That’s street “character,” not street person. Bob Jamerson, 53, may work as a florist, but he spends his free time trying to cheer up his fellow Atlantans as BATON BOB, marching around Midtown sidewalks in eye-catching costumes — wedding gown, prom queen dress, superhero outfit — and twirling a baton with all the enthusiasm of a varsity majorette. Bob, who acts as Atlanta’s volunteer cheerleader by walking several miles every day, calls his character the “Ambassador of Mirth” and says he moved here last summer after realizing that the people of St. Louis didn’t really get his infectiously joyous shtick. Their loss. less...

In past years, we critics have sometimes used this category as a forum to highlight - and yes, mock - some of the more colorful characters of our metropolis. But this year, we're setting aside our cynicism to give a nod to HELMET MAN, a moniker we've given to the gentleman with the cane and protective helmet who, every day, walks up and down Boulevard. His jolting gait and reassuring presence amid the hustle and bustle make him stand out as an inspiration for his dogged perseverance in the face of adversity. Watch from your car at the Freedom Parkway-Boulevard traffic light as he struggles across the intersection, and you'll learn something about the human spirit. less...

For at least two years, a Spandex-clad enigma has captivated pedestrians and motorists waiting at lights along Ponce de Leon Avenue. We're not sure of his name, his origins or how it is possible that one so thin became so proud and well endowed, but the Man in Spandex (including stunning black-and-red striped and infamous electric blue) has become ensconced in local legend. He postures, preens and dares observers to make eye contact as he leans on his cane near MARTA stops, but rarely is he seen getting on the bus. less...

Despite its Bible Belt pedigree, Atlanta seems to have less than its share of classic sidewalk preachers. The woman outside the Five Points MARTA station, though, with her handwritten sandwich board and her vocal appeals for Underground tourists to repent, is certainly doing her part to correct the imbalance. But she can be sated: Next time she exhorts you to leave the wicked path, simply smile and say, "OK." She'll smile back. less...