Atlanta

There is a lot to love about Hot Lanta and a lot to dislike about Hot Lanta. Back when, Atlanta was one of the few cities that offered platform tennis (aka paddle tennis) courts. Primarily, a northern state sport, the National Championships are played in Philadelphia. Atlanta had several courts, and they were always fun to play on! The Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) had, when I played, a hard copy membership book that was at least twice the size of my hometown's (Huntsville AL) phone book! Atlanta is full of talented tennis players! As a baseball fan, it amazes me that I have never been to an in-person Braves game, EVER! Atlanta is only a 4.5-hour drive from our house. Favorites in Atlanta are the High Museum and the nearby Lowe Gallery. Must sees are the Martin Luther King Jr., birth home, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and Little Five Points. Must eats are anything Ray's Restaurant Group. This means (my favorite) Ray's on the River (go for Sunday brunch and enjoy their live jazz and raw oysters!), Ray's in the City (Peachtree Street), and Ray's at Killer Creek (Alpharetta). And on the other end of the spectrum, a hot dog at the Original "The Varsity" at 61 North Avenue, Atlanta, GA. After all, it is known as "the world's largest drive in." Family owned since 1928, you'll be greeted with "What'll ya have....what'll ya have?" Personal Atlanta drawbacks for me are the traffic and the fact that my car (which was a minivan mind you, which begs the question "why??") was stolen from a nice hotel at which I was staying! About to meet colleagues to go to an Indian food restaurant, my minivan, which was parked in the nice hotel's parking garage was gone!! Long story short, having my vehicle stolen not too awfully far from home, and the fact my brother was in Atlanta at the same time and gave me a ride home, worked to my advantage. The minivan was recovered (thank you APD) and driven to Huntsville for me to pick up. I asked for the keys and the driver said, "Do like I do, use a screwdriver." It all worked out.

Atlanta is a bustling city. Its claim to fame is being the home to the 1996 Olympic Games. It is also the capital of the State of Georgia ad the 38th most populous US city. The city is home to TNT and Coca Cola. It is also a major airline hub for Delta Airlines. It is also a focus city for low-cost carriers like Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. Some of the city's major attractions include the Georgia Aquarium, Coca Cola World, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Atlanta Zoo, Centennial Olympic Park, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Fox Theater, College Football Hall of Fame, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, SkyView Atlanta, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Some famous people from the city include Glays Knight (be sure to check out her restaurant), TI, Martin Luther King Jr, John Lewis, Jeff Foxworthy, Cam Newton, Chris Tucker and Spike Lee. Atlanta has the same issues that you find in most major cities including homelessness and crime. The city has an expensive public transportation system including busses, trains, cabs and ride shares. It should be noted that traffic in the city can be horrid at times. The roads can turn into parking lots during rush hour or accidents. There is always something to do in the city and it is home to the NFL Atlanta Falcons, who play in the Mercedes Benz Dome, The NBA Atlanta Hawks, who play in State Farm Arena, and the MLB Atlanta that play in Truist Park. The city is home to the annual Peach Drop. The city has tons of parks to visit. I loved strolling along the Beltline. I secretly like this city. It is full of personality and Southern Charm. I enjoyed my few times there. I will admit, I hate flying through there though because the airport is a nightmare to navigate. All and all, this city has a lot to offer and makes a great family destination spot.

I am writing to express my profound frustration with the recent changes made to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway (Bankhead) and the overall state of infrastructure and resources in Atlanta. The decision to reduce this vital roadway to a single lane is incomprehensible. It has caused increased traffic congestion, longer commutes, and, most concerningly, a higher risk of accidents. Additionally, the placement of medians appears poorly thought out, further exacerbating the problem rather than improving it. These changes have neither beautified the area nor enhanced functionality...they have made things worse. Furthermore, the condition of Atlanta's streets is unacceptable. Potholes litter every corner, damaging our vehicles and making commutes a nightmare. Despite seeing construction crews at work, the results are subpar, and in some cases, the issues have worsened. Crooked street lines and poorly maintained roadways demonstrate a lack of accountability and effective planning. Residents deserve transparency about where our tax dollars are going because it's evident they are not being invested in meaningful improvements. Given the extensive damage to our vehicles caused by these potholes, the City of Atlanta should issue a stipend of $1200 per resident to offset repair costs. This is a reasonable figure considering the wear and tear inflicted on our cars by poorly maintained roads. It's time to hold the city accountable for the financial burden it has imposed on its residents. Additionally, the Atlanta Police Department's harassment must stop. The APD is blatantly capitalizing on the community, treating Atlanta like a police state. Officers are patrolling neighborhoods, handing out tickets, scanning vehicles for minor violations, and prioritizing revenue over service. This is especially frustrating when our tax dollars pay their salaries. Meanwhile, critical issues like solving crimes, rescuing missing children, and addressing actual community safety concerns are seemingly ignored. What's worse is the misuse of school zone signals, with 25 mph lights set up where there aren't even schools nearby or left on when schools are closed. This not only invades our privacy but also perpetuates unnecessary harassment of residents who are just trying to survive. The APD's actions are oppressive and counterproductive, and it's time to address this systemic issue. Beyond the roads, the lack of community resources is alarming. Why are there no free programs for children in these areas? Our neighborhoods need more than churches and liquor stores on every corner. Facilities like Grove Park gym remain outdated and uninspiring, while libraries are neglected, appearing dark and uninviting. These spaces should be beacons of hope and opportunity for our youth, yet they feel like forgotten relics. The City of Atlanta must do better. We deserve safe streets, modernized community resources, and better management of our tax dollars. I urge you to take these concerns seriously, as the current state of affairs is unacceptable and unsustainable.

Nightmare, nightmare, did I say nightmare? This place is a driving nightmare! Traffic is horrible, construction everywhere, overpopulation x10. Most people commute here during the week front bedroom communities. The city itself is a concrete jungle. No thank you.

Atlanta is the capital and largest city in the State of Georgia in the U.S.A. Since it's located in the foothills of Appalachia I love the rolling hills for hiking. I remember how green the hills were and full of trees. Atlanta is sometimes called "City of Trees" or "city in a forest". That's my favorite thing about visiting Atlanta. I love trees. The highways are beautiful but I often miss exits or exited when I didn't want to. It's circular confusion to me. If I was just passing through, I planned my trip to reach Atlanta during the wee hours of the morning when there's less traffic. Sports are an important part of the culture of Atlanta. The city is home to professional franchises for four major team sports: the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association, the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League, and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer. In ice hockey, Atlanta has had two National Hockey League franchises, both of which relocated to a city in Canada after playing in Atlanta for fewer than 15 years. The Atlanta Flames (now the Calgary Flames) played from 1972 to 1980, and the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) played from 1999 to 2011. I don't think I could live in Atlanta and give up my New York Rangers or Florida Panthers hockey. If you go on vacation to Atlanta there's a lot of rich history to soak up. There's lots of beautiful parks and don't forget the botanical gardens. The airport is crazy busy. I remember running to catch my connections. I'm not a fan of the airport! When I return I hope I would enjoy a leisurely drive from New York taking in the beautiful landscape along the way.

Probably my most disliked of all the big cities and southern cities. I mean I like Detroit over this h*llhole. The sports fans are trash as well. Not to mention the traffic and race problems. I'd rather not live near the KKK Mt. Rushmore. Ive had so many friends and family move here just to come right back. I would visit them plenty of times and never felt the urge to return.

It might look impressive if you're visiting for a short while; but if you live here a long time (I've lived in the city 20 years), you really come it hate it. There's the traffic problem, first of all -- it's in the top 10 of the most congested cities in the U.S. There's the fact that people drive like maniancs, which includes a lot of "urban racing" like in Fast and Furious. There's the sprawl where everything is so spread-out that it diminishes the livability; you may think because the city contains x, y, and z that it will be easy to do x, y, and z all the time, but if it takes you 30 minutes to an hour to drive there from inside the city and 30 minutes to drive back, that's an hour or two of your life gone just driving! But the *main* problem I find is the lack of community and just nothing to do. Oh, sure, you can go to Piedmont Park, say, if you can find parking. Won't do anything for your sense of community, sadly; and once you've walked around the park 10 times, you've seen it all. The same for the Beltline. It's great for exercise, if you don't mind dealing with the parking at Ponce City Market; again, won't do anything for your sense of community -- just a passing spectacle with no sense that you're a part of it. Downtown is scary and prone to traffic jams from sporting events. Buckhead is bars, clubs, and restaurants. And those restaurants are mediocre, at best. It's a lot of fattening, expensive, dull "new American" outlets and pubs, along with some ethnic eateries here and there. Coffee shops are almost exclusively Starbucks, with a smattering of Caribou Coffee. It's all just malls and corporate coffee shops, uninspired restaurants, parks, passing spectacles. All the fun stuff, such that it exists, is in people's private house parties, or hidden away in nightclubs, sports bars, and dance clubs. If that's not for you, and you don't like to drink much alcohol, then your options are limited. It's such a flimsy foundation on which to build a community -- and the culture so atomized -- that I was actually baffled that those college-aged kids protesting the police training center scraped together enough people to organize. Maybe they met in school or grew up here or something, so have behind-the-scenes connections. I get letters in the mail saying that if I don't vote, "we'll know who you are"... and I think, "How could you possibly shame me? There's no community from which to receive the shame. Nobody would care, even if reported on the news, which not many even bother watching."

