Free-For-All Friday 12/11/15
Decatur Metro | December 11, 2015 | 7:21 amFeel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not yet discussed here over the past week.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not yet discussed here over the past week.
brianc
The Walrus
Steve
The Walrus
Elle
The Walrus
New Scott
Scott
At Home in Decatur
Steve
Keith F
Keith F
Looking Back: The 2011 Atlanta Snowpocalypse
I have it on good authority (third-hand from a manager of the Foot Locker) that, in concert with Macy’s departure and Costco’s arrival at N. DeKalb Mall, all other mall tenants are getting the boot except for Marshall’s and Burlington, whereupon the long-rumored conversion to an open-air concept will actually commence. Lamentations, anyone?
Any word on AMC? That’s the only current tenant I would really miss.
Really? I quit going during to the AMC during the summer because the AC usually wasn’t working. I tried to go in the fall and got rained out of a movie. The roof was leaking. I won’t miss that theater at all.
Saw a movie there last night and the sound track had some static in it. Made me wonder if they were not funding improvements because they were going to close.
So the movie theater is closing too?
I don’t know about the theater (or any of it, really…this is obvs very sketchily sourced), but the lack of exterior access seems like a challenge. I would miss the $4 matinees….
Converting the mall from its current state into an open air mall would require significant investment and likely higher rents. Hopefully AMC would follow suit and makeover the theater. Of course this is all speculation at this point.
Sadness! We’d really miss AMC.
Costco is a major win, but I’m not sure we’d trade it for the close access to movies on the big screen. Particularly at a theater to which I can take my toddlers without shame while they’re learning how to behave in a theater.
If AMC stays, could we bring back movie ushers to remove those that can’t take a break from texting and using Instagram during the show?
All the predictions I’ve seen have AMC staying along with Marshalls, and Costco going into the Macy’s spot. I too would be pretty bummed if the AMC left. It’s by no means the best place in town to see a movie, but it wins on proximity, ticket price, and kid-friendliness. If the overhaul results in the AMC getting a facelift to bring it in line with the nicer theaters in town, all the more reason to celebrate.
Your post made me wonder if there’s ever been a “best place in town to see a movie” poll here. Not a lot of choices anymore, I guess, but would still be interesting. But I preemptively call for a ban on the equivalent of the Big Green Egg answer, as in “the best place is on my sofa in front of my blah blah blah.”
BTW, not saying it’s the best place, but I was impressed with the recently (?) revamped Phipps Plaza AMC. I saw “Brooklyn” there last weekend and it was one of the better experiences I’ve had at a theater in recent memory. Very comfortable, fully reclining seats with plenty of leg room plus good sight lines. It made the $14.50 (!) ticket price a bit easier to swallow.
I’ll say it for you. AMC at Phipps is the BEST place to see a movie. The best, best thing? All reserved seating so you can’t get there just a few minutes before it starts and not have to worry about finding a seat. Also, no one else is walking around looking for a seat, asking people to move so they can sit together, etc. I realize it’s more expensive but if you can swing it, it’s pretty awesome.
Yes, I forgot to mention the reserved seating, which is great. It’s pretty similar to Cinebistro, but without the distraction of food being served.
I just hate driving there. Call me locally provincial, but in terms of driving just 10 minutes to see a movie, our family has long been happy with North Dekalb AMC for cost and a quick drive. Like lumpintheroad …
At least when we go, the movie always seems to have only 20 occupied seats, so where to sit is not a problem!
I drove from Midtown, which isn’t terrible, but I wished I’d taken the train because it took me as long to find my car and exit the mall parking as it would have to walk to Lenox Station.
+1
Plus, I love the unmarked entrance. Always feel like I’m sneaking in
We never drive to Phipps – we Uber!
Allow me to repeat my fervent prayer that we somehow, someday get an Alamo Drafthouse here.
https://drafthouse.com
Oh my god, thanks for bringing back memories from 20 years ago. Alamo Drafthouse was a lot of fun.
I remember seeing “The 5th Element” (starring Bruce Willis) at an Alamo Drafthouse knockoff in Dallas lo these many years ago while splitting a pitcher of Samuel Adams Cherry beer just for the hell of it. Both the movie and the beer were pretty bad, but I enjoyed the experience anyway.
