July 2023
Features
-
Why I love my specialty: Atlanta’s top doctors share the patients, challenges, and victories that inspire them
“There are fewer than 20 pediatric ophthalmologists left in the state to serve a large population of children who need our help to see,” says Shivani Sethi. “That means I’m busy, but I find it even more rewarding to work with children throughout my day. I’ve never met a pediatric ophthalmologist who isn’t happy doing their job. Every single day we help tiny babies see and experience the world.”
Georgia’s largest industry faces a mental health crisis
Agriculture is the state’s largest industry, contributing more than 350,000 jobs and more than $74 billion to Georgia’s economy. With high risks and, often, thin profit margins for family-owned farms, social isolation, the vagaries of weather, and the burden of a multigenerational family legacy, the work can wreak havoc on mental health.
-
The Connector
Rediscovering the Chattahoochee: Former riverkeeper Sally Bethea looks back in a new memoir
Sally Bethea is still getting to know the river she’s devoted much of her life to. Hired as founding director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper in 1994, she spent 20 years protecting and restoring the neglected waterway. But “being a mom and running a small business, which a nonprofit is, you rush from one thing to another,” she says. “You’re getting big stuff done and moving on.”
Georgia’s “Museum City” marks a milestone anniversary
Here’s a quick guide to Cartersville’s big three museums—with shows to catch before they close, and ones you have a little more time to get to.
State-sanctioned encampments, like this one in Athens, can provide shelter for the unhoused. But are they deferring permanent solutions?
Proponents of sanctioned encampments, like First Step in Athens, say they’re a safer, healthier alternative to the communities of tents and lean-to shacks that have become a part of our cities’ landscapes. People living on the street are vulnerable to violence and arson; these informal camps can also lack sanitation and waste disposal infrastructure, which adds to the risk of infectious disease. But critics of state- and city-authorized camps say there’s little evidence that they ultimately reduce homelessness. In fact, some say they do the opposite by diverting funds that could be used for more permanent solutions.
What it was like behind the scenes at a new cat show in metro Atlanta
Excitement filled the air of Duluth’s Gas South Convention Center one sunny Sunday morning this spring—as did the plaintive mewling of a Bengal cat named Wigglebutt Wanna Build a Snowman, as did a series of facts delivered by Steven Meserve, who has long blond hair and lives in a pink mansion in Portugal with his partner and 25 feline companions.
A sought-after Atlanta swim instructor’s recipe for success
“I’m not typically a kid person,” says Coach Marci. “I don’t have any children of my own, so I’m not super emotional about children. I think that gives me an advantage.” The advantage: teaching kids to swim, which Marci does in weeklong clinics from spring to fall. She isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy in coach mode, but she’s become a sought-after instructor in certain circles among parents who send kids as young as six months.
The pest professor: Meet Dan Suiter, UGA’s Orkin Professor of Urban Entomology
Dan Suiter has a superpower: He can walk into a restaurant and tell if it has rats or roaches, just by the smell. “Rat urine is kind of pungent,” he says. “Roaches are more musty.”
The Bite
Atlanta is in the midst of a sandwich boom. Here are 10 of our favorites.
India’s original grilled cheese, a true Chicago Italian beef, a monster cold cut, a bargain egg and cheddar, and more handhelds you need to try.
Review: This Poncey-Highland restaurant is the best of the wurst
Not long ago, on the same morning that I reluctantly forked over $2.17 for a small pouch of M&M’s at my regular gas station, I paid $7 for a cortado and an excellent breakfast sandwich—eggs and bacon on a soft sesame-seed roll. How could such a thing be? In any event, I have since returned almost daily to the Best Sandwich Shop and the Wurst Beer Hall, chef Shaun Doty’s new restaurant combo in the former Moe’s space on Ponce de Leon Avenue.
The verdict on 5 new Atlanta restaurants: Oaxaca, Binky’s Eatery, Carmel, Gezzo’s Coastal Cantina, and TydeTate Kitchen
Two new Mexican spots in Chamblee and Bolton, a soul food restaurant and a sleek Thai spot downtown, and coastal cuisine in Buckhead.
The Goods
5 Reasons to love East Lake
As the neighborhood slogan goes: “The sun rises first in Atlanta in East Lake.” Indeed, this quiet, walkable community of vintage bungalows is the city’s easternmost hood. Founded in 1892 as a trolley-car suburb, the area offered country living and lakefront attractions, including a penny arcade, a swimming beach, and steamboat rides.
Good scents: Designer fragrances open standalone boutiques in Atlanta
There’s no better small indulgence than a luxury fragrance or candle, and Atlanta is brimming with boutique scent experiences. While upscale fragrances like Jo Malone and Creed have always been available at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, a crop of up-and-comers have decided to take a chance on Atlanta’s retail scene.
Room Envy: This relaxed listening room is a music-lover’s perfect escape
When it’s 90 degrees in Atlanta, IT professional and writer Blake Donley can escape to his basement listening room with a cool beverage and 3,000—give or take—of his favorite LPs.
Upcoming Kitchen Tour to Benefit Meals on Wheels Atlanta
Atlanta Magazine and Atlanta Magazine’s HOME in partnership with Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio are sponsoring ‘Kitchens for a Cause,’ a curated tour of seven spectacular kitchens that will benefit Meals on Wheels Atlanta (MOWA).
Miscellaneous
A love letter to one car free day—the Peachtree Road Race
The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. Not because I’m particularly fond of barbecues, fireworks, or overt displays of patriotism, but because of another Atlanta Independence Day tradition: the Peachtree Road Race.