Let me tell you bout a place too hot for SANTA No Polar Bears, but maybe a PANDA Rays of sun but none from a MANTA No Pepsi just Coke and FANTA The only Montana down here is HANNAH Lots of immigrants from Guam and GHANA Wanna do a Scottish accent but I CANNA Welcome to the wonderful city of ATLANTA WHAT The setting of the Anthony Hopkins movie "Hearts In Atlanta", and the hometown of one of the world's great oceans (the Atlanta Ocean), this is a truly spectacular, up and coming city which has been ballooning and growing rapidly, spiralling out of control for a long time, in a mushroom shape (because the north burbs are growing up and out faster than anywhere else). What can I say about Atlanta that hasn't already been said. No literally, please tell me some original things to say about this city. It is a wonderful place to come and do food tour. There are some really friendly people around here, but also some unfriendly folks. It's a very young city so it has some of the other problems that young cities have such as Los Angeles and Houston and Washington DC, which is that there is an energy and a fervor in which people can get caught up and lost and left behind. There is an aggression and a selfishness and a sense of capitalism. These cities seem very American in the strangest way. Atlanta always also seems, simultaneously, extremely International. Especially up in the North East. I used to come to Atlanta often when I was a kid. My first serious girlfriend in the USA who was 28 and worked for the government and dated me when I was 16 - Yes I'm serious - She lives in nearby Alabama. So I would fly into Hartsfield regularly to see her. She drove up to see me and would let me drive her car (with no license) back to her home in Alabama. My next girlfriend in this region when I was 18, lived right here in Dunwoody. She was also over a decade my senior. Back before it was the coolest place to live and it was just beginning to get trendy and exciting for rich white people. One of the true original leafy suburbs. I don't come back here too often but those memories will always haunt me. Plus I met one of my very first porn actresses here. Cheyenne Silver. Ended up in Playboy. Hope she's doing well. She was not the girl I dated here. Sadly. In terms of the whether I actually really like it. The summers are extraordinarily hot but the rest of the year is not only tolerable and bearable but wonderful. Atlanta has some of the nicest climates for all of the time other than the summer. As for food, this is one of the hotbeds of the whole South. It's not quite on the Houston level and standard, but it definitely is competing with places like Washington DC and Philadelphia in terms of things to eat. And gems that are off the beaten track that nobody really knows about. Most of them are up in the Northeast along Buford Hwy, or in the surrounding suburbs. East Atlanta has some pretty amazing stuff too, as does the South. Nick's Gyro is one of the best in the whole country and easily the best in the region. The Ghetto Burger is one of the best you'll get, from Ann's Snack Bar, whcih for service can be hit-or-miss, but the burgers never are. The ethnic options in the Northeast part of town are wonderful. Try Snowflake for the best brown sugar milk tea. Try Chongqing inside the Chinatown food court in Chamblee to get the very best lamb cumin over handmade noodles. And the sticks of lamb at Tsingtao brother in the same food court. For late night cool people and cute chicks try any of the Sweet Hut Bakery locations. Full list - Get a Gyro at Nick's Greek To Go. - Ghetto Burger from Ann's Snack Bar - Fish Tacos at El Rey Del Taco - Brown Butter Gelato from Honeysuckle in the market - Bakery treats from Sweet Hut - Brown Sugar Milk Tea from Snowflake - Chongqing in Chamblee for Cumin Lamb w/handmade noodle' - Tsingtao next to it for Lamb Cumin Sticks - Flavors of Chicago, Lucky Dog, Chicago Delights for Chi-dogs Now I feel like I'm being herded into the next review like cATL, so I'm gonna skedATL and go write it. But finally, ATLast, I did a review for Atlanta. Now I'm going to review ATLa the Hun.

Alright, here goes nothing. Me, being corny and all and just realizing my next review (THIS ONE) will be my 1,500th review... decided to review the City of Atlanta, my "city" of residence for the past ~9 years (omg. I've been here almost 9 years...). Moving here for school and, well, never leaving, seems to be one of many trends of Atlantans. Many of my Atlanta friends now aren't actually from Atlanta. Enough about me... Atlanta is the capital of Georgia, which is not contrary to popular belief, and is the biggest metropolitan center that I have lived in. Hub to Delta, Coca Cola, CHICK-FIL-A WOOT and other major corporations, Atlanta is probably one of the most booming cities in the South. Atlanta is also home to some major colleges and universities, including my alma mater, Emory University. Atlanta is also becoming the Hollywood of the South, with Marvel filming almost every single one of their movies in metro Atlanta, as well as those random flicks you may not have realized was located in Atlanta... but then you see downtown Atlanta, Piedmont Park, Decatur or even Dunwoody as the backdrop. We all knew TRAFFIC would be a thing. Traffic is SO FREAKING TERRIBLE FOR NO REASON. Thanks to the cultural diversity, we also have some diverse driving skills. I285, 141, 400, 75 and 85 are my usual highways, although there are the occasional adventures on 20, too. There are never any shortcuts - backroads get clogged quick. Expect your commutes to and from work to be at least an hour unless you get to work at 7am and leave the office before 3pm. Speaking of commuting... The MARTA transportation is just ugh. What a headache. I take the MARTA to work everyday, and while it does save me the stress of road rage, the stress of the train arriving (and leaving the station) too early or mechanical issues happening on the regular causing major delays is ALMOST worse. Today's (Thursday afternoon) traffic on 285 at 3pm was miserable. Like seriously, where is everyone going? Anyway, irrelevant. The food scene has evolved so much since my arrival in 2009. From my first excursions off college campus to Buford Highway and Fat Matt's and the surrounding Toco Hills area from Emory, I realized the world (of Atlanta) is my oyster and omg what is this AYCE Korean BBQ??? Now there are BBQ restaurants all over Atlanta, Korean BBQ restaurants have popped up one by one in Duluth, and Toco Hills is just a small part of the Decatur offerings. Buford Highway has BOOMED and has become such a popular stop. Atlanta sports is terrible. They will only let you down - even if they rise up as high as the Falcons did against the Pats in the Super Bowl... However, at the time I am typing this review, the Braves are looking pretty good - but I don't want to get my hopes up. Weather is weird. It's the south, but we're famous for the Snowpocolypse several years back, as well as the actual snow (over a foot!) last year. Summers get humid and hot and winters can get bitterly cold. Sometimes, December is warm. Sometimes, April is freezing. But that's the South for ya. That, and CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. In recent years, there is definitely more to do now than there used to be. There's the typical Georgia Aquarium, Coca Cola Company, the High Museum, Piedmont Park, Ponce City Market, Krog Street Market, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Atlanta Zoo, the CNN Center and Centennial Olympic Park... and I'm probably missing out on so much more. There are music festivals, music fests, food truck parks, breweries galore... so yes, Atlanta is growing to fit its inhabitants. What else is there to say? Atlanta is a solid city to live in. With mostly solid weather year round, I'm ok with it. Enough food and new restaurants to keep the foodie in my satisfied, as well as stimulating the senses with things to do. Here's to another 1,500 reviews in Atlanta!

As we are traveling back home, we passed through the ATL. There was so much traffic at 4:00pm in the afternoon. As we were slowly moving, I decided to take photos of my view from the bus. There was some hard stopping, bumpy roads, and close trucks.

This city is the worst place in the world, I give them 0 stars in every category schools , all public and private services, all of the above 0 stars . The police only come when your hanging on by a thread or someone is already dead , I recommend to all outsiders moving to Georgia don't come to the city of Atlanta it's a nightmare for everyone. This is from someone who is from Atlanta. It's overpriced and you don't get your moneys worth, all parking downtown is at least $15/hr oh yeah and jobs here don't pay good at all . STAY AWAY FROM ATLANTA!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotta love the A! I just have such a ball when I'm in Atlanta. The city is full of awesome local flavor with endless activities, shopping, restaurants, bars, adult entertainment venues, museums, landmarks and such. Home of the #1 aquarium in the US, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's memorial & Ebenezer Baptist Church, Olympic Park and soooo much more. No matter your vice; ATL can deliver (with a bang) ~Christy said so.

There's a reason why this is such a regional center! It has true big city vibes while maintaining a southern grace and charm about it. Long story short, good luck being bored here!