Would that have been the Granada on lower Greenville? My wife and I went there often when we lived in Dallas. Right next to Snuffers. God, I miss their cheese fries.
Just googled it, and I think that’s it. My (future) wife was teaching at SMU at the time, and I remember it being on a strip a little south of the University, and there was an oyster place across the road from the place. But I wasn’t living there, so I didn’t get all that familiar with Dallas from my occasional visits.
We love the seedy Tucker Movie Tavern (only 5 more min – or less – away compared to N. Dekalb Mall). Never crowded, has food/beer (a 16 oz beer is less than a coke at most theaters!). It’s not swanky but it’s close and does the trick.
Good place to watch a comedy, or anything that you don’t need the full fidelity experience.
Movie Tavern is a bargain. I actually consider it less “seedy” than N. Dekalb; it is a fairly new theater after all. Unfortunately, their typical selection isn’t up my alley, so I didn’t see much there when I lived in Decatur, and now it’s too far away from me. We did have fun there on opening day of the Jurassic Park reboot, the one “popcorn” movie I made it to this year.
Trying to remember that last time I was at North DeKalb at any place other than Macy’s. Sorry to hear it’s going away because that means the next nearest one is Northlake, which, IMO, is a worse store than NDk.
I don’t know about lamentations or rending of garments, but I’d prefer these places stay around:
–The Android’s Dungeon, or whatever the comic & game shop is called
–Play It Again Sports, because why pay full retail for stuff your rotten kids are gonna trash or outgrow in a season anyway
Play It Again Sports would be a true loss
Challenges game and comics. Place is pretty good (comics and games), owner is a a great long-time store owner (he previously operated as the Dragon’s Horde on Memorial Drive). I’m not into card games like Magic, but their weekly events do draw a lot of people to the mall. Closest place I know to Decatur to buy “real” games
(besides Barnes and Noble, who really ups their game selection at the holiday time)
Well over a decade ago we bought a dual-child baby jogger at Play-it-Again. It’s a great place for sports gear you know people are going to grow/wear out of.
Open-air, closed, I don’t care. Just tell me Leapin’ Lizards will remain and that there are plans to open a connecting brewpub for us parent folk.
Any recommendations for an exterior painter and someone to install insulation in a crawl space?
Certapro and Bird Insulation of Conyers
Thanks!
Does anyone know the plans for the extra capacity in the subsidized housing on Trinity? Is the plan to offer more Section 8 housing than in the past or to offer the extra units at market rate? With the disappearance of starter homes in Decatur, I think Decatur Housing Authority should shift some focus to middle income affordability and/or subsidized housing for city and school employees. I think it would be shame if the people who make the city work couldn’t afford to live here anymore.
Typically DHA has a long waiting list. The rents are on a sliding scale based on income. I’m not sure what the maximum income is, but I doubt it is very high. Homes for higher income folks would come at the expense of poorer folks.
That was exactly my concern. With starter homes and cheaper rentals disappearing, I think we’re in danger of becoming a city of primarily rich and poor people. I think Decatur Housing Authority should shift some focus to try to address this issue with the extra housing they’ve created, especially in regards to city employees. It could also be beneficial to residents of the DHA housing projects to make contacts and friendships with persons outside their socio-economic status.
Trinity Walk contains one market rate unit. All the rest, as Smith notes, are on a sliding scale based on income With a cap consistent with DHS’s low income mission.
Many moons ago when they taught driver’s ed in school, complete with classroom simulators and cars on loan from local dealerships, I learned many of my skills from Coach Culberson. During on-road instruction, we would constantly be reminded of little things. For instance, when stopping at any intersection, your first full stop should airways be behind the crosswalk whether it’s marked with white lines or simply exists by the fact there is an existing sidewalk. If we didn’t stop prior to the sidewalk, Coach would always say, “You just killed a pedestrian.”
I’m seeing a lot of dead pedestrians around town these days.
Driverless cars will solve all this.
I am pleased to have seen more Decatur Police patrols on Ponce de Leon as it enters Decatur from Scott Boulevard. Thank you for trying to curb speeding in our neighborhoods!
