44 replies to this topic

[Andrea]

Interesting discussion in today's AJC:

http://www.ajc.com/b...is_atlanta.html

What do you think? If they're talking about how others see us, my guess would be Coke, hip-hop, sprawl, the Braves, the airport and horrible suburban traffic.

[ironchapman]

Coke is probably my first guess. I don't know how many people look at a Coke and say "Oh yeah, Coke comes from Atlanta...", but it is the most well known trademark in the world.

As far as what most people associate with Atlanta, I'd suggest the traffic, the airport, and the Olympics. A lot of people I talk to on vacations and other trips tell me they loved going to see the Olympics there (or remember seeing them on TV).

Those are just my personal opinions, though.

[HAMMETTM]

Well first of all, from reading the comments in the AJC blog, all that I can say is WOW. Are those the type of people that live in Atlanta? Better yet, are those the type of people that would pick up an AJC? Who knew so many ignorant, racist and immature people read the newspaper?

Anyway, when I was younger (adolescent) I just thought of Atlanta as another city in the south. Now that I'm older I think of Atlanta as the current haven for southern rap, a mecca for young southern professionals (primarily black) looking for a cool city close to home with a great economy and a place where a young man like me can go to on the weekend for almost endless PARTYING.

[adelosky]

HAMMETTM, on Jun 5 2007, 12:09 PM, said:

Well first of all, from reading the comments in the AJC blog, all that I can say is WOW. Are those the type of people that live in Atlanta? Better yet, are those the type of people that would pick up an AJC? Who knew so many ignorant, racist and immature people read the newspaper?

Please, please, please don't ever read the blogs on ajc.com .  That's one reason I stopped visiting the website.  Those ignorant, racist, and immature people don't read the paper - they hide behind their computer screens and say anything they want to say about things they know nothing about because they know that nobody will confront them and they don't have to explain themselves.  Hopefully, they don't live in Atlanta, but I'm sure if they do, they aren't anyone that the majority of the people on this board would associate with anyways.

[Pillsbury]

^ Yeah, I read the AJC everyday and I cannot believe the things people say in those blogs.  What kills me is the anti-Hispanic ravings.  Every topic seems to come back to that at one point or another.    I've said it before though, it pales in comparison to what is written in the LA Times blogs.  It just proves that people will say anything when they can hide behind a computer screen name.

My local newspaper is the same way, though they've cut back on a lot of that stuff by making people actually register like they do here.  It doesn't totally rid the newspaper of stupidity, but it does make it a bit harder.  Of course, stupidity will always be around.

Edited by Pillsbury, 05 June 2007 - 03:01 PM.

[VistaLakes01]

I'm from out of town (Orlando) and the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Atlanta to me is the view of a huge 20 lane expressway full of cars curving and twisting around (in a fascinating way, LA's freeway's don't even give me the same impression.)  I also think of an island city in the middle of the South, a diversified, civilized, safe-haven 400 miles away in every direction from the rest of civilization..(Example: If I am driving to ATL from Orlando, once I leave the Florida Turnpike and get on I-75 for the next 400 miles I leave diversity, open-mindedness, fashion, culture, the beach, fine dining, etc. until I get to Atlanta and if I leave Atlanta in any direction it seems like 400 miles to get to any of the above mentioned things again.)  I also think of the closeness to the mountains, Coke (a-cola), Peachtree, Buckhead and wonder to myself how can Orlando prevent the urban sprawl (Orlando is named #1 for worst urban sprawl in the USA) that Atlanta has.  And most recently I think of hip-hop and how Atlanta represents it,  the same way that Orlando has come to represent Reggaeton....Just my thoughts....