Shawty, Atlanta is the best city in the South, and if you think otherwise ya need to sit yo' butt down. (I guess it's not a fair comparison since most people consider cities like Birmingham, Charlotte, and Nashville part of OTP.) Sure, I felt a bit apprehensive when I first arrived in The A more than a couple of years ago. I mean, observing two professionally dressed, yolked women deck each other in a Whole Foods parking lot (the one on Ponce) over a space and then later watching a news story about how five people got shot following of a pee-wee football game would scare any non-native. But now I understand. I understand ATL came into my life to toughen me up. It taught me that if I leave my valuables in the backseat of my car and it gets broken into, it's MY fault. It taught me the importance of unnecessarily and dangerously speeding through neighborhoods while failing to use my turn signal (because I got places to go). I feel like I'm a BETTER driver now. My love for both Ludacris and Outkast deepened. They. Are. Gods. It also made me numb to the city's ridiculous (and miss it when traveling). - Crackhead lights part of I-85 on fire thus causing part of it to collapse and quadruples commute times? Not surprised. - Escaped circus tiger terrorizes neighborhood and attacks dogs? Not surprised. - Naked men reportedly stealing cars and disrupting traffic? That's called, "Friday". But despite any frustrations ***insert eye roll*** I may have, ATL's influence is unlike no other. - It birthed the Civil Rights Movement and nurtured its leader (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr). - It's hip-hop's new capital and continuously sets the trends in music, culture, and fashion. (I see you, Usher.) - ATL has the biggest aquarium in the western hemisphere. - It's home to the busiest airport in the world. - People all over the world drink our drink (Coke). - Your favorite chef's favorite chef lives here. (Hugh Acheson? Ford Fry? Ryan Smith?) - Crispy creme? Chick-fil-A? Like those packages delivered by UPS? - CNN, HLN, TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, and TruTV? - That show you recently binge-watched on Netflix? Yeah, we filmed it here. (Look for the Georgia Peach logo at the end.) - We had the Olympics, b****. The MARTA? OK, that's fair. That system is trash. So are most of the sports teams (except Atlanta United). I mean, you can't have it all, right? Again, if you live anywhere else in the South, sit yo a** down. We are your daddy. Everyone else eats, drinks, and interacts with the world in some way, shape, or form because of ATL. ATL is ratchet ridiculous-amazingness aka one of only two cosmopolitan cities south of the Mason-Dixon line, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Thanks for embracing me with your big Magic City (or Clermont Lounge) boobies, babe. I love you.

I reside in Cincinnati, Ohio. Whenever I visit my family in Augusta, Georgia, I like to first stay a couple of days with my brother who lives in the Candler Park area close to downtown. The city of Atlanta is full of life. I watched it slowly grow over the years with adding new restaurants, shopping and nightlife. My only complaint is the Marta system which they cut. I've always enjoyed my time here and can't wait to come back again!

#148 How on earth can anyone not love this city? It is like the New York of the south. Big buildings, lots of lights, people out at all times, wonderful night life, absolutely wonderful shopping, etc. We have had the most amazing time here with family and friends. Shopping, visiting What have you, we have done it all. I put up at YT thread in the ATL YT Talk section about a week before I came and tons of super wonderful yelpers gave me billions of ideas. I spent several years here when I was young, but time moves on, I am much older now, and most obviously tastes, likes and dislikes change. I have had am amazing time. I am positive my guests have as well. Atlanta offers great food, wonderful site seeing, beautifully friendly people, some of the best shopping, I cannot event list everything about this spectacular city. And some of the cheapest gas prices I have ever seen. I have been visiting family, friends and new places all week long. The skyline is beautiful. The city lights are gorgeous. The southern hospitality does not stop. No matter where you go. I miss that. I would suggest a visit to the Dirty South, ATLien style, anytime you have free time to travel. It is worth the trip. Stephani Smiles for the CIty of Atlanta ;)

One of my favorite cities in the south. Sure traffic is an issue, but oh what fun awaits! From eating at the Varsity to visiting the aquarium, Atlanta has something to suit all interests. My experiences here are too numerous to list in one review. Family trips for sporting events, amazing concerts, just driving thrust on the way to the mountains and grabbing a bite to eat. It's all good in the ATL!

Someone once said that life is either a series of beginnings or a series of endings. Atlanta is both. It's a city that grows on you. It's not love at for sight or after one year or a decade..... I moved here when it was just a small city. Highway 400 hadn't been built. Alpharetta was just farmland. Roswell was out in the hicks and traffic wasn't too bad. Ha. fast forward a few years and now what do we have... besides horrible traffic....well we got the world's busiest airport, Home Depot, UPS, Porche, AFLAC, Coca Cola and maybe Amazon (?) to name a few Fortune 500 with a regional hub here. The past 15+ years its become the most sought after place for films and television with Pinewood Studios(Star wars, Marvel, James Bond) building its first North American location in the outskirts of the city. Lets not forget Hip Pop music. Atlanta is the undisputed "Hip Pop Capital in the world" according to The New York Times. From Lil Jon to Ludacis to Jermaine Dupri to Andre 3000 no other city can boast the talent like Atlanta can. (Let not forget the Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown saga. Whitney and Bobby had a house here and Bobby Brown I heard from a Atlanta police officer would illegally park his cars all over the place. LOL. I believe P. Diddy, L. A. Reid, Tony Braxon and Keith Sweat all still own homes here in the city along with Elton John and Rod Stewart (?) A friend of mine saw him and his entourage shopping at Lenox once.... Then there are the hotels. You name it. We got it. Ritz Carlton (One Ritz Carlton Resort near Lake Oconee) Mandarin Oriental, St. Regis, Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, W Hotels (we have 3 of them)...just to name a few... I think Atlanta can easily compete with the big cities such as New York or Chicago on many levels. The only area I think Atlanta could still improve on is food. I'm still not on "Team Atlanta" when it comes to food. I still think Chicago or San Francisco has better food but maybe in a couple of years this city can prove me wrong..... 1030th review 12/23/2017

A lot of folks have reviewed the City of Atlanta for one of their milestone Yelp reviews, so for my 2000th review, I will do the same. (I reviewed Yelp for my 1000th review.) Speaking of review milestones, review *updates* don't get as much love as they should around here. They can be just as important as original reviews! Like many Atlantans, I'm not a native, but a transplant. I was born and raised in North Carolina and came to Atlanta to go school at Georgia Tech. I've been here ever since, 15 years and counting -- long enough to call this city home. I'm officially a City of Atlanta and Fulton County homeowner. The high property taxes, inefficient water/sewer system, and rare brushes I've had with the folks at City Hall haven't been fun, but the city and wider metropolitan area have really grown on me over the years to the point where I can say I love my city. Of course, it has a lot to do with all the wonderful people I've met along the way. This review generally covers and highlights my personal experience with and knowledge of metro Atlanta as a whole and not just the city proper. As far as metro Atlanta goes, I think it's great because it offers most big city amenities without the big city cost. The average cost of living here is significantly less than New York, LA, Chicago, Boston, the Bay Area, etc. and we still have some pretty great food, arts and culture, outdoor activities (from Stone Mountain to Lake Allatoona), festivals and conventions (Dogwood Festival, Dragon Con), and draw all the big names, concerts, and sporting events. We have more space, and as a relatively younger city, newer construction that's more modern, nicer, and cleaner. Plus, as a warm weather person, I do enjoy the "Hotlanta" climate. From a spectator sports perspective, this is terrific city to live in. At one point, Atlanta had a team in all four major professional sports leagues. The Thrashers left in 2011, but we still have the Falcons (NFL), Braves (MLB), and Hawks (NBA). For hockey fans, there's the Gwinnett Gladiators (minor league hockey). When it comes to college athletics, we're in the middle of both ACC and SEC territory, two powerhouse conferences when it comes to college basketball and college football, respectively. Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium (completed in 1913) is the oldest on-campus football stadium among NCAA Division I FBS schools. Tech has won four national championships in football. UGA, in Athens, is only 1.5 hours away and Georgia State, located downtown, is rising. We've hosted Final Fours, NBA All-Star Games, Super Bowls, WrestleMania, and the Summer Olympics. East Lake Golf Club hosts the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour's season-ending tournament for the top-30-ranked FedEx Cup players. We have NASCAR at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, an official host bowl of the College Football Playoff, at the Georgia Dome. I heard on local sports talk radio more NBA players make their off-season home in Atlanta than in any other city. We're home to world-class colleges and universities including Tech and Emory, both of which are consistently ranked in US News' top 40 national universities year in and year out. Like other big cities, Atlanta has a lot of neat and eclectic neighborhoods and suburbs to explore from cozy, quaint neighborhoods like Inman Park and Virginia-Highland to ritzy Buckhead and the up-and-coming Westside; from community-oriented and progressive Decatur in DeKalb County to Atlanta's own "K-Town," Duluth in Gwinnett County. Unlike other big cities, Atlanta has a large proportion of trees (and with it, lots of pollen in the spring!). Metro Atlanta does not have ideal public transportation in part because the metropolitan area sprawls over a staggering 29 counties. You pretty much need a car to live here and you will most likely be driving on the interstate a lot. While traveling within the metro area may not be the most efficient, traveling by air from Atlanta to other cities and back is. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been known as the world's busiest airport for nearly two decades. It's economic and easy to find flights to many places around the world with a multitude of non-stop routes. It makes this city a fantastic one to travel from. One of my favorite things about Atlanta is Dragon Con, an annual multi-genre convention held downtown on Labor Day Weekend. It takes place in five hotels and the AmericasMart trade center. Unlike San Diego's famous Comic-Con, Dragon Con is not commercialized. It's very much an independent fan convention now with upwards of 60,000 in attendance. It's an absolute blast over four-plus days including the Saturday morning tradition: the Dragon Con parade down Peachtree St. I also love Buford Highway. Since I'm about to hit Yelp's 5001 character limit, you can read my separate review of BuHi here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/buford-highway-atlanta. If you somehow made it this far, thanks for reading.

