July 2016
Features
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Winning gold and chauffeuring Ali: Memories of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
Athletes, musicians, local leaders, and metro Atlanta residents share their memories of the games—taking home the gold, chauffeuring Muhammad Ali, collecting pins, riding MARTA, performing for Bill and Hillary Clinton, and more.
What is it? An oral history of Izzy, the mascot marketing snafu of Olympic proportions
John Ryan settled on a character that was neither human nor animal. It resembled a blue tear, with hands sprouting three fingers and a thumb, lightning eyebrows, and a big, sheepish grin.
What it’s like to have your ankle become your knee
The good thing about the rotationplasty is that even though you still have a prosthetic shin and foot, your ankle joint becomes your knee joint, which makes it much easier to use a prosthetic. You can put weight on it. You can jump.
What it’s like to start an organ donor chain
On June 9, 2015, I was on the operating table at around 6:30 a.m. By lunchtime my kidney was on a Delta jet headed to Los Angeles. They kept it on the flight deck with the crew.
What it’s like to survive a deadly snakebite
Those snakes, they’ll lie underneath blueberry bushes and catch birds as they come in to pick berries. He was probably just lying there asleep, digesting birds, and I walked up and scared him.
What it’s like to give birth to a one-pound baby
The one thing I prayed the hardest for was to hear her cry. I just thought, If I hear her make some sort of sound, it means she’ll be okay. When Paisley came out, I heard a noise.
What it’s like to catch a cold that could kill you
I didn’t find out until I was over 50 that I had CVID, common variable immunodeficiency. What it basically means is that if I get a little cold, I get really sick.
What it’s like to be diagnosed with cancer while you’re pregnant
I definitely stood out among the cancer patients on my floor. But I’d also see patients who had six months left to live. Talking with them while I sat there pregnant, it totally changed the way I think about life and how precious it is.
What it’s like to take a paralyzing hit on the football field
During a kickoff in the third quarter, I was in to block. I picked out my guy, the kicker, lowered my head, and hit his shoulder. Then everything froze. I was on the ground.
What it’s like to get a new heart for your 18th birthday
While the anesthesia was wearing off after the first surgery, I checked my phone and saw an email from the University of Alabama saying I’d been accepted. I just didn’t know whether I’d make it to graduation.
What it’s like to survive Ebola—twice
In early December, one of my eyes began hurting. I started to lose my sight. My ophthalmologist used a needle to draw some fluid from my eye and discovered that the virus was still active inside.
What it’s like to be struck by lightning
“You’re not going to believe this. I just got hit by lightning.” She thought it was a joke. I said, “Let me send you a video,” and I filmed my smoking boot.
Top Doctors 2016
Every year, we present a roster of the best metro Atlanta doctors, as chosen by their peers. Here you’ll find 623 of the area’s most trusted physicians—our biggest list ever.
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The Connector
After Supreme Court victory, Stephen Bright won’t rest his defense of the poor and the powerless
“I do not believe that I have made any sacrifices.”
A drone’s-eye view of the Sandy Springs Tennis Center
On a pristine spring afternoon, a half dozen teenagers practice their groundstrokes at the Sandy Springs Tennis Center. Home to two dozen outdoor courts, it’s the largest public complex of its kind in metro Atlanta.
5 things to know about the Hard Rock Hotel Atlanta
Hard Rock officials unveiled plans last year for a reimagined hotel on Centennial Olympic Park Drive. The glitzy property will include a heated outdoor pool, rooftop “oasis,” several live music venues, and oodles of memorabilia.
As Uber pushes for airport business, Atlanta’s outdated cab industry resists change
Uber and Lyft arrived in Atlanta in 2012 and 2013, respectively, and have, in essence, provided Kasim Reed with the taxi fleet he was imagining. The cars are clean, and the drivers are courteous, show up when they’re supposed to, and (usually) don’t get lost. There’s only one problem: the city’s actual taxis are still around.
Meet Tunewelders, the sonic wizards who create everything from sound effects to musical theater
A goat chomping on nacho chips makes a highly distinctive sound. That’s why Tunewelders, a boutique music creation and audio production company, recorded an actual goat—stage name Moose, of Decatur—chowing down on chips when putting together an entry in a competition to create a Doritos commercial that would air during the 2013 Super Bowl.
We made up one of these six strange suggestions to relieve Atlanta’s traffic. The rest are real.
Reasonable proposals have emerged—more bike lanes, the Atlanta BeltLine—to help relieve congestion. But local politicians also have come up with some wacky ideas for easing gridlock’s grip on the region.
The Agenda
Atlanta History Center’s new exhibition brings more of the city’s past to life
The new permanent exhibition, Gatheround: Stories of Atlanta, aims to expand the way we traditionally think about the city’s history by spotlighting not only mostly forgotten events but also new perspectives on the ones we think we know.
