AWESOME: Kitch in the ATL

Drive-Ins are an endangered species for a lot of reasons, so its nice to see this awesome pylon of neon advertising SIX, yes SIX screens of celluloid goodness. The stars blink and the glow of the tubes warms my heart. I took a lot of shots of this spot, but this was my fave - the world needs more great neon signs.

Up on Ponce de Leon is this fading sign, a victim of the digital camera that was used to capture its faded glory. Signs used to be works of art, and I'd love to capture this chunk of metal for Rocky Bridges to create with - knowing that its time here is most likely finite. Signs today are just those terrible vacu-form things with fluorescent tubes inside. I love a good roadside sign and this one makes me smile.

Astounding find of the trip: The press on Tshirt shop is BACK! Looks like plastisol transfers have improved, and yet some of those designs are ones I remember pressing on Tee Shirts at Foxy's in the Tampa Bay Mall during the 1981 Christmas season... Of course, this new/old bastion of hipsterness is in Little Five Points - Somewhere I know RM has a box of glitter photo transfers with zodiac signs on them!

AWESOME & AWFUL - Marriott Marquis Atlanta

BOTH: The Marriott Marquis Atlanta has a lot of positive things going for it - absolutely non of them at ground level. Three sides of this block sized development are simply as inhospitable as one can make a blank wall of concrete. I even had a hard time finding the egress on the east side (facing the Hyatt) and only  stumbled upon it by accident.

So, on the AWFUL scale this hotel provides 3 block faces with 2 - 3 stories (depending on the elevation) of blank concrete and a total disconnect from any pedestrian realm. It was so bad I didn't even bother taking any pictures. Add to this the multiple skybridges and lack of obvious ways to find the street, and you have the usual Brutalism era hatred of the ground level, save access for automobiles and trucks.

The auto entry itself is pretty cool (see pic just below) but even this space is a bit oppressive for the average pedestrian.

Now, on the AWESOME side of the equation, we consider the soaring interior spaces the architect created... One cannot help but be impressed with the volume, the tapering balconies and the glass roof, 48 stories above. 1663 rooms and suites ensure a population guaranteed to fill the cantilevered Pulse Loft bar and the sail-like Pulse lobby bar. It obvious the interior decor has been tastefully and expensively updated in the recent past. If only the architect and the planners involved had given the same love to the ground level surrounding the hotel, this building would be long regarded as one of the best in Atlanta.

Sadly, the era in which this was constructed dictated that it was not to be so.

More photos on their website.

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AWFUL: The Horrors of the Atlanta Merchandise Mart

AWFUL: The Atlanta Merchandise Mart is 3 blocks of consumerism and serves boutiques and retailers across the region... that said, the buildings it occupies are pretty ugly and do nothing to serve the city in which they landed. Oh, and what about a window or two?

The ground level of all 3 blocks has nothing but blank walls and a few sad trees. The skybridges keep the buyers and sellers out of the city entirely. It seems there are 8 or 9 blocks interconnected in such a way as to connect at least 3 hotels to the Mart and once inside, its not very easy to find a way to get to the street level - kinda like not being able to find a way out of a casino in Vegas.

I do have to say that I like the RoboCop style round staircases on the corner, and the building is, in spite of its shortcomings, a bit of modern sculpture that typifies its era in a strong way. Its a great thing to learn from and never repeat.

AWESOME: The view from the 72nd Floor of the Westin Peachtree in Atlanta

Looking West - L to R: Georgia Dome, CNN Center, Georgia World Congress Center and Olympic Centennial Park. Georgia Aquarium sneaking in at top right. Bottom left is the Tabernacle - a fantastic old chruch turned civic auditorium. Notice all the surface parking lot space - what a waste of land.

Looking North - The W Hotel seems to be the terminus of 75/85 as it comes into downtown from the North. I like the cantilevered pool halfway up the right tower.

Looking ENE: An economy of architectural effort and creativity - 6 towers almost exactly the same, and every one a horror for the pedestrian. The two at the Marriott Marquis were better at ground level due to the hotel entry between them - the others shield a mall from passers by - yes, Peachtree Center is on the 2nd floor and is primarily accessible to office tower workers through sky bridges. The city is excluded as much as possible from this hermetically sealed environment. Awful streetscapes.

I keep meaning to go into the Hyatt and go up in that little spaceship bar that landed on top but I never do. Note that through the sky bridges, you can go from the Hilton at top right all the way to Centennial Park without ever touching a sidewalk. Great way to kill your downtown.

AWESOME: Andres Duany at The Congress of the New Urbanism CNU18

So, I got the opportunity to see architect and New Urbanism prophet Andres Duany speak on a number of occasions at the Congress. Andres is a highly charismatic guy - one could actually term him messianic when it comes to the message of Urbanism. The creator of Seaside was far more approachable and likable than I expected. Much is made of the egos of architects, but in his case I'd discount that from 'ego' to 'clarity of vision'.

Duany is, in spite of his renown and his position as the leading light of the Urbanist movement* is - and most will disagree - a humble guy.

What? How is that possible?

Simple: He is so absolutely sure of his vision, the goals and the product itself, that - while he is delivering the message in a way no one else can - he does so on service of the message itself. Sure, he is the center of attention, and sure, he is the architect... but its not about him, its about a better way to live. Hence, I adjudge him as 'humble' as compared to most other architects.

*Seriously. I never use the word 'movement' outside of discussing digestive issues because it smacks of stoner hippies whining about some idiotic claptrap, but in this case - it actually makes sense and makes me smile.

Congress for the New Urbanism, Atlanta

So, after 3 full days as a participant in the Congress for the New Urbanism, my brain is close to being fried. One more intense day ahead (not to mention the rest of today) and then travel home. Lots of information to digest and an astounding pile of ideas to sort and apply. Look for new updates next week starting Monday on Atlanta and CNU 18.