I agree with Monica E. on her review, below. For the first time in my travels abroad and in the U.S., I could not wait to get back home. I was not crazy about the place. I visited the MLK Centre which I have wanted to do for a very long time - and I am glad I did. Other than that - it is a dog eat dog city, aggressive - not my kind of place at all. I love the South - Tennessee, for example. Very gracious. But Atlanta - another story. Savannah - beautiful place, cool and mellow people.

I enjoy visiting, but I could not live here. I love that the ATL is a foodie haven! Not in the same way that Los Angeles or Seattle are hot spots for eating specialists, but it has a great range of offerings. Tons of food markets, co ops, food trucks, locally own spots, pubs, elite and upscale restaurants, neighborhood bars, etc. etc. I love that you can get a pretty amazing catfish sandwich, some delicious BBQ and yummy Chinese food all in the same neighborhood. What, what! It's fast, it's fun -- but it also has so many smaller and more quiet neighborhoods you can explore. Lots of festivals, parks, community activities, walking areas, rivers and lakes. I could go on folks. And you are bound to see lots and lots and lots of business types. There are a lot of corporations who call Atlanta their headquarters, including UPS, Coca-Cola and Delta. It is truly a town that seems fitting for everyone, no matter your Myers-Briggs personality type. There, however, are a number of very important things that I do not like about the city. I won't go into great detail because, honestly, they are all quite personal. But one such problem I have with the city is the lack of an orienting feel -- lest you are very close to downtown. Atlanta is lush! If you feel even remotely claustrophobic, you may find that you have a hard time adjusting with the blocks upon blocks of tall trees -- pines (cool!), oaks, magnolias, dogwoods, etc. I hear this place is nicknamed "City in a Forest. I'm a west coast girl and feel most comfortable when the landscape speaks to me. I have a hard time not being able to see mountains, buildings or even the horizon, all of which are persistently absent in Atlanta. And, goodness, how many streets named Peachtree do you need?!

Atlanta is one of my favorite cities! I lived in Sandy Springs in '98-'00 and loved my time there. I try to go back as often as possible. What makes it special in my eyes: *The abundance of trees *The different seasons are unique to me (growing up in NOLA) *Piedmont Park (my favorite park in the city) *Grant Park *Buckhead *Fox & Alliance Theatres *Stone Mountain Park *Cheaper cost of living than most other big cities *The beautiful skyline *The plethora of entertaining places that the city offers. You can go out every day to a different shop/bar/restaurant/museum and not see everything in 10yrs. The not-so-good about the city: *Atlanta does have the worst traffic I have ever been in. To me the traffic is worst than NYC, Chicago, Dallas, or Houston *MARTA needs major help. Very limited service for a big city *Too many chains and strip malls in the city. Shoot even Louisiana's beloved Popeye's moved its headquarters to Sandy Springs in the '90s. Atlanta has a lot of great things including an incredible diversity of attractions from museums to parks to shopping. Atlanta is a wonderful city that deserves some love! Come visit one of the South's great cities. It will surprise you.

I do not write this light heartedly. I have great memories of Atlanta years ago but not this trip. From the first sign at the hotel which said "we are not responsible for injury or death while on these premises " to the multiple police officers while shopping, I was over whelmed with fear. The homeless numbers are staggering. People forced to live in tents is evident all over the city. Atlanta where is you heart and pride??!! Trash is everywhere, piled up against fences and poles. Do you not have city personnel to manage the cleanliness of the area? Use your non violent offenders to pick up trash with supervision. Put out more trash receptacles and empty them frequently. Ask groups to volunteer to maintain certain blocks. Post signs thanking everyone for their effort to make Atlanta beautiful again There are solutions!!! You need to look around and see what visitors see. You see it everyday and have become complacent.

Atlanta is the nerve center of the United States's southeastern quadrant. As a Westerner, I had the opportunity to live there. I was impressed. In fact, anyone who came to visit me in Atlanta was impressed by the city and the area. With subsequent visits, I continue to be impressed, though its core keeps infilling, its suburbs keep mushrooming, its roads keep getting more congested, and its metro population keeps growing. Most people on the Atlantic Seaboard know what Atlanta entails, but some people who live far away, such as out West, are very ignorant when it comes to "the ATL." They think it's hick. It is anything BUT hick and it makes them, and their own self-regarding chip on their shoulders, appear downright stupid. In fact, it is a very progressive city. One of the city's slogans is "the city too busy to hate." So, while the term "Hotlanta" was probably coined for its boisterous nightlife and its being a libertine among prudes, the latter being the smaller Bible thumping cities in the South, the city was more "cool" than "hot" to me. What was cool about it was the rolling terrain, the never ending tree canopy, the lush vegetation, and all the red brick homes hiding under that tree canopy and surrounded by that vegetation. In short, it is beautiful place that just has a great feel to it.

City Hall will always be home I was employed here for 15 years and if I could I would have given them 15 more years.

Review: #1000 I could write a general review of the city but instead, I'll hit on a few other things that have influenced my opinion of Atlanta over the past 20 years I've lived here. - DragonCon. Are you a geek? Do you love Battlestar Galactica? How about space travel? Fantasy? NASA? Want to hear the folks at JPL talk about driving rovers on Mars, or operating spacecraft around Saturn? All that and more is found every Labor Day weekend at DragonCon, one of the largest sci-fi/fantasy conventions in the country. I've been 11 times and have a ticket for #12. Buy the 4-day membership for the best deal and best experience. And don't miss the Saturday DC parade. DragonCon may be the thing I most associate with my time in Atlanta. - Arabia Mountain. Two places in particular stand out for me in terms of what I like about Atlanta hiking. Sweetwater Creek State Park is one but I'll leave that to my regular review. The second is Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, which is not a mountain but a low-elevation granitic outcrop that used to be a quarry. AM is located east of the perimeter out by Conyers. Unlike the geologically similar but larger Stone Mountain, AM is not developed beyond a parking place and some cairns marking the way to the top. To hike the preserve means walking over a vast expanse of bare rock in whatever direction you like. Bare rock, however, is not all there is to see. Perhaps the best feature is the cover of mosses and lichens over much of the surface, so much so that you often have to pick you way around them (which you absolutely should do). The colors and variety are wonderful. Despite the low elevation at the top, you'll enjoy a good view of the region, including the Atlanta skyline. For best viewing, hike up before sunrise. It's also quite magical when foggy. When I think of nearby Atlanta hiking destinations, I think Arabia Mountain (and Sweetwater). - Twain's. There are many great pubs in the Metro Area (Brick Store, for instance) and quite a few good brewpubs (Wrecking Bar). My favorite is Twain's in Decatur. Along with good beer, solid food, an outstanding bar, Twain's has Sarah, one of the best bartenders anywhere. Get there before 6PM for her shift - you won't be disappointed. They also have lots of pool tables and shuffleboard. I'm a regular. When I think of Atlanta beer, I think Twain's. - Candler Park Golf Course. If you play golf, you won't have any trouble finding a good public course to play. There are quite a few ITP, in fact. But I'm giving a shout-out to my local 9-hole course, Candler Park. Besides being designed by my mother's namesake (Helen Smith), I like it because this little outpost of golf packs a lot into a small area. It's one of several run by the City of Atlanta, so it's cheap for residents. I have played CPGC maybe a dozen times and I don't even know whether they reserve tee times. It's a course where you walk up and tell the guy "I'd like to play a round, please." You'll need to watch out for local residents walking their dogs across the fairways. Ordinarily, that might bother me, but here, it's a sign that the course is part of neighborhood and the locals have trouble distinguishing the golf course from the contiguous Candler Park (which is a great neighborhood park, by the way). When I think of Atlanta golf, Candler Park comes to mind. - Candler Park Market. Not far from Candler Park, you'll find one of the city's best local market/convenience stores. Chock full of not only essentials (including some produce), but an awesome beer and wine selection, gourmet munchies, H & F bread, their own brand of coffee beans and a deli in the back with great sandwiches. CPM changed ownership during my time here and I had feared the demise of the market into something less 'neighborly'. Nope. It got better. To me, CPM epitomizes my local neighborhood in Atlanta. - Buford Highway Farmers Market. Giant Asian grocery stores are now ubiquitous along the Buford Highway corridor. Older than most, Buford Highway Farmers Market is my favorite. They have the one of the largest, and in my opinion the best, grocery sections in the city. Aisles and aisles of dry goods arranged by ethnicity and a very good fresh fish and meat section. Tortillas are made fresh onsite. A large cheese inventory. Prices are quite good, too. About the only thing lacking is a great food court. They have one, but Super H-Mart and Assi are better. I'm a fan of BHFM and do a lot of shopping there. When I think of Atlanta grocery stores, I think BHFM. - Buford Highway. The number of great restaurants along this corridor are amazing. Wow. The above demands at least 4 stars for Atlanta. But the city has some problems, mostly well-documented (traffic). One thing that isn't, at least on Yelp, is the insidious racism that persists. There are a lot of people here still fighting the Civil War and that really drags the city down. Overall, A-OK