Atlanta History Center’s archive is a treasure trove of Olympics memorabilia
Architectural models of Olympic venues. A lacquered flower bouquet like those presented to gold medalists. Licensed Olympic merchandise, from dolls and key chains to motor oil and wine. Oh, and pins—lots and lots of pins.
Can we link the entire “I Love the ’90s” concert tour lineup back to Atlanta? Word.
Bust a move when this throwback tour hits Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 16.
How two Atlanta artists used crowdfunding to launch Tuskegee Heirs
Set 80 years in the future, Tuskegee Heirs depicts a rogue group of African American teenaged pilots who must battle “self-aware war machines” to save humanity. The project was inspired by a conversation Williams had with an older man who was frustrated by how aviation had gone from awe-inspiring to mundane in just a few decades.
The Bite
Review: BeetleCat proves Ford Fry needs to slow down
Cocktail-fueled crowds are standard when dining with Ford Fry, whose interiors are never anything less than stunning. But at some point, you will need to eat—calories to balance the booze. This is where BeetleCat starts to sink.
Technique: Local Three’s Chris Hall on how to sear scallops
Fresh, plump sea scallops take well to all kinds of cooking methods: poaching, grilling, baking. But the most common approach is searing, a lightning-fast technique that’s easy to pull off if you know what you’re doing—and easy to screw up if you don’t.
7 rosé wines perfect for any summer afternoon
Nothing says summer more than a sweating glass of pink wine. This seasonal “it” drink rarely costs more than $20 per bottle and goes down as easy as water.
3 must-see acts at the newly-opened City Winery
What wine pairs with Aaron Neville’s buttery tenor? Find out at City Winery, Ponce City Market’s newest attraction. During shows, guests can order wine from a 400-bottle list and small bites like salads and flatbread pizza.
8 Fahrenheit brings Thai “rolled” ice cream to Atlanta
Buford Highway’s 8 Fahrenheit is reshaping how we eat ice cream—literally. Forget scoops and cones; think Instagram-perfect frozen curls.
Community Farmers Markets releases first seasonal cookbooks
Atlanta’s largest collective of farmers markets has launched a new series of seasonal cookbooks. In May, Community Farmers Markets released the first edition, Spring.
The Christiane Chronicles: Where to find great Tamil cuisine in metro Atlanta
Where to find excellent Tamil cuisine in metro Atlanta, plus, can we please be done with Styrofoam, the little coffins made of waxed cardboard, and even the ecoconscious alternatives, which seem to be made of porous materials that suck the life and moisture out of the food?
The Goods
Room Envy: A simple oil painting inspired this Roswell kitchen
A simple oil painting provided unlikely inspiration for this kitchen redo in Roswell. “It was an old piece of art that I just had to have in the room,” says homeowner and interior designer Anisa Darnell.
Test Drive: Myavana analyzes your hair to find your perfect haircare product
With all the haircare products out there, how do you know which ones are best for you? Thanks to Candace Mitchell and Chanel Martin, who studied at Georgia Tech, there’s an app for that.
Local Find: A Sensible Habit’s colorful, quirky ceramics
Sketches of starbursts, stripes, and even cacti cover Brandy Schuman’s hand-cast ceramic plates, jewelry dishes, and spoons. Her colorful line, A Sensible Habit, began with quirky stationery and printed textiles, but Schuman recently expanded to tableware and jewelry.
Salle Opticians goes beyond mass-manufactured luxury glasses
Wendy Salle of Salle Opticians doesn’t carry basic eyewear. Ray-Ban, Prada, Persol? Those are all mass-manufactured by corporate giant Luxottica.
My Style: Asiyami Gold Wekulom
Wekulom may run the most beautiful social media presence in town, if her 66,000 Instagram followers are any indication. The 24-year-old studied nursing at Georgia State but recently has been assisting emerging brands with their creative direction.
Five reasons to love Pine Lake
“What’s unique about this city,” says Mayor Melanie Hammet, who is also a songwriter and recording artist, “is its care for the environment, its passion for the arts, and its sense of humor.”
Miscellaneous
Editor’s Note: Uber Forever
The way taxis work—or, more specifically, don’t work—in this town is dumbfounding. Imagine a company that promises to perform a service, then simply chooses not to. And doesn’t even bother letting the customer know.
One Square Mile: First Baptist Church of Duluth is a multicultural sanctuary
Jeremiah Buziba is five years old. He stands at the end of a line of 11 kids he met less than a month ago, in front of a classroom full of adults he doesn’t know. He doesn’t appear to be overly familiar with the song he’s supposed to be singing, “God Is with You Always.” And yet he’s stealing the show.