We’re at least a generation away from commonly utilized driverless cars, IMO. They’ve been unable to solve the dilemma of how to keep the “driver” sufficiently attentive for those moments when a complex situation (we take in a surprisingly immense amount of information) requires the car to pass the controls back to the person behind the wheel. To have to pay attention while not driving is not something we’re accustomed to doing, and is in fact more dull and fatiguing than actually operating the car.
You’re probably right. I’m in my mid-forties, and my hope is that by the time I’m too old to drive, it won’t matter.
And let’s not forget that, when happy motoring is fully automated, there will still be instances where instantaneous moral choices will need to be made and those choices will, instead, be made by algorithm. Such as, a car holding four people is forced off the road onto a sidewalk. Within the momentary maneuverability of the car is the choice of hitting a solid old tree or a lone pedestrian. The tree might kill the four people in the car; the pedestrian would likely die alone.
The logical approach would be to preserve the four at the expense of the one but I’m not sure a human being would make the same choice.
I’m not even saying one choice is inherently better than the other. Just that there’s a lot more about this aspect of automation to be explored and debated.
But the bigger point is that there would presumably be far fewer such “dilemmas” to begin with. From my own experience, two of the auto accidents (one of them serious) I’ve been involved in in my life were caused by drivers who fell asleep. Two other accidents involved distracted drivers, including my father, when I was about 6, running into a tree after he dropped a cigarette butt in his lap.
That’s right. I’m not suggesting any kind of one-for-one swap of such incidents. I think it’s generally agreed that incidents all around would be drastically reduced. My point was just that scenarios like the one I described *will* happen and I don’t think we, as a society, have discussed the implications sufficiently just yet.
Trolley problem
I also wonder about manufacturers’ willingness to be considered the party at fault for any incident whatsoever.
We are already pretty far along this path. Take a look at features now available in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. It began with drowsiness alarms and now have cameras and radar sensing a vehicle’s position in relation to fixed and moving objects, providing automatic braking and pacing for cruise control. Their design innovations have saved many lives.
SkyNet is my co-pilot.
Like Spock said, the needs of the many will outweigh the needs of the poor guy on the sidewalk
“Driverless cars will solve all this.”
It is premature, I know, but I am going full Charlton Heston on this: “From my cold, dead hands!”
You’re good as long as you have a permit. : – )
72. December. Nice.
Not sure I agree, but it at least it shuts up the climate change deniers for a while, since they only seem capable of interpreting climate change as “warm in winter”…
Climate deniers at one end of the spectrum and doomsdayers at the other. The reality of the situation is somewhere in the middle where there is a natural occurrence combined with some level of man-made influence, and the real conversations are about the money. Those labeled as deniers by doomsdayers are perhaps better described as cautious realists who question whether breaking the bank does any real good.
I’m super hyped about reselling my Macon real estate holdings as beachfront property.
excellent framing of the situation.
Shout out to Team Hodor at Corner Pub Wednesday trivia– we love you consistently creative Hodor variant names. Keep them coming!
Best places in Decatur to teach a 6-year old to ride a bike? I’m thinking church parking lots on Saturdays, but would love to hear other suggestions.
We did Glenlake Park on the edge of the basketball court when no one was playing. We figured if he fell, hopefully he’d fall outwardly and land on the grass.
But, really, if the child wears pads and a helmet, they’ll be fine most anywhere that doesn’t have cars or other obstacles in the way. A little bit of a downhill also helps so they can get some speed to help with balancing. Good luck and have fun. It’s one of the true parenting joys watching your child master this skill and seeing the pure happiness they show. That’s good stuff right there.
The whole running behind the kid on the bike thing doesn’t work — but you do get a workout.
Just lower the seat until both feet comfortably meet the ground and let the child scoot at her own comfortable pace. The peddle thing is phase II.
My younger son convinced us that he could ride all the way to the Square (in exchange for a bribe) which he did. Would have loved a GoPro of the terrified people dining al fresco as he careened through the outdoor tables.
For kid #2 we bought one of those handle things that attaches to the rear axle. Saved my back, and seemed to accelerate learning (or at least my efficient of holding and running with the bike!) I could hold the bike steady when she got on, and routinely let it go and not tell her.
The field behind Winnona Park Elementary. It’s hard enough to offer a fairly solid surface for a bicycle, soft enough to fall on and not get too roughed up, and big enough to give them running room.