I find myself vexed over the qualifications to write a review on a major city! ON THE ONE HAND you have locals who may have spent their entire life in that city or a transplant that has logged a few decades (such as myself). But often times, just because someone has lived somewhere for a long time doesn't mean they've actually experienced it. I've met a number of people in many major cities that have barely wandered outside their own neighborhood! Even more who've never been downtown, out to the suburbs or even to their most famous landmarks! I hear tell most New Yorkers have never been to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island! Then there is always the possibility of 'sour grapes', which are people who might give you a bad impression based on past memories isolated to only their experiences or quirky personality. ON THE OTHER HAND is the tourist viewpoint, which may only have seen a fraction of the city, but talk as if they experienced the whole thing! Case in point, I read a review of a community here in Atlanta called Buckhead. The guy said in his review that Buckhead is no longer upscale and seems to be stuck in time, living off its former glory. That surprised me since Buckhead has been undergoing major renovations for several years. Since he is a yelp friend, I asked him what part of the neighborhood he visited while here on vacation. His answer was basically a 2 block walk from the public train station to Lenox Mall and then back to the train station!!!! Seriously? 2 city blocks and he found that to be an ample amount of experience to write a review? I was totally baffled! Buckhead has poured billions of dollars into renovations, but he was miles from that part of the neighborhood and didn't see any of it. His review stated: "we simply hopped back on the MARTA-- satisfied in being able to say "been there." Been where? To the tiny area just outside the mall, because surely he missed 99.995% of the rest of it! ----- I will admit that prior to yelp I did not really get out to see the city as much. Sure I would venture around to random locations, but not knowing where to eat or what to do is like diving in a pool and flailing your arms vs. swimming laps. Yelp gave me much clearer direction, because if I wanted to see... let's say the Aquarium, I could also find a great restaurant nearby to compliment the experience. Now I've been all over the city, both inside the I-285 perimeter (what locals call ITP) & far outside of it as well. I've done food tours through great Atlanta neighborhoods like Inman Park and Cabbagetown as well as Autism Walks in gorgeous new developments like Atlantic Station. I've been to baseball/basketball games, the capitol building, Underground Atlanta & almost every shopping mall in the city (thanks to my wife). I've even done a staycation downtown where we engulfed ourselves in experiences like the Georgia Dome, World of Coke, Centennial Park, CNN Center, The Center for Civil & Human Rights, ice skating, Zoo Atlanta and the 22-story Ferris Wheel. From restaurants on Roswell's Canton Street to riding the entire 61.5 mile Silver Comet Trail to hiking to the top of both Stone Mountain & Kennesaw Mountain, I have seen much. I've visited Acworth to Athens and south to Peachtree City. I've helped at shelters in the roughest of areas and enjoyed places like Six Flags, Noah's Ark and the amazing waterfalls north of the city. I even got to see Atlanta from above as I was falling from the clouds on my first tandem skydive jump. I've visited historical sites like the home of Dr. Martin Luther King, cover bridges near the city and a number of different museums. I've also ran into several celebrities! My crazy passion for home design has caused me to tour hundreds of model homes or attend events like Street of Dreams where I witness first hand the best of Southern living. ----- Why did I say all of that? Because I'm here to tell you Atlanta is awesome!!!! There is a reason why we are the largest city in the South and home to many Fortune 500 companies. Sure the inner city public school system needs an overhaul and the traffic is a freakin' nightmare (review coming soon), but they're working on it. In years to come Atlanta's Beltline project will be completed and the city will be a premier place to live, play and work. But the beauty of this city is that it expands 360 degrees outside of its boundaries and there are neighborhoods that fit every lifestyle. Cozy historic walking neighborhood with beautiful street art, lofts in historic cotton mills and master-planned communities complete with PGA golf courses. Metro Atlanta is pleasantly diverse! When I arrived in the 90's, the restaurant scene was sad... but boy has that changed! I used to travel back to my hometown of Chicago on food runs, but now I find myself missing the food in Atlanta whenever I'm gone. Yep, I love it here! It is a wonderful city that continues to improve and I'm so happy to call this metropolitan my home!

Going down to visit City Hall is an easy experience. It's only a couple block walk from either the Five Points station, or the Garnett station on Marta. You go through security, but it's less invasive than the airport. Everyone is most friendly. However, I wish the sundry shop offered more variety of snacks, etc.

Jermaine Dupri - Welcome To Atlanta ft. Ludacris https://youtu.be/j5W73HaVQBg Atlanta in a box: Class, manners, great food, country fried culture, heart breaking sports.

Thank you to the City of Atlanta for brining me the greatest happiness over the past 4 years. I came here to attend school at Emory University and fell in love with the city. Atlanta is such a great place, especially for young people. From the Beltline to the many weekend festivals, there is so much to do and explore; so many fun and delicious restaurants. I hope to have the opportunity to live here again. If anyone considers moving to Atlanta, they should not hesitate.

Review #900, one year anniversary back in Atlanta... it only seems appropriate to follow the trend and review the city itself for this epic achievement (yeah, I'm patting myself on the back... watch me). While Atlanta and the areas surrounding it have been my home for nearly 20 of my 25 years, it hasn't been until this last year that I've really begun to learn what all Atlanta had to offer. Sure, in high school we'd make occasional forays in to L5P to see a show at Variety and I knew the streets of Buckhead like the back of my hand, but it's all different now. Atlanta is nothing if not dynamic, and the Atlanta I grew up in is not the Atlanta I'm living in. I can't say that Atlanta is my favorite city in the world, or that living here is an absolute dream. But the city's obviously doing something right: it's growing at a rapid pace and people are sticking around to help move it in the right direction. And that's what I love about this place: you don't know what it's going to be like tomorrow. The tomorrow I hope for Atlanta (I think the election rhetoric has rubbed off on me) includes ideas that are already in progress like the Beltline and the Midtown Mile. Urban development rather than more sprawl, a focus on locally owned businesses rather than big box stores, and a stronger sense of community pride that will lead to less crime. In tangible qualities: better sidewalks and city roads, more on-foot police officers, welcoming streetscapes, mixed use neighborhoods, and budgets for neighborhood civic associations. But this is all just a wish list, and we've got to focus on the present. So what do I love about Atlanta today? A short list: Diverse, unique neighborhoods (my faves being EAV, Midtown, and L5P) Piedmont Park Smiling, friendly, chatty strangers An abundance of patios, and the weather to be able to use them year round The drive-in Springtime, even with the pollen (thankfully I'm not allergic) The Victorian mansions in Inman Park, and their Georgian brethren in Buckhead The skyline The Clermont Southern accents Fried chicken, vegetable plates, Coca cola, and cheese grits. So yeah, I like you, Atlanta. And soon, I'm pretty sure I'm going to love you.

Having lived in four US cities (NY, Chicago, Atlanta, and St. Louis) and two international cities (Seville & Munich), I feel that I have a good basis of comparison to review a city. That said, the following is a summary of Atlanta, based on factors that I deem important when living in a city, ranked from most important to least important. It will be substantially shorter than the other reviews of city because quite frankly, Atlanta is a miserable city and doesn't deserve much. 1. Dining (2 stars): The diversity in restaurants was limited; they all seemed the same. For a large city, aside from the typical Asian restaurants, there was little in terms of ethnic food, and no restaurant ever really "wowed" me. 2. Public Transportation (1 star): MARTA is scary and, aside from getting to Midtown from the airport, has limited use. To add insult to injury, cabs are nearly impossible to stumble upon. You must call for a cab (yes, in a big city), and they are outrageously priced, as an example, $35 to get from the airport to downtown, which is about 5 miles. As discussed below, the culture of the city is to drink and drive, which is always scary but even more so in Atlanta because of the hilly, windy roads. 3. Affordability (3 stars): Yes, it's somewhat affordable for a big city, but since Atlanta doesn't offer the culture and ease of living as a typical big city, wouldn't you rather pay even less to live in nomad's land? 4. Livability (2 stars): You have to drive everywhere; it's not a walkable and there no ability to hop on public transit city. Traffic is the worst. There was no urban planning so the streets all wind, you'll always end up confused on a Peachtree-named road. One minute you're heading north, but before you know it, you're heading south. I prefer Chicago and NYC's grid system. 5. Weather (4 stars): This is all Atlanta has going for it, as long as you like heat and humidity, which I do. It's never too hot for me. If you are heat-sensitive, you may want to change my four star rating to a one or two. I was surprised how cold it felt in the winter. It may only be in the low-40's, but it will feel colder because of humidity in the air. 6. Natural Beauty (2 stars): There are some pretty trails to run and bike. The beach is about 3 hours away. I don't like that there are no major bodies of water nearby. 7. Other Factors (1 stars): Atlanta is just missing that intangible. It's big and sprawling without the benefits of a big city. The downtown is very dangerous, the food scene is awful, people drink and drive and think nothing of it (because there are no other options), and unless you were in a fraternity or sorority at an SEC school, you may struggle to find conversation. *** I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to live in Atlanta for a year. It has made me appreciate my hometown of Chicago even more. Of all the places that I've lived, Atlanta is the only one where I'd need a huge incentive to return.

