May 2016
Features
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The Eternal Protagonist: Remembering Pat Conroy
We had hiked the hills and had had dinner and were drinking wine fit for the occasion. Good vintage, but not extraordinary. The mood was melancholy, as it always was in the comedown from hours of merriment that marked the energy of those blissfully young days. That is when he said it: “Boys, they’re about to make me famous, and I don’t know how to handle it.”
20 fun things to do with kids in Atlanta
20 great things to do with kids in Atlanta—plus 5 more awesome opportunities for youngsters—including where to eat for free, great toy stores, fun new attractions, epic birthday cakes, rainy day activities, and more.
Pilgrimage to Plains: The faithful come from around the world to hear Jimmy Carter preach
The weekend after Jimmy Carter’s cancer diagnosis announcement, 1,300 people arrived for Sunday school. “It was a shock,” says Plains Trading Post owner Philip Kurland. “It was busier than the Plains Peanut Festival, which normally is the most busy weekend in Plains. We have had no slow season this year.”
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The Connector
Can new Delta CEO Ed Bastian continue the airline’s success?
Ed Bastian couldn’t be taking the reins at a more fortuitous time. In 2015 Delta turned an astounding $5.9 billion profit, the company’s best year ever. Of course that kind of success creates expectations.
Metro Atlanta’s shrine to Shiva
On the outskirts of Riverdale comes the unexpected: a pair of white temples—the one pictured is devoted to Shiva, one of Hinduism’s three main deities—with 72-foot-tall towers.
What is that new sculpture outside 230 Peachtree?
We asked passersby what they think Belle, the new sculpture outside John Portman’s newly remodeled 230 Peachtree, looks like.
Atlanta’s suburbs are a hotbed for niche sports
Lacrosse teams the Georgia Swarm and Atlanta Blaze join the also brand-new Atlanta Vultures indoor football team, as well as the longer-tenured Atlanta Gladiators minor league hockey team and the Atlanta Steam “lingerie league” indoor football team.
Need a guillotine or a jet fighter seat? A night at Red Baron’s antique auction
“There’s nothing here that anyone needs!” Bob Brown announces into his microphone as the crowd settles into their seats. It’s an unconventional way to begin an auction—part reverse psychology, part challenge—but then Red Baron’s is not your conventional antique vendor.
The Agenda
Can new Delta CEO Ed Bastian continue the airline’s success?
Ed Bastian couldn’t be taking the reins at a more fortuitous time. In 2015 Delta turned an astounding $5.9 billion profit, the company’s best year ever. Of course that kind of success creates expectations.
How the roses at the Greater Atlanta Rose Show get their names
Visitors to the Greater Atlanta Rose Show, hosted by the Greater Atlanta Rose Society on Mother’s Day weekend, might notice that the floral competitors can have rather unusual monikers
What is that new sculpture outside 230 Peachtree?
We asked passersby what they think Belle, the new sculpture outside John Portman’s newly remodeled 230 Peachtree, looks like.
Second annual Fire in the Fourth festival lights up Old Fourth Ward
Last year’s inaugural Fire in the Fourth festival—commemorating the Great Fire and the neighborhood’s later revitalization—attracted more than 5,000 attendees. This year organizers are hoping to go twice as big.
Pianist Michael Cavanaugh channels Elton John during his Atlanta Symphony-backed show
While most musicians outgrow their childhood tastes, Cavanaugh kept playing classic rock staples—as a teenager in his brother’s cover band and in his 20s at an Orlando piano bar. In 1999 he was asked to perform in Las Vegas, where he caught the attention of Billy Joel.
Atlanta’s suburbs are a hotbed for niche sports
Lacrosse teams the Georgia Swarm and Atlanta Blaze join the also brand-new Atlanta Vultures indoor football team, as well as the longer-tenured Atlanta Gladiators minor league hockey team and the Atlanta Steam “lingerie league” indoor football team.
The Bite
Fresh on the Scene: Biltong Bar, Marrakesh, Tom Tom, and JP Atlanta
The early word on four new Atlanta restaurants: Biltong Bar, Marrakesh, Tom Tom, and JP Atlanta
Review: Come for the drinks, stay for the food at Ticonderoga Club
Despite the pedigree of its founders, Ticonderoga Club is more than a watering hole. It’s a real restaurant, with a real chef whose plates aren’t outclassed by the pours.
Technique: How to make Bread & Butterfly’s fluffy pancakes
“These pancakes need to come with a warning,” says Bryan Stoffelen. “Once you’re finished, you’re going to want to lay on the couch for the rest of the day.”
The Christiane Chronicles: Restaurant health scores are overrated
Chances are neither your kitchen nor mine would get a perfect score from the public health inspectors who show up unannounced at restaurants and issue ratings. Plus, rum is enjoying a cocktail revival, but there are more uses for sugarcane.
King of Carbs: Rob Alexander is the reason your sandwich rocks
The bun on that famous H&F cheeseburger? The bread for that banner cheesesteak at Fred’s Meat & Bread? You can thank Rob Alexander for both—and a whole lot more.
The Goods
Local Find: Khristian A. Howell’s colorful paper goods
Khristian A. Howell isn’t shy about pushing the envelope with her trendsetting cards, gift wrap, and other paper products. She licenses her colorful, graphic motifs for everything from note cards to pillows.
Behind the curtain at the Atlanta Opera’s costume department
“My first question is, ‘Can you sing in this?’” says Joanna Schmink, the costume designer and coordinator for the Atlanta Opera.
Room Envy: This modern nursery doesn’t scream “baby”
April and Ryan Hayslip eschewed traditional blues and pinks in the nursery, instead creating a modern room that—with the exception of a few playful touches—doesn’t scream “baby.”
Five reasons to love Castleberry Hill
When Mercedes-Benz Stadium opens next year, it will draw more eyes to this historic warehouse district just southwest of downtown.
Miscellaneous
The virtues of urban cycling (with your kids)
When Lola was just a chubby nugget of a girl with a headful of peach fuzz, my mom bought me a strange, neon-green contraption that changed our lives: a handlebar-mounted bicycle seat for kids, replete with a seatbelt, faux steering wheel with a smiley face, and a helmet with rubber kitten ears.
One Square Mile: Bingo Night at American Legion Post 7
No one else sits at Betty Toney’s table. It’s not that she needs all that space. The 73-year-old retired hospital clerk takes up just a quarter of the rectangular surface, where she’s arranged her $27 book of Bingo sheets, her multicolored daubers, and her dinner—egg salad sandwich, plain potato chips, Dr Pepper with ice in a Styrofoam cup, and two M&M’s chocolate chip cookies.