I used this method to teach my son to ride (disclosure-no connect to author). He suggested office park parking lots on the weekend–they are huge and have few obstructions so learners don’t have to worry about steering at first.. We went to Century Center off Clairmont and I-85. My son was riding (pedaling & steering) within one afternoon. YMMV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blv6HLybedo
That’s funny…Century Center is where I taught my son to drive a car. Thank God we held our respective lessons at different times.
Braves’ parking lot was a good spot to teach a friend to drive stick. Might also be good for bikes if no car lessons in progress.
Another great poll idea … who can drive a manual aka “stick” transmission? By gender and by age distribution.
I learned on a VW. All three daughters learned on and then drove manual transmission vehicles. Certainly keeps the young drivers paying attention while driving. Both daddies always said as a woman you’d better be able to drive home when the date is over the limit. Plus there’s the benefit of easier repairs. I mastered driving even when the clutch broke and 2nd gear was the starting place. Love my son-in-laws but only one of the three has the skill. Sadly there’s not too many manual transmission options for purchase these days. Could be the thing to reduce texting while driving.
I learned to drive a stick on my own, at age 18, after falsely claiming I knew how in order to get a summer landscaping job that required occasionally driving a truck with a manual transmission (but not on public roads). In my 20s and early 30s I drove various Hondas, all stick shifts. I haven’t owned a car with a manual in about 12 years though. Too much stop and go traffic in Atlanta. And if you ever need someone else to drive your car for you, it can be a hassle, as many people don’t know how to drive a stick shift.
Learned at 26 on a beat up wrangler. Been driving a manual wagon since I was 28. it will be hard to find another manual when my car dies.
Both of us learned stick at 15 and we’ve got a manual Jeep now. Haven’t had the 18 year old practice on it more than a handful of times, but we’re determined she will know how to drive it.
I likewise learned on a manual, as did both my kids. 30-something son still drives manual. Daughter opted for a manual in college, so no one could borrow it – easier than saying no! Unfortunately a Prius doesn’t come as a manual.
I learned to drive my dad’s four speed fishing truck shortly after I learned to drive. I owned several manual transmission cars as an adult, the last being a Honda Accord. My husband had never driven anything but manual and was sick of it. He caught me at a weak moment- when I was hugely pregnant with my second son – and convinced me to trade for an automatic. Wish I still had that car so my teen could learn to drive a stick!
Most of my cars, starting with my firetrap Pinto when I was 16 (over 30 years ago), have had manual transmission. My current ride also has it, and I hope to always drive one.
Spouse and I both learned on sticks. On my most recent one (05 Subaru, sold it 3 years ago), every now and then I would park on a hill and pop the clutch just to remind myself it can be done
It is getting harder and harder to buy a manual transmission with many makes/models. The push towards CVTs, tap-the-shifter shifting (I call it fake stick) has made it even harder. Though our current car (Subaru with a CVT) is the “least annoying” automatic transmission I have ever drove.
I learned to drive on a stick in the late 80s in Germany. I had the choice of learning on a mid 80s Volvo sedan w/manual transmission or a (slightly) newer Volkswagen Westphalia Vanagon (also w/manual transmission). Both of my next two cars (early 90s Honda CRX and a late 90s Audi A4) were also manual. The logical argument for many years was that manual transmissions were more economical (both when purchasing the vehcile and from the perspective of fuel consumption) but that’s largely not true any longer. CVTs, torque converter automatics, and many of the newer high performance dual clutch transmissions perform better and provide better fuel economy. That said, I would still own a traditional 5/6/7 speed manual if given the choice.
My sister’s boyfriend taught me to drive his VW in the 1970s. It was harrowing for both of us. But we persevered. Today I drive a Miata five speed. It’s a fun little car.
I like to think that I am less likely to be carjacked with a manual transmission.
I learned to drive a manual on a 3-on-the-tree Ford van when I was 15… 30 years ago.
Drove a manual 4-runner 8 years, when I traded it in for a Sedan — still my biggest car regret. Wish I still had that 4-runner, it was bullet proof.
Learned to drive on a manual Datsun 210. Still would prefer manual, I think, though they are increasingly difficult to come by.
Try a grassy open field instead of on pavement. You can’t get going too fast and when you fall over it does not hurt nearly as much. All our kids leaned this way.
Green St bike path is a long-time fave, you can give them a little momentum by starting from one of the several little arched bridges.