[pksiv]

metrowester, on Jun 5 2007, 08:36 PM, said:

I'm from out of town (Orlando) and the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Atlanta to me is the view of a huge 20 lane expressway full of cars curving and twisting around (in a fascinating way, LA's freeway's don't even give me the same impression.)  I also think of an island city in the middle of the South, a diversified, civilized, safe-haven 400 miles away in every direction from the rest of civilization..(Example: If I am driving to ATL from Orlando, once I leave the Florida Turnpike and get on I-75 for the next 400 miles I leave diversity, open-mindedness, fashion, culture, the beach, fine dining, etc. until I get to Atlanta and if I leave Atlanta in any direction it seems like 400 miles to get to any of the above mentioned things again.)  I also think of the closeness to the mountains, Coke (a-cola), Peachtree, Buckhead and wonder to myself how can Orlando prevent the urban sprawl (Orlando is named #1 for worst urban sprawl in the USA) that Atlanta has.  And most recently I think of hip-hop and how Atlanta represents it,  the same way that Orlando has come to represent Reggaeton....Just my thoughts....

I think our widest freeway is I-75 just north of Windy Hill and it's only 15 lanes (8 NB, 7SB)  

[VistaLakes01]

pksiv, on Jun 6 2007, 06:47 AM, said:

I think our widest freeway is I-75 just north of Windy Hill and it's only 15 lanes (8 NB, 7SB)  

It seems like 100 lanes! It should be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World!

[NCB]

Honestly, I probably hear more about Atlanta's traffic than anything else down here in New Orleans.  

Of course I would certainly say things like Coke, the Olympics, Delta Air Lines, Home Deopt, etc. are way up there as well.

[SOUTHWESTATL]

Magic City (of course).

[Manolos]

i wouldnt say coke. i think very few peopel think of atlanta when they hear coke. i think the first most younger generations would think of is hip hop.

[zen509]

Hip hop, traffic and sprawl.

[Mr Downtown]

Its Airport, Traffic, marginal support for its sports franchises, sprawl, nightlife, a mecca for blacks, strip clubs, and beautiful black women

[VistaLakes01]

Mr Downtown, on Jun 10 2007, 02:20 PM, said:

Its Airport, Traffic, marginal support for its sports franchises, sprawl, nightlife, a mecca for blacks, strip clubs, and beautiful black women

I would say the most the word Atlanta, the ATL, or the A, comes up these days is in hip hop music.  And there is probably a lot of hip hop we don't hear out of Atlanta here in "The O" (Orlando) since we have a lot of Reggaeton mixed in with our hip hop scene, several of our weekend dance mixes on the radio are totally reggaeton and we have a lot of latin clubs and all of our large nightclubs here have one, two, or even three latin nights every week.  To learn more, check out Orlando, Florida in Wikipedia and look under "Culture" and read all the way through "Arts and Entertainment"...but back to the ATL, besides hip hop, traffic and sprawl would be next.  10 years ago you used to hear a lot about shopping in Atlanta down here, although there was always and argument as to whether Miami or Atlanta had better retail, Miami always had a better retail scene to me, especially being such a huge modeling center.  Now we don't hear much about either retail-wise, since Orlando pretty much has the same options and we don't have to leave the city to shop anymore, especially with IKEA about to open and H & M on the way.  We actually had the first new Bloomingdale's prototype store, and it opened about a year before Bloomie's entered in to the Atlanta market.  And the architecture of the Mall at Millenia is amazing!  Also used to hear a lot about the gay scene in Atlanta, but not too much anymore.  I still love Atlanta though, it's still the closest cool-hip city when I get tired of palm trees and the tropics an heat in Florida, although we have so many large metro areas in Fla each with it's own diverse offerings, it's great to see the mountains and the change of seasons that you find in Atlanta!

[krazeeboi]

Atlanta is still seen as the nation's Black Mecca of sorts, and I think it's still known for that primarily.

[Andrea]

krazeeboi, on Jun 15 2007, 02:55 AM, said:

Atlanta is still seen as the nation's Black Mecca of sorts, and I think it's still known for that primarily.

I agree, and it's not just the city but the metro area in general.

[Pillsbury]

What is Atlanta known for?  For many of us, it's the Promised Land.

[ironchapman]

I wonder if we could add the CDC to that list of things Atlanta's know for?

[krazeeboi]

I think the fact that Atlanta is such a diverse metro that many people can't come up with just one or two things that Atlanta is overwhelmingly known for is a real strength.

[MCNite]

When I think of Atlanta I think of the interstates. I remember the few times I drove from Norcross to Courtland Street at 5:30 in the morning and seeing the buildings appear over the horizon like it was a showcase.