Month: September 2012

Bloomberg Ranks Atlanta as 16th Best U.S. City

We haven’t seen one of these overall all city rankers in a while – many that make the rounds these days are quite adjective niche (ie best sexiest city!, the most boring city!, the ugliest city!, etc), so I’d thought I’d throw it out there.  Over the years, many here (myself included) have said that these rankers are a bit ridiculous, but they do open doors for interesting discussions about our city and other cities around the county.

As mentioned in the post title, in this new Bloomberg ranker, Atlanta hits #16. Here’s the blurb…

Atlanta’s combination of entertainment, cuisine, and parks rates second-best on our list. So why does “Hotlanta” rank only 16th overall? Air quality and unemployment are areas of concern, but Atlanta’s crime problem—second-worst on this list—keeps it from soaring. The city has greatly increased its park space in recent years. Residents can also pay homage to arguably their city’s greatest invention: The World of Coca-Cola (KO) park has educated soda pop enthusiasts for five years at its Pemberton Place location.

We’ll try to overlook the fact that they used a picture of Forsyth Park in Savannah to demonstrate Atlanta’s beauty.

Photo courtesy of k1ing via Flickr

Free-For-All Friday 9/28/12

Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.

Comments close on Monday.

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This week’s FFAF is brought to you by Kick in the Fit…

WIN a FREE MONTH of Boot Camp at Agnes Scott this October! To enter, just send an email with the subject line “Decatur Metro Giveaway” to [email protected]. Make sure to include your full name in the email. Kick in the Fit will pick the winner at random on Monday morning.

Decatur Bike Derby is Coming October 6

Anne writes in…

Join the Decatur community at our first-ever Decatur Bike Derby to celebrate and enjoy cycling fitness and healthy living – Saturday, October 6 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the 4/5 Academy at Fifth Avenue (F.AVE).

All wheels are welcome at this not-to-be-missed event featuring activities for children of all ages, including: the Tour de F.AVE bike race, obstacle courses, a cycle stunt show, a toddler trike track, and bike decorating. Bring your trikes, training wheels, unicycles, bicycles, you name it. There will be live music by local bands and a raffle for two brand new bikes. Great food will also be on hand, with fantastic lunches grilled on-site by Universal Joint!

For a full schedule of events and information on race registration, visit  www.decaturbikederby.com.

Many thanks to our Platinum and Gold sponsors: Oakhurst Neighborhood Association, Oakhurst Businesses,Decatur Education Foundation and Bicycle South.

Morning Metro: Local Resident Featured in Comic, TLC Show, and Where Trees Come From

  • Local resident Bob Herndon in a nationally syndicated comic strip [Knight Life]
  • TLC looking for Decatur houses [The Decatur Minute]
  • Georgia Power goes “cookoo” for solar power [CL]
  • MARTA top job finalists offer different styles [WABE]
  • Beltline pedestrian improvements complete on Willoughby Way [BeltlineBlog]
  • Richard Feynman explains where trees really come from [Brain Pickings]

The Dukes of Michigan Avenue

Paula writes in…

I have a small mystery for you! When we moved into our house in 2001, I found this wooden board in a closet. I set it aside, and forgot about it. I re-discovered it in a recent bought of Spring cleaning. As you can see from the picture, it seems to be part of a packing crate shipped to Mrs. Daniel F. Duke in Decatur in 1944, from PVT C.K. Duke, apparently stationed overseas. If it is a meaningful bit of family history to someone, I’d love to be able to return it to its rightful owner. The address on the board is Michigan Avenue, although we don’t live at that address. Perhaps one of your many readers knows something about the Dukes of Michigan Avenue?

Second Annual Madison Avenue Soapbox Derby This Saturday

Marco sends in this announcement…

The 1st Annual Madison Ave Soapbox Derby was in October 2011 and created by a group of neighbors on Madison Ave (in Oakhurst). We were inspired by a neighbor who decided to get involved with the opening of Gigi’s Playhouse, a Down Syndrome Awareness Center. Our motivation was to support one of our own by coming together as a community.

Our vision was to create an event that encouraged parents and children to work together. Our priorities were to raise money, support Decatur children, and have fun!!! As a result, we accomplished all three! The turnout for the 2011 derby was amazing. We had 60 registered drivers of all ages. T-Shirts were donated by friends, food was donated by our local Publix, bales of hay were donated by the local Ace Hardware and baked goods donated by moms. At that end of the day we were extremely proud to write an oversized check for $4,500 to Gigi’s Playhouse. All of this organized and accomplished by a group of neighbors with an idea.

We are looking forward to the 2nd Annual Madison Ave Soapbox Derby. This year’s event will support Our House, a child care and support center for homeless families in Decatur. The mission is the same: money, children, and fun! The event is Sept. 29th, 2012 and begin at noon. Please visit madisonavesoapboxderby.org for details and follow us on Facebook for constant updates. Our goals have grown, but our grassroots efforts have stayed the same. Please come out and cheer on our racers, and help support Our House.

For more info on Our House, please visit OurHouseGA.org