Does Adair Park still have that concrete loop? That’s where I learned to ride a bike. Best of both worlds in that you have a smooth surface that’s easy to pedal on and control the bike, but it’s easy to bail out into the grass.
Yup. Still there. Say what you will about concrete but it’s got staying power.
Agnes Scott College.
Nice loop by the chapel/library/science building and other areas with a bit of an incline (which helps with momentum). No chance of car traffic.
One day there turned a teary 6 year old begging for his training wheels back into a competent cyclist.
Columbia Seminary has lots of level sidewalk space in the middle.
Decorate Decatur! Reminder that the contest deadline is December 14. Send an email to [email protected] to enter your home. Include the street address, description of the decor, and a photo of the decorated home. The entries will be reviewed by the Decorate Decatur judges committee and the winner announced during the following week. You are also encouraged to submit entries for your neighbors’ homes if you admire their holiday spirit and you think their homes should be on the Decorate Decatur map.
Georgia has state preemption laws that prohibit localities from regulating the ownership, transportation, and possession of firearms. The US Supreme Court just refused to hear a case that attempts to overturn a local ban on certain firearms in Highland Park IL.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/08/us/supreme-court-will-not-hear-challenge-to-assault-weapons-ban-of-highland-park-ill.html
Illinois has a preemption law as well but the Highland Park ban was passed before it went into effect.
Does the SCOTUS non-decision call into question the legality of GA’s preemption laws or just affirm the legality of Highland Park’s ban?
Should some Georgia locality, like, I don’t know, Avondale Estates maybe, pass an assault weapons ban to test whether it should be legal for them to try to keep themselves safe from mass shooters, despite state law?
No, it shouldn’t.
Well, that settles it then.
What is an assault weapon?
According to Merriam-Webster, an assault weapon is “any of various automatic or semiautomatic firearms especially : assault rifle.”
(Just for balance) Yes! It should.
Quick plug for the MARTA Army. It’s a grassroots group dedicated to improving MARTA in small but effective ways. Several “missions” are in place right now but the most need in Decatur is “Operation TimelyTrip.”
What do you do?
Adopt your nearby bus stop! Currently, all stops just say MARTA, no route numbers, times, nuthin’! Once you “enlist,” all you do is pick up at an event, at Georgia Tech, or have shipped, the latest bus schedule/route (signage is designed/printed/laminated in partnership with MARTA) and post to the sign with provided zip ties. You may even choose to enhance your bus stop by sprucing up/rehabbing/decorating for Xmas, but it’s not required.
Why hasn’t this caught on in Decatur? Looking at the map, my stop is one of only three in CoD! It’s easy, free, and makes a big impact for riders.
Sign up and explore the other mission (MARTA Kudos) at http://www.martaarmy.org/
New route schedules will be distributed Monday!
Apologies if this has been covered previously: Oakview Market on the south end of Oakhurst is closed and the owners are looking for a new tenant.
We almost definitely have a squirrel trapped in our wall. What do we do?
Atlanta Squirrel and Rat Removal. They did an amazing job for us and were very reasonably priced.
http://www.atlantasquirrel.com
To the recumbent cyclist on McClendon this evening: It’s a headlight, not a lighthouse beacon. We see you. We do not need to be blinded by your led light system. Please take some time and aim the beam or replace it with a proper cut-off lens.
And to the green Subaru driver: No I do not want to drag race you to the stop sign at Parkwood. I would like 3 feet–it’s the law. Co-exist.
Need photos of the kiddos with Santa? Wild Heaven Brewery is offering up Santa for child and family photos with Santa today. Free – no brewery tour required. Wild Heaven is located at 135B Maple St, Avondale Estates. Santa is on call today from noon-4pm
And, there is Wild Heaven Beer!
Looks like the stock liquidation of the North Dekalb Macy’s is in progress. Manned signs state everything is 50% off. First time I have seen the parking lot full.
DM, what happened to the “Like” buttons?
I can still see them.
I see them now – didn’t this morning.
I can still see them on smartphone
Hi All,
I’ve got a friend who’s looking for a voice/speech coach to help with an accent issue. I looked online, but most everyone I found seemed to focus more on singing lessons. Any suggestions? Would be great if they could come to his house. Thanks!