Saw this earlier this morning, but Eric motivates me to post.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle was the first to report the results of a recent TripAdvisor poll that ranked Atlanta along with both Detroit and Los Angeles as site visitors “least favorite” U.S. city.  However, we did receive props for having the “best accent” (not that THAT helps me at all).

What?  Just because we don’t have waterfront and destroyed our historic fabric AND embraced brutalism and sprawl like it was going out of style?

Come on guys!  What about our highly ironic aquarium?!

Hurry up Beltline…

First on DM…

A couple days back, Jerry tipped me off to news that Mayor Floyd had decided not to run for governor, but asked that I get Bill’s blessing before posting.  Two days after accepting the presidency at GMA, Bill was good enough to provide me with a little detail on why he decided against running for the state’s highest office.

I have decided not to run for governor, but for several reasons and not just who is in the race. Most are personal reasons ranging from 1. I like what I’m doing now 2. business – to – really personal reasons. All being said if I really had the “fire in the belly” I would run regardless of who else is running. One other small reason is, having to raise $10+ million dollars, not an easy task for anyone in this climate. So I am looking forward to continuing in the job the voters of Decatur have given me and doing the best job I can. I hope to get to know all the candidates for Gov and Lt Gov and make a wise choice about who to support.

Lyn evokes Andisheh and elaborates on The Decatur Minute on the news shared by KL in an earlier comment that Trackside and 5th Earl demolition will begin this evening.

Don’t Panic!  A portion of the front wall of Trackside and Fifth Earl will be demolished this evening.  This work is necessary because the fire earlier this year destroyed critical structural components and a segment of the front wall had pulled away from the building and was collapsing.  This retail strip is made up of several individual buildings which were cobbled together over time into a small retail center.  So, while Trackside and Fifth Earl appeared to be in two buildings, they actually occupied at least three individual buildings that had been joined together and then subdivided over the years.  The damaged wall section being demolished includes the far right side of Trackside and the left section of Fifth Earl.  The eastern-most lane of College Avenue adjacent to the building will be closed to traffic from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as the demolition work is completed.  Plans are still underway to restore the building and reopen the businesses.  The demolition work marks the first step in the reconstruction.

AJC Photo

Roswell has begun painting “bike boxes” at city intersections, after their director of transportation saw them on a visit to Portland, Oregon.

What is a “bike box”?  From the AJC…

Bike boxes are designated spots where cyclists can wait at the front of the line for traffic lights, making them more visible to motorists. The Roswell bike box has a narrow green lane that leads cyclists up to the box and guides them in making a left turn onto Riverside Road.

Is this something Decatur could do?  As the AJC noted, “bike boxes and sharrows don’t cost much, just a few cans of paint, so more are coming.”

With his general nonchalance and third-person speak, Winnona Park Stud mentioned in a previous post…

Winona Park Stud noticed that the “For Lease” sign is gone from the old Victory Vintage space on the corner of College and S. Candler. Piece of Cake Bakery is opening next door, but doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the old VIctory space – anyone know what’s up?

A check of their website confirms that Piece of Cake is opening in Decatur early next month.

The bakery currently has two other metro locations: Buckhead and Roswell.  Piece of Cake is probably the best-known Atlanta cakery.  Getting them into the Trackside strip is a big get for the city.