Comments on: Updating “Mayberry Meets Berkeley” For the 21st Century

By: karass

karass — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:26:52 +0000

This is a good point. You increase the walkability/cyclability of a small town if there’s someplace folks want to walk/cycle TO! Otherwise, one begrudgingly gets in one’s car and drives elsewhere. When I first moved to Decatur as a single person, I walked/cyled around Decatur a lot less, not because I didn’t want to–in fact, I would DRIVE with my bike to somewhere fun to ride, but because there were less places in Decatur I wanted to go. I would walk into town with friends for the tree lighting or for concerts on the square or fireworks, but less for shopping and eating. On Sundays, one half of my days off, nothing was open. I’d drive over to Virginia Highlands or Little Five Points, or up to Toco Hill, or — gasp! — all the way to Midtown.

By: anniefannie

anniefannie — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:11:03 +0000

from one annie to another–well said!

By: Annie

Annie — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:54:54 +0000

I do not live in Decatur, but often visit family here. I live in a small town in another Southern state. Something I do envy about Decatur is the fact that it IS a walking city, but to concentrate on “walking” is to diminish what the city has to offer. Rarely mentioned here is the very important fact that one reason people walk is that there are so many wonderful places to walk TO–restaurants (especially those with outdoor seating), privately owned shops (not big chain stores), pubs (again, that outdoor seating), parks, tree-lined neighborhoods to walk through. Decatur has so much to offer. Enjoy it and don’t worry so much about image. Decatur is a wonderful place, I always look forward to coming.

By: josh

josh — Wed, 11 May 2011 03:11:08 +0000

Hey DM — a little photo-illustration quibble. Your picture on the right above is not of Berkeley — it’s of Alamo Square in San Francisco (http://goo.gl/maps/slsJ). And although San Franciscans want out of Viet Nam just as much as hippies from Berkeley, they are different places. Now if you were going for where Mayberry meets the 1980s sitcom Full House you might be on to something. The Tanner family lived right around the corner from where this photo was shot.

By: MikeC

MikeC — Tue, 10 May 2011 22:24:29 +0000

Sure was – and he had one heck-uv-a ‘Southern’ ac-cent goin’ on . He shows up (singing) about a minute into this film classic! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjUicHjw0SM&feature=related
Pennsyltucky! Gotta love it!

By: George

George — Tue, 10 May 2011 20:58:22 +0000

and one

By: Mad Scientist University

Mad Scientist University — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:39:43 +0000

Thank you, I made it myself!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:50:49 +0000

You wish, Decatur.