Atlanta Emerges as Black Entertainment Mecca [[due in part to Georgia film incentives)

**Trumpeteer** · November-29-11, 08:15 AM

Let's address some misinformation concerning the Atlanta area.

"Chains and franchises rule the scene, for everything"

The Atlanta area has one of the top foodservice segments in the country to rival NY, CHI, etc. The Atalnta Culinary Association is the largest in the country and independant operators abound.

"I don't hear about Atlanta or Georgia nearly as much anymore."

Good...

"visiting Conyers GA a suburb, and what amazed me was you had to drive about a hour to get to Alpharetta [[another burb) It's like that each destination"

Conyers to Alpharetta is approximately 45 miles apart so an hour drive seems amazing???

"I have fam members that have relocated there and they never drink the water out the tap and water rationing is real"

If they don't drink the tap water maybe have them get off the well water. Also there is NO rationing simply common sense restrictions in summer at times. What restrictions? How about not being able to water your lawn after 10AM in the heat of August? Worst time to water anyway. NEVER any restrictions anywhere anytime on indoor water use.

**iheartthed** · November-29-11, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

what kind of mass transit is in Atlanta and vicinity, if any?

They have a subway system, albeit small. It connects their airport with the city, which is something that is conspicuously absent in Detroit.

**iheartthed** · November-29-11, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by Islandman

Good call GP. The is a large Hmong population around Pershing H.S. This was quite apparent during my facilitator gig with Taubman a few years back.

Bailey is right though that the movie script was originally written to be set in Minneapolis. The location wasn't integral to the plot, and since it was about an old man and his American car it was pretty easy to set the story in Detroit and for it still to make sense.

**Trumpeteer** · November-29-11, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

They have a subway system, albeit small. It connects their airport with the city, which is something that is conspicuously absent in Detroit.

MARTA [[Metropolitan Atlanta Transit Authority) has a rail system that does go to Hartsfield as well as through downtown then branches off to a NW, NE and short western corridor. Unfortunately, the system does not reach into the more densely populated areas. Agree that any kind of transportation from Metro to the CBD in Detroit is much needed.

**atl_runner** · November-29-11, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by Trumpeteer

Let's address some misinformation concerning the Atlanta area.

"Chains and franchises rule the scene, for everything"

The Atlanta area has one of the top foodservice segments in the country to rival NY, CHI, etc. The Atalnta Culinary Association is the largest in the country and independant operators abound.

While that may be true in terms of upper middle, to higher end restaurants, like Flip burger, [[mid range).. it's very isolated, and still all very generic. Buckhead has chains galore, and the buckhead life group, is nothing more than a chain like experience with comparable tastes. Midtown has more independents, and the west side of Midtown / Atlanta, is where the real authentic experience is. The problem is, reality has one spead out much more than that on a daily basis, and getting beyond those areas, the chain and franchise food is far and away, dominant. I will say though.. there is no Pho like Buford Highway Pho.

beyond that.. Atlanta has Marta for rail based mass transit.. while it is not very useful, it is better than nothing. Detroit has nothing rail based, and that is unacceptable for a city that wants to call itself.. a 'big' city.

My whole point was to say that Atlanta is not the shining city on a hill that people think it is. It peaked somewhere late 90's, to early 2000's, and has failed to regain the momentum that it once had. Frustrations here abound, just like most other big cities.

Water is not the issue people make it out to be. Date based rationing is common sense, and I have not noticed it at all.. just part of life. The reservoirs do what reservoirs do.. they rise and fall based on rainfall. There are dry periods and wet periods, and as long as they balance out, there are few issues.

**Trumpeteer** · November-29-11, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by atl_runner

My whole point was to say that Atlanta is not the shining city on a hill that people think it is. It peaked somewhere late 90's, to early 2000's, and has failed to regain the momentum that it once had. Frustrations here abound, just like most other big cities.

Water is not the issue people make it out to be. Date based rationing is common sense, and I have not noticed it at all.. just part of life. The reservoirs do what reservoirs do.. they rise and fall based on rainfall. There are dry periods and wet periods, and as long as they balance out, there are few issues.

Couldn't agree more except that Allatoona and Lanier also rise and fall due to the ineptness of the Corp.

**bailey** · November-29-11, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by atl_runner

While that may be true in terms of upper middle, to higher end restaurants, like Flip burger, [[mid range).. it's very isolated, and still all very generic. Buckhead has chains galore, and the buckhead life group, is nothing more than a chain like experience with comparable tastes. Midtown has more independents, and the west side of Midtown / Atlanta, is where the real authentic experience is. The problem is, reality has one spead out much more than that on a daily basis, and getting beyond those areas, the chain and franchise food is far and away, dominant. I will say though.. there is no Pho like Buford Highway Pho.

beyond that.. Atlanta has Marta for rail based mass transit.. while it is not very useful, it is better than nothing. Detroit has nothing rail based, and that is unacceptable for a city that wants to call itself.. a 'big' city.

