Award Winner
Best place to learn long-lost life skills BOA Award Winner
Best rec league BOA Award Winner
Best act of civil disobedience BOA Award Winner
Best bizarro local news story BOA Award Winner
Best comeuppance by a public official BOA Award Winner
Best place to ride your bike BOA Award Winner
Best startup that could actually change the world BOA Award Winner
Best transit advancement BOA Award Winner
Best tree hugger BOA Award Winner
Best free thing to do in Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Best high school BOA Award Winner
Best jogging path BOA Award Winner
Best new thing about Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Best overrated thing about Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Best picnic spot BOA Award Winner
Best public skate park BOA Award Winner
Best rec league BOA Award Winner
Best street BOA Award Winner
Best bed and breakfast BOA Award Winner
Best bizarro local news story BOA Award Winner
Best hiking spot BOA Award Winner
Best new addition to the cityscape BOA Award Winner
Best off-the-beaten-path tourist destination BOA Award Winner
Best place to ride your bike BOA Award Winner
Best playground BOA Award Winner
Best place to ride your bike BOA Award Winner
Best city view BOA Award Winner
Best Hotel BOA Award Winner
Best local athlete BOA Award Winner
Best local place to commune with nature BOA Award Winner
Best overall neighborhood BOA Award Winner
Best public pool BOA Award Winner
Best walkable neighborhood BOA Award Winner
Best community garden BOA Award Winner
Best dog park BOA Award Winner
Best intown park BOA Award Winner
Best landmark BOA Award Winner
Best local sports radio show BOA Award Winner
Best free thing to do in Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Best gatherings of the masses: Free event BOA Award Winner
Best gatherings of the masses: Race for a cause BOA Award Winner
Best high school BOA Award Winner
Best jogging path BOA Award Winner
Best new thing about Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Best overrated thing about Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Best pack of scarf-wearing, ball-kicking hooligans BOA Award Winner
Best picnic spot BOA Award Winner
Best public skate park BOA Award Winner
Best rec league BOA Award Winner
Best street BOA Award Winner
Best bed and breakfast BOA Award Winner
Best bizarro local news story BOA Award Winner
Best hiking spot BOA Award Winner
Best local communities: Family-oriented neighborhood BOA Award Winner
Best local communities: Neighborhood for porch life BOA Award Winner
Best local communities: Neighborhood for walking and biking BOA Award Winner
Best new addition to the cityscape BOA Award Winner
Best off-the-beaten-path tourist destination BOA Award Winner
Best place for a s BOA Award Winner
Best place to ride your bike BOA Award Winner
Best playground BOA Award Winner
Best reclamation of an asphalt eyesore BOA Award Winner
Best student revolt BOA Award Winner
- SaveWRAS
Best wearable response to Braves retreat from Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Best place to ride your bike BOA Award Winner
Best city view BOA Award Winner
Best Hotel BOA Award Winner
Best legal Hail Mary BOA Award Winner
Best local athlete BOA Award Winner
Best local place to commune with nature BOA Award Winner