To celebrate my 300th Yelp, I couldn't think of a more appropriate review than for the city I love. I know it sounds corny, but I really do love Atlanta. I love Mayor Shirley Franklin. She represents us amazingly well and has run the city impeccably during both of her terms. I love my neighbors. The people of Atlanta are unlike anywhere else. A crazy combination of humbleness and cockiness; beauty and filth; intelligence and ignorance; inclusive of everyone while being occasionally exclusive. R.I.P. Backstreet Atlanta, the original 14th Street Bridge, the Buckhead Village, and Underground (well, Underground before it's current gruesome condition). Keep rising as the phoenix shows on the official city seal. Atlanta - "We're not what we need to be, but thank God we're not what we were."

THE PROS AND CONS ABOUT ATL Unlike many of the reviews here I was born in this city and went to school here. My old friends are still here as with the rest of my family. Although I currently reside in the New Orleans area, I have lived all over Atlanta and know the city well. CONS first: Terrible Traffic! Sprawl (Everything is too spread out) Not as pedestrian friendly as many cities Cost of living is rising (gentrification, long commutes, and urban renewal contribute to this) Pretentious / snobby people aren't uncommon (especially on the eastern side of town and Midtown), but this is not an issue unique to just Atlanta. Lack of a real neighborhood in many areas (gated communities, isolated developments) Public transportation needs to expand! Crime (the most shady areas are on the westside, SWATTS, south-side, and parts of southeast Atlanta and unincorporated areas in south Dekalb County) Atlanta is landlocked; there are no major bodies of water nearby, except for two small lakes and a small river, which means no beaches nearby ( except for man-made ones. pointless.) As others have stated, hit or miss architecture. Lack of a distinct culture. PROS: Marta (even though it needs to Improve, it is important since traffic is a nightmare during rush hour; not everyone can afford a car The art scene is thriving here Wide variety of restaurants Most schools are decent Variety in the racial makeup and / or social classes is improving. (especially east and northeast of downtown Great recreational facilities, gyms, parks, etc. Good clubs and bars (but you're probably gonna need a car to get to the places you like the most) A wide variety of retail (if you have money) Strip club heaven! (not my thing though) Typical southern hospitality Well, this is just some of the good and bad in a nutshell. No place is perfect, and Atl is no exception. But no matter where I go It will always have a place in my memory!

Wow, what a year! This was my third year living in Atlanta, and I have to admit it has been the best. Although the city still has a long way to go and will never catch up to the level that my beloved L.A. is at in terms of food and entertainment, I am pretty happy with Atlanta today. So, I am dedicating my final review of the year 2012 and end of my 366 Review Challenge to the City of Atlanta. About eight years ago, I first stepped foot onto this Southern state to visit my uncle's family living up in Buford, Georgia. That winter of 2004 was special because my very first Georgian friend took me to places like the Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier Islands and cozy, romantic Cafe Intermezzo. Over the years, I had visited Atlanta at least once a year to visit my uncle's family and, most recently, my own who had moved here from our hometown of Guam. Before I actually moved to Atlanta, the restaurant I had craved the most in Georgia was Chick-fil-A. (Note: Since then, several Chick-fil-A restaurants have popped up in SoCal!) I didn't try many of the ethnic restaurants on Buford Highway until the last two years, but they are also pretty awesome. To make what can easily become the longest review I have ever written somewhat concise, I will list my top five favorite and five least favorite things about Atlanta. * Top Five Favorite Things: 1. Tie between Yelp Atlanta (Atlanta Yelpers - http://www.yelp.com/biz/atlanta-yelpers-atlanta#hrid:NdYsg4YIaMXSD_J_68FpYw) and Meetup (http://www.yelp.com/biz/meetup-inc-new-york#hrid:5h35a1rYd5KpnHzq6Kfigw) - For all the amazing friends I've met through these sites! 2. Bocado (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bocado-atlanta#hrid:pqimG1UXiprRDSJfxOkRfw) 3. Heirloom Market BBQ (http://www.yelp.com/biz/heirloom-market-bbq-atlanta#hrid:xcf1zCAEb9NoOjLNkghYxA) 4. Pho Dai Loi 2 (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-dai-loi-atlanta#hrid:9yS8AgcwX-utSwZD2Fga8g) 5. Cafe Hot Wing II (http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-hot-wing-ii-atlanta#hrid:0bo_wSNBHd-DU8erUe_o1A) * Five Least Favorite Things: 1. Traffic - Spaghetti junction is absolutely miserable and ridiculous, and traffic here is WORSE than it was in L.A. (when I was living there over three years ago) 2. Pollen - Never knew that I was allergic to the evil yellow powder until last year. Ughhh... 3. Icy roads during snowy winters - Yes, the snow is pretty at first, but that black ice it leaves behind is the carpet to death. 4. Georgia drivers - 'Nuff said. 5. Crime - Those who don't live here wouldn't believe how bad it is, even up in suburban Buford... Overall, the City of Atlanta gets 4 stars for being a fun city with plenty of good dining options and great opportunities to meet people. Sure, it can be intimidating to meet people if you don't know anyone to begin with. However, you don't have to look very far (Yelp!) to find events according to your interests. Although it isn't necessarily where I want to spend the rest of my life in, I have grown to love Atlanta and will enjoy it as long as I am living here. Happy New Year to my friends and fellow Yelpers! See you on Yelp in 2013!!! =) [Review 366 of 366]

I have been here since September - in the Atlanta area and city. Mostly I like Atlanta (Metro) but there are some things that are bothersome and have yet to be addressed. The Good: Lots of attractions, things to do events. People are more "city-like" than outside of the Atlanta area. I grew up in city environments so I am right at home and more comfortable with urban areas than rural. Prices are ok, but better the closer to the perimeter you get. The Bad: TRAFFIC. it isn't the traffic, really - its the drivers. People in Atlanta don't know how to drive - and I'm talking about the NATIVES, not the visitors. When you want to change lanes, they speed up and get beside you. They slam the pedal when there is no room in front of them. They race right into a pack. They cut in and out of packs, going 20+ miles per hour above the speed limit. They don't care if they get hit - its almost suicidal. Atlanta drivers still don't have safe driving laws (they are working on them) like staying off the phone and other distractions. California, where I am from, had these rules in effect for DECADES. Don't get me started on road construction - why does it take so LONG??? Get it over with already, haven't enough people driven off the road! And the lines are poorly implemented, and can barely be seen at night! GACK! The City - or whomever maintains the roads - doesn't provide enough light in areas (headlights are not enough at 65 mph). the signs are barley readable, and they have crazy road add-ons like the stupid "hot lane" scheme. The speed limits on the perimeter, 20, 75 - all those roads criss-crossing Atlanta Metro has speeds way too high for the mentality of the drivers - it should be 35mph max - not 65mph! The drivers routinely forget they are not on the freeways when they exit to the streets. its extremely dangerous to cross the street in Atlanta - especially at night. The worst is trying to cross any street where traffic is free to turn... Driving in Atlanta is a true nightmare. NIGHT-TIME. Walking around at night is like taking your life in your hands. There are barely any people walking anywhere - the few you see, especially near Mid-Town - are most likely insane or criminal. Atlanta's "population" is mostly people driving to a destination and going inside. The streets don't have much but bums and really big roaches. PARKING: I can only describe the parking in Atlanta as predatory. The City offers almost NONE, so the private companies charge people up the ying yang. Even if you can afford the parking - the restrictions are usually high in all but a few lots. HOTELS. Lots of hotels - most of them dirty. Unless you want to spend your life saving on a sanitary hotel, don't expect much. They all try to get market rate - even though they aren't all up to par. HOUSING. Sure - you can find a cheap place to live - but is the place clean? Do Atlanta landlords know what "clean" is? I searched for 4 months to find a place all over the Atlanta Metro - only to see time and time again - bugs and roaches all over PLACE THEY WERE SHOWING ME! I had a property manager laugh when I told him I was looking for bug-free rentals (sans bug spray smell) for my price range in the Atlanta Metro. It just didn't happen. I had to move outside of the perimeter to find a place - which is cheaper than ITP - that is bug free. WEATHER. Well, its nice - until the winter. Atlanta becomes a frozen tundra. I'm glad I didn't have to work there during that period - but I might not be so lucky this coming winter. The planning department knows everything stops in the winter - yet they keep building up the northern part of Atlanta / Metro. They SHOULD BE moving new business to the southern perimeter area - where it is much better weather during the winter (and rarely any black ice). There are close communities like Conley and Ellenwood that have vast amount of free space and fantastic weather, where they could be putting plants and other big businesses, but they keep building in the frozen north for some odd reason. JOB CONDITIONS. The reason everyone at a business is so nice is because the State doesn't support worker's rights... Besides that - the restaurants are clean - but the food is not great; its like some odd season is being sprinkled on everything. I have found only 3 places that have decent burgers. There is urban blight, right next to new construction. Streets are not well maintained (lots of cracked sidewalk, potholes). Just outside of the perimeter they start giving up on adequate lighting and SIDEWALKS. The speed limits are too high in areas where people live and again have to walk on the side of the road because NO SIDEWALK. Even in Atlanta (Metro) there are areas that are overgrown with trees - where people live. Sometimes you cant even tell someone is living there - is that a person... or a bear? What makes Atlanta great is the people you meet under normal circumstances. Usually its a good interaction and they are very friendly.