My whole point was to say that Atlanta is not the shining city on a hill that people think it is. It peaked somewhere late 90's, to early 2000's, and has failed to regain the momentum that it once had. Frustrations here abound, just like most other big cities.

Water is not the issue people make it out to be. Date based rationing is common sense, and I have not noticed it at all.. just part of life. The reservoirs do what reservoirs do.. they rise and fall based on rainfall. There are dry periods and wet periods, and as long as they balance out, there are few issues.

What ever happened to the issue of some of the 'burbs seceding from Fulton County? Did that ever go anywhere?

**MidTownMs** · November-29-11, 03:12 PM

What does any of this have to do with Detroit?

**Cincinnati_Kid** · November-29-11, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by Trumpeteer

Let's address some misinformation concerning the Atlanta area.

"Chains and franchises rule the scene, for everything"

The Atlanta area has one of the top foodservice segments in the country to rival NY, CHI, etc. The Atalnta Culinary Association is the largest in the country and independant operators abound.

"I don't hear about Atlanta or Georgia nearly as much anymore."

Good...

"visiting Conyers GA a suburb, and what amazed me was you had to drive about a hour to get to Alpharetta [[another burb) It's like that each destination"

Conyers to Alpharetta is approximately 45 miles apart so an hour drive seems amazing???

"I have fam members that have relocated there and they never drink the water out the tap and water rationing is real"

If they don't drink the tap water maybe have them get off the well water. Also there is NO rationing simply common sense restrictions in summer at times. What restrictions? How about not being able to water your lawn after 10AM in the heat of August? Worst time to water anyway. NEVER any restrictions anywhere anytime on indoor water use.

It's not amazing when it seems every few miles you see a accident on either I-20 or I-485. That 45 mins must be on a good day. Those Atlantans drive like nuts !!

**Trumpeteer** · November-29-11, 05:19 PM

Let's see 1st you said it "amazed" you now you say it's "not amazing". That's amazing.

**ghettopalmetto** · November-30-11, 12:51 AM

Originally Posted by Trumpeteer

The Atlanta area has one of the top foodservice segments in the country to rival NY, CHI, etc. The Atalnta Culinary Association is the largest in the country and independant operators abound.

Sure. If a "good" restaurant to you is one that flies in fish from around the world, flies in beef from the Midwest, and has produce trucked-in from 500 miles away, while having no identifiable local cuisine of its own.

**Trumpeteer** · November-30-11, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by ghettopalmetto

Sure. If a "good" restaurant to you is one that flies in fish from around the world, flies in beef from the Midwest, and has produce trucked-in from 500 miles away, while having no identifiable local cuisine of its own.

Yet another uninformed comment. The Metro Atlanta foodservice segment is one of the nation's leaders in "Farm to Table" cuisine in that the majority of independant restauranteurs buy locally grown produce from around the region as well as use beef raised in free range ranches in mid and south GA. We have a winner of Top Chef here as well as many of the other culinary stars in the chef community. Several James Beard House performing Chefs ply their trade here as well. Do we fly in fresh fish?? Absolutely! On the other hand fresh mountain trout from North GA is outstanding. FRESH shrimp, tuna, grouper from off the GA coast is equally great. Loacal cuisine? Maybe you should actually make a visit and try some of the top restaurants.

**Zacha341** · November-30-11, 08:59 AM

^^^^ Oh, yes - off topic but Atlanta does food good and more local than many other big cities!

**PeachLaser** · November-30-11, 09:54 AM

I think this is directly Detroit-Atlanta related. On the old assembly site that Ford abandoned in Atlanta [[there is another that GM abandoned), Porsche North America is building a new state-of-the-art headquarters with a "customer-experience test track" built into the facility.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8979750.htm

**Wesley Mouch** · November-30-11, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Atlanta is the center of the SE with over 6 million people in its Metro Area and growing. Its economy is also heavily diversified and the region doesn't rely on any one industry for its success. Not to mention, outside of NYC, Houston and Dallas, it has the highest number of Fortune 500 companies [[more than Chicago). What helped it also become an entertainment mecca was heavy influence from Ted Turner and Tyler Perry. It long surpassed Detroit in terms of relevance. The black community in general only considers Detroit the party city, nothing more, nothing less. They consider it nice to visit from a "Yeah, those are our hardcore, down to earth homeboys and we know we'll have their support!!!" standpoint, but majority of them wouldn't dare live here if you paid them. On top of all that, it's considered an Alpha city. It's really no comparison the more you think about it.

Are you in the industry? You've hit it on the head.