Day: August 22, 2005

So, I asked a question about slanty apartment floors, and got answers from Lady Crumpet and Joseph over here. The Large Blue Box that has All You Need (Ikea) was brought up. The wife and I did go to the latest consumer mecca, making the trek to the Atlantic Station neighborhoood, bought:

shower curtain rings,
small trash can,
2 frying pans
3 standing laundry bags,

2 dinners (swedish meatballs & chicken marsala,) soda…

…and spent less than $35. Nice. But…

…the folks over at the Dying Peach see the success of new franchises as the killer of local businesses. They make a good point and a good art show, with pieces up at Joe’s Coffee in East Atlanta. Hit the site and read a manifesto in support of local shops and hidden treasures.

As a recent transplant from Las Vegas, I am digging the little, small places scattered about, just waiting to be found. Vegas had little for most shoppers but strip malls, suburban sprawl, and a burgeoning collection of big box franchises. Which is all good when you don’t have anything else. But here you do. When you have to get that bland, normal thing, by all means go to Target/Ikea/etc… But go hunting and you just might come home with something better than you expected, like when we went to the Antique Factory and got a sweet desk for my sweet wife. It looks better than anything Ikea would offer, looks gorgeous for being over 35 years old and put money in the pocket of a nice guy, who has a cute kid and seriously good taste in vintage collectables. Next paycheck we’ll be looking forward to another trip to Chamblee, to give them even more cash.

This is just one of a collection of great Cabbagetown (an Atlanta neighborhood) pictures taken by Darren Ryan. Atlanta has a collection of dedicated bloggers and Flickr aficionados, which means the city has a decent online presence. This includes a collection of Cabbagetown pix that show what a photogenic place it is.

Before my arrival in Atlanta, I was visiting many of the sites that I have listed under the Atlanta sections. The internet is great if you’re willing to work to find the needles in a haystack. While I didn’t get to go to the Hidden-Art Nouveau public toilette in Paris, I would have never even known about it without the joy of the internet. However, when in London, cheap eats can be found at The Stockpot, another internet find. All the more important with the crappy exchange rate we have. Just be glad your dollars don’t have William Lyon Mackenzie King or the Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier on them.