Cityscape
The past year hasn’t been awful. Meteors didn’t pummel the 17th Street bridge to dust. Locusts didn’t swarm the samosa tray at Your DeKalb Farmers Market. Mounted Mongol invaders didn’t sack Grant Park and eat Mei Lan. Yet.
But a spike in crime, a dip in the housing market, careless missteps by police and city leaders, and, well, Michael Vick have turned our civic mood ring from blue to gray.
What better time, then, to seek solace by reflecting on some of the things old and new, trendy and timeless, that we love about our town — whether it’s the diversity of Buford Highway or the charm of our distinctive intown neighborhoods.
Maddening though it can be sometimes (witness the last session of the General Assembly), Atlanta is a profoundly interesting place to live. In a generation, it’s morphed from a provincial podunk to a behemoth of international business and a cultural mecca.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a hipster in an ironic tee, a scenester clubbing in designer duds, a company foot soldier producing stacks of TPS reports or a refugee fleeing an African war zone. Atlanta has a job for you, a place to live and a bar for you to hang out with your friends.
— Andisheh Nouraee
Best Person You Hate to Love BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Person You Love to Hate BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best place for Celebrity Sighting BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best place to ride your bike BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Playground BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Radio DJ/Personality BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Radio Station BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Rock Climbing Wall BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Rock Station BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Spot to Commune with Nature/Best Park BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Street Character BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best suburb BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Tourist Trap BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best UnderRated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best UnderRated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best UnderRated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best UnderRated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Urban/ Contemporary Station BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best YouTube BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Bizarro Local News Story BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Market BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
CRAIGSLIST is more than just a shopper’s mecca. Its “anything goes” posting policy has made it a repository for users’ deepest and weirdest thoughts. Though it pains us to say this since Craigslist has taken a huge chunk of newspaper revenues, we still have to give props. Whether you’re looking for a guitar, a couch, a car or a house, it’s a great place to browse. On a given day, you’ll also find things such as heartfelt letters penned to anonymous grocery-store clerks someone was afraid to talk to, invitations by men who want to “swap body rubs,” and obscene racist rants about problems with Mexican drivers. Craigslist is part shopping mall, part diary, part bathroom wall.
less...Best Festivals BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Whether seen as a defiant indulgence, kitschy novelty or unexpected projectile, it’s hard to deny the mysterious allure of the corn dog. No wonder David Railey has spent so much energy nurturing Atlanta’s CORNDOGORAMA. The indie-fried omnifest rocked through its 11th year in July, despite a somewhat sour relocation from the Earl to Lenny’s, and seems poised to keep growing in its new home. The 2007 edition was headlined by Atlanta metal rockers Mastodon, and featured local up-and-comers the Coathangers, the Selmanaires and Snowden. As with any festival that really cares about its congregation, there are gimmicks and games aplenty, including motorcycle stunts, a corn-dog-eating contest, the Queen Corndog pageant, a heavy-metal petting zoo and 40-yard flip-flop race.
less...Best Local TV News BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
TV news anchors aren’t reporters. They’re readers, tasked by TV stations with the job of lending authority and likability to the copy scrolling up their teleprompters. In Atlanta, no one does it better than MONICA PEARSON. Longtime Atlantans remember when she arrived in 1975 from Louisville, Ky., as Monica Kaufman to anchor the morning local-news breaks during “The Today Show.” Even then, it was obvious there was something about her that made you stop what you were doing to watch. Today, she’s a part of the fabric of the city. Pearson’s ace in the hole is her hard-to-categorize-yet-undeniable charisma. Maybe it’s her vaguely diva-esque bearing. Maybe it’s her adventurous hairstyle choices. We’re not sure what. All we know is that whatever “it” is, she has it.
less...Best Local Blogger BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Since starting Drifting Through the Grift in March 2006, GRIFTDRIFT has attracted a loyal following with his easygoing online persona and his trenchant commentary on important local news stories. His finest achievement: his posts this spring and summer that chipped away at the mountain of political, legal and media hypocrisy surrounding the Genarlow Wilson case. When the U.S. attorney in Atlanta ripped the Douglas County prosecutor for having distributed a video of Wilson and an underaged girl having sex, his statement was uncannily similar to the ones GriftDrift had been making for weeks.
less...Best Local Blogger BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Best Local TV News BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape
Best Advocate for the Environment BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Advocate for the Environment BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Bike Ride / Urban BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Bizarro Local News Story BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Country Music Station BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Free Annual Event BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Georgia Beach Retreat BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Georgia Mountain Retreat BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Golf Course BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Intown Park BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Jazz Station BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Jogging Path BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Athlete BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Blog/Zine BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Blog/Zine BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Blogger BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Blogger BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Blogger BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Celebrity BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Do-Gooder BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Hero BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Hero BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Podcast BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local Rabble-Rouser/Activist BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best local sports radio show BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Local TV News BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Loft Project BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Morning Drive-Time Radio Show BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Neighborhood Festival BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Neighborhood to Buy a House Cheap BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best New Addition to the Cityscape BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best New Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Non-Commercial Radio Station BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best OTP Park BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Overall Neighborhood BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best OverRated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Best Person You Hate to Love BOA Award Winner
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
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