******* Finally My 100th Review ******** I was saving my 100th Review for something special..and on this day ((the day of my ROTD for MJQ)) I wanted to pay a tribute the the lovely City of Atlanta! I was a transplant to Atlanta 7 years ago from Los Angeles and I have been in LOVE with this city ever since! When I first moved to Atlanta I lived in Dunwoody, then I lived in Buckhead and Midtown before I finally found my niche in Grant Park! Sure I HATE the Atlanta Watershed, Comcast, Georgia Power, not being able to buy liquor on Sundays, and the Atlanta City Council. BUT the things I LOVE about Atlanta by far outweighs the negative!. I love the free summer concerts and movies in the park and the drive-in. I love the street festivals and concerts. I love walking into my local bar and starting up random conversations with people at the bar. I love all the green trees, Braves games and MARTA (( Yeah I said it...I LOVE MARTA)). . ...and dammit I almost hate to say it BUT I love the crazies of Atlanta Yelp! You guys remind me of my crazy uncles/aunts that get drunk at the family reunions and start talkin' s**t. U want to slap the hell out of em' and hug them instead. Atlanta is NO Los Angeles......which is why I (heart) Atlanta!

I've lived here about 8 months and have enjoyed this city a lot. Here are the pro's and con's: Pro's: Food- There are places to eat everywhere, lots of variety. Too many restaurants to ever try in one's lifetime. Parks: Piedmont Park is beautiful and right in the middle of the city. There are lots of additional parks and green spaces in Atlanta and the surrounding area. It's actually called the city of tree's. Skip the aquarium and go to the Botanical Gardens, the best one I've ever gone to. Things to do: Concerts, sports, night life, hiking, comedy, it's all here. The only thing that is very limited is the beach/water sports (more on that below). Over the summer, there are festivals going on every weekend. You can't be bored in Atlanta unless you do not understand how to use the internet or have very specific interests. Affordability: The person below who said they paid $1300 for a studio didn't do a lot of research. My apartment is in West Midtown (about a 4 mile drive from the heart of midtown) and I pay $850 for a 850 square foot, one bedroom apartment. This isn't super cheap but it's a lot better than many other big cities. If you are single, you can make $40,000 a year and have a good quality of life. Especially if you are willing to have a roommate. People: Atlanta is not a southern city. Most people do not have southern accents, even if they lived here all of their life. The people you meet here are from all over the world and it is very much a transient city. I personally like this. Being from New York, I have never felt out of place down here. There is a very large African-American population here, I find it less segregated. Okay: Traffic: It is generally not as bad as everyone says. Between the times of 4:30 and 7:00, yes it can be bad, especially going out of the city. The trick is to: 1) LIVE CLOSE TO WHERE YOU WORK 2) If you have to be somewhere at 7:00 and you get out of work at 5:00, don't bother to go home in between. If you do these things, the traffic is very manageable. Weather: It is a myth that Atlanta is always hot. The winters are actually pretty cold, expect to wear winter coats, gloves, etc. The summers are very hot. The fall and spring are very nice, although too short. You get all 4 seasons here. There are places with better weather but there are also places with worse weather. Atlanta has all around "okay" weather. Transportation: If you do not have a car, don't move here. The public transportation is not that great. It's best use is for going to the airport or parking at MARTA and taking it downtown so that you do not have to drive. I don't mind driving because everything that I go to is pretty close. I also keep a lot of stuff in my car so driving works out better for me. Living in a city like NYC where you take the subway everywhere, this would overwhelm me. Cities like Boston, Chicago, etc are very different than Atlanta so you have to think about what would work for you. Cons: Water: As I'm from Buffalo, I miss having a large body of water nearby. Also, if you love going to the beach, the closest one is about 4 hours away. Biking: While the lack of public transportation doesn't bother me that much, the lack of bike lanes does. The "bikes lanes" downtown are really just the road. Its dangerous for bikers on the road and annoying for drivers. The city is very hilly, so even if there was great bike lanes, it's difficult to get around with a bike. There is the PATH which is a bike/walking trail that surrounds the city, but it is very busy and doesn't go everywhere. Isolation: The closest cities to Atlanta are Birmingham and Chattanooga. Both are between 1-2 hours away. If you are willing to drive 4-7 hours, there are a lot of great places to go including Savannah, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, lots of places in Florida, New Orleans, etc. Obviously, these are not an easy weekend trip so you do feel a bit isolated if you are want to get away from Atlanta a lot. There are a lot of great hiking trails about an hour north but generally, it's a drive to get to another major destination. Car Tax: When you move here and register your vehicle, expect to pay a significant total car tax. Lack of history: Atlanta burned to the ground during the war. As a result, it does not have near the beautiful architecture that many other cities do. There is history here, but you have to look closer for it. This is neither a pro or con but downtown/midtown (the area with tall buildings) is actually pretty small. You can drive the width of this part of Atlanta in about 3 miles. What constitutes the city of Atlanta is mostly made up of neighborhoods. You don't feel like you're living in a city any size like Chicago here. It's a completely different look and lifestyle.

Well, it's been three years since I moved here. It's high time that I should give an opinion on this city. All things considering, it is not as bad as I thought. Pretty decent place, actually. Before moving to Atlanta, I didn't think much of it, other than it is probably some backwards Southern city (actually, I thought that way about the whole South, actually) where my company was located. Aside from the Olympics, it doesn't seem to be a remarkable city (with unremarkable ideas - Izzy the Olympic mascot, anybody). To me, LA is the city to be in. Expensive, but worth living in. Then I was right-sized a bit and I was asked to move the servers in my last couple of weeks with the company. So I flew there and as I was looked at the city, there was almost nothing but trees (as opposed to the concrete megalopolis that is LA). A thought came to me mind: "Sherman did a good job burning down this city." Or something like that. From the airport, I got on the train to the city (which, I have to admit, ones-up on LA, since the frickin' train system DOES NOT EVEN COME CLOSE TO LAX) and got out at Peachtree Center station. Then I was accosted by the following: - Humidity - The shelter-challenged. With the clouds hanging over my head both literally and figuratively, it was an auspicious start. At any rate, apparently I did such a good job that my company retained me and offered me a position here. Since I don't have a job to go back to in LA (and the IT market was TERRIBLE at the time), I accepted the position and thus transplanted myself from Southern California to the capital of the Peachtree State. It wasn't a bad move. First of all, it is cheaper here. Rent is cheaper (a decent 1 bedroom goes for 1,000 or so in LA; it's at least 1/3 cheaper here). So is the gas and generally speaking (unless you live in Buckhead), houses are quite reasonable (at least if you have equity stored up if you own an house in LA. I don't, so I missed out). People are friendlier too - and not as provincial as I thought (it may be different if you go outside the perimeter). In fact, quite a few people here are educated at the colleges at GA Tech, GSU or UGA. Also, it is quite open, diverse and tolerant (again, it may be different if you go outside the city) in parts - it's not LA, but it's getting there (when you have churches that are either all white or all black, you still have a problem). Business-wise, it is fairly friendly (which is bad news to us consumers), so you have companies moving here a lot. It helps to that Hartfield-Jackson is accessible via Marta too (but see below). Activity-wise, there is stuff to do that are too many to mention - in that case, I will refer to this web site: http://www.georgia.org/ Now for the not-so-go-parts. - Public transportation suck big time. Other than Marta, bus service is almost non-existent. - Bad traffic. Not as bad, but it is made worse by idiot drivers (do you know that driver's ed was non-existent in GA until a few years ago?). - Residual prejudice. It's still here and because of media reports and crime, it seems to have prepetrated into some new generation. :( - Everything below 1-20 is scary. Here is to hoping that gentrification will fix that (yeah, I know that has its own set of problems. Overall, the city is a decent place to live, with some room for improvement. If they can just fix the transporation problem (and get the Beltline running), it could be the great city that can rival that of New York and Los Angeles.

