Sunday, November 22, 2009

Westside Story


To some, Atlanta has the reputation for being made up of a series of soulless strip malls frequented by overweight racists. While I am sure you can find an unfortunate bit of such in the South, The actual city of Atlanta has come a long way in terms of art, design and culture. For every clear cut, metro-area suburban cul-de-sac, Atlanta has an artist, gallery owner or restaurateur determined to leave their unique stamp--despite that fact that it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. This is why I was especially proud to find Atlanta's burgeoning Westside Arts District featured in today's Sunday Times. More photos here.

Photos by Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times

6 comments:

susie q said...

Yay Atlanta! There are so many pockets of art, design, and culture -- I love our city.

Terry said...

You have to get our of your car and explore around White Provision. The bridge is almost magical in a warm Atlanta night. (Plus, for the guys: TRAINS!!!)

Southern Aspirations said...

Hooray for the Westide! Yes, Atlanta does have lots of great little shop areas to explore- that don't include strip malls. :-)And have to laugh at Terry- lots of trains too.

CLAIRE WATKINS, ASID ALLIED said...

So true! I love that bridge. Stand on it and get such a beautiful view of the old city, denoted by the railroad, and the adjacent modern attractions in White Provisions bldg, like Knoll and Room & Board.

thebubbreport said...

How did I miss that in the Times? It must have been a tough crossword that day and taken up all of my time.

I LOVE that area - the space that Room and Board scored and the space where Modern Atlanta held their pre-tour party are incredible, and I love that industrial relic of a bridge. It's exciting to see artsy life emerging in the gritty West Side - auto dump yards next to high end furniture stores, dive bars a stone's throw from IKEA - it's at that point of a great mix before it gets too gentrified and all of the artists are priced out by yuppies.

BTW, your sentence about strip malls and overweight racists made me laugh out loud!

becky

Meander said...

I love this post! Oh so true it is! The amount of fabulous Atlanta restaurants featuring gorgeous art on their walls is always inspiring!
Thanks for posting!!!