I put on for my city. On On for my city. East Side - South Side - West Side - North Side I figured it was about time to review my city. Like the majority of the Atlanta populous I too am a transplant. Originally from West By God Virginia my family moved to the Atlanta metro area in 1987. After spending my formative years in schools in Lawrenceville, Braselton, and Jefferson I graduated and moved to the city as fast as possible. Thirteen years have flown by! I love this place! In my years living here I have officially moved away twice and of course kept returning. The first time was southwestern Mexico and simply ran out of money. The second time was an 8 month stint in Buffalo, NY. Not sure what I was thinking. But the temperament of our people, the food, and the love has kept me here. Now I know it is a B market and not NYC, San Fran, or Chicago, but everything you want is widely available 24 hours a day (Minus Sunday morning at 12am until 11:59pm). We have the world's largest and most connected airport as well as the airline with the most direct global flights. So yes, I REALLY REALLY want to live on the beach and frequent them as much as possible but if I get the itch a 3 hour flight to anywhere in central America is at my fingertips. It's also my personal opinion that Atlanta has one of the best skylines in the nation. Yep I said it. It's better than most. We have both the young age of our city and of course General Sherman to thank for this. He torched the place in 1864 and the city was rebuilt and then named the state's capital 4 years later. Atlanta isn't littered with boring rectangular buildings that you can jump roof top to roof top, although that is fun. We have a very futuristic and beautiful skyline that is only separated by trees. We boast the 32nd tallest building thanks to our cathedral esque Bank of America Plaza at North Ave and Peachtree. We hosted the 1996 Olympics. We have all 4 major sports teams represented. We are a short drive to the beach, the mountains, 5 bordering states, Stone Mountain, several race tracks, and a number of bustling suburbs if you feel the need a break. No matter where you there are always some things that can be done better. We have crooked mayors, horrible traffic, police furloughs, metal plates 'fixing' pot holes, crime riddled areas, and so on. But so does everyone else. Atlanta maintains a massive music and art culture. The city has birthed Mastodon, Sugarland, T.I., Black Lips, Hense, Lil John, Collective Soul, Indigo Girls, Ga Satellites, Brenden O'Brien, So So Def Records, The High Museum, Lil Bow Wow, Modern Atlanta, Cartoon Network, Drivin' N Cryin', TLC, Castleberry Art Stroll, Outkast, Deerhunter, Injected, Marvelous 3, Sever, Young Jeezy, Nick Didia, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Brand New Immortals, Adult Swim, Kris Kross, Butch Walker, Man Or Astroman, Billionaire, Black Crowes, CNN, and thousands of independent musicians, artists, and people just doing their thang JUST TO NAME A FEW. We obviously love to entertain and have the roster to do so anywhere. 'Nuff said Restaurants? Don't even get me started. It is a fact that we have more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the US. Want a $50 pizza pie, no problem. Want an amazing one for $9 we have that too. There are always things that can change for the better but I do love this place. Come, visit, stay. Peace Up A-Town Down!!!

For my 300th review I decided to go ahead and write a review about the City of Atlanta. (That and because all my other friends did their 300th review on the city and told me just to go ahead and do it!) Of course, my review is a song and although short and sweet, its sums up my life here in the ATL. Thanks for 8 years of new experiences and cherish-able life moments that I will ALWAYS remember! Atlanta will always have a special place in my heart and I look forward on to new adventures and memories as long as I live here! To Brian McKnight's "Back At One" A ...moved in two thousand one T ...Buckhead was lots of fun L ...VA Highland for me...then came "out" and lived in Ansley A ...adopt my dog Braun-ie N ...live Midtown; love C-berry That people ask me where I'm from, I say...that I live in the A (yeah)

Very poor at planning. The great population boom of 1895 is still a surprise this city is trying to recover from, as seen in the failure to enact a navigable highway system. Even Sherman tried to help Atlanta with its piss-poor road planning, but alas, he burned in vain and the roads are still tiny and crooked. If you get a traffic ticket in DeKalb County, good luck at recorders court! Last time I checked they had a big wheel a la wheel of fortune with dollar amounts and no free vacations, and you spin the wheel to see your fine! (You lose every time). Luckily, the money you pay is being well spent on parties, alcohol and upstanding lady friends of the night, instead of roads that could be bigger or, ya know, education (which Jaw-jah done got lots of). If you are sick of driving, just take public transportation, it is always full of adventure and smells. This city gets an extra star for being featured on The Walking Dead (a true story based on MARTA).

Hopping on the train - happy 200th review with the City of Atlanta! I'm a native. Yes, one of those rare, elusive creatures who tries to tell you how things were not even 15 years ago in this fine city. Centennial Park? Aquarium? Puh-lease. That's modern compared to the things I've seen and know. You know, like back when L5P was a run-down mess, Buckhead was hip, and Rich's downtown hosted the giant tree, not Lenox. And where is Freaknik when you need it?! Atlanta is one of my favorite cities, and I'm glad to call it home. The people here are incredibly diverse, and there is never a dull moment. If you can't find something to do here, there's something wrong with you, not the city. It has everything from museums to nightlife, movies to stage plays, local bands to big name concerts. My boyfriend and I often joke that if we tried to hit up every restaurant in the city, we'd a) go broke in a week and b) die well before we hit the halfway mark. It's almost like a mini-NYC... almost. That's where the gripes come in. Politicians and scared suburbanites holding up the expansion of MARTA. People with zip code superiority complexes. Haters that we don't have enough "touristy things" to do (though the addition of a pirate museum is going to be AWESOME, I must admit). These kinds of people just don't get it. MARTA should be embraced - where else will you see rap battles on trains? - and as a native, I've got a love for most zip codes within the metro area. If you're scared of ITP or OTP, get a grip and open your mind - the world is bigger than a concrete perimeter fence! And those touristy things... sure, they're fun at times, but if I see a city, the heart of it is never found in the spots you won't find many locals. Ever. Yet I continue to love Atlanta and it's multitude of venues, restaurants, and that big giant airport that offers me so many trips to other places. With gems like the Clermont Lounge and Halloween Parades, it's a hard city to hate in my opinion. Atlanta is my play place, and I'm proud to say this is where I'm from. The south isn't all biscuits and gravy, y'all! In the wise words of the great DJ Smiles, "I'm in Atlanta, biiiiiiiiitch!"

Yes, I know that you need my lease to be notarized in order for my water/sewer to be put in my name, but it's already signed and I have to get an affidavit signed in it's place. I did that and maaaaaybe you could at least be cordial? I suppose not. Luckily, the rest of the folks in the building were so nice. The security guard at the front door, the woman at the customer service desk, the accounts lady -- all wonderful. The woman at the payment desk? Not so much.

woohoo!!!!!! my 100th review...haven't even been on Yelp for a year yet!! Yay for me!!!!! I digress...Atlanta has been amazing, sad, fun, drunk, warm, cold, heartbreaking, musical, hilarious, social (among other things) to me and I haven't always enjoyed all of it (getting too drunk @ Chastain Park in the heat of the Summer, boys, blah blah blah) but overall, Atlanta has been good to me. March 2010 will be my 5 year anniversary since moving here from Northern VA/Washington DC and Atlanta is definitely different from the nation's capital... gripes: Atlantans don't really know how to stop driving when an ambulance is coming...weird. the city SHUTS DOWN when it rains the POT HOLES!!!!!??? Really...Kasim, i'm gonna need something done about this in 2010, unless the City of Atlanta wants to buy me a new car!!!!!!!!!!! not being able to buy "spirits" on Sunday. boooooo loves: soooooooooooo many. if we can fix the potholes and buy alcohol on sundays, City of Atlanta, you will be a 5-star review!!!!!!!!!!

Never thought I'd give a 5 star review to City Hall, but we came here to get our water turned on in our new home that we are about to rent and our experience at City Hall was mind-blowingly pleasant. Having moved here from Los Angeles, I am still getting used to "regular" folks being nice throughout the day but it is still unexpected when it comes from a city employee. From the security guards who greeted us, to the woman who accepted our application, to the cashiers who took the check and answered our questions, everyone we dealt with was friendly, courteous, helpful and friendly. I am actually looking forward to going here in a few days to apply for a parking permit to get our PODS delivered!

I love love love the southern Hospitality of southerners. Everyone is so sweet, and took so good care of me while I was down there years ago. I feel like the way people were brought up is much dofferent from east/west coast. Another great city with great memories!

Daniel Burnham never made his way to Atlanta. That's the first thing that comes to mind about Atlanta. Atlanta needs to rip up its current street system and start over with a 90-degree angle grid that's navigable. Chicago once had several streets with the same name. Atlanta still does. How many Peachtree streets are there? Some seem to be two blocks away from one another and parallel. I spent a lot of time driving around in circles in this city. It took me until the third day to finally know where the heck I was going. I didn't exactly feel totally safe in downtown/midtown Atlanta because when you cruise around here you go from a nice area to garbage in the span of one block. So I felt it was smart to not go wandering around on foot, however much I wanted to. I was well aware of the crime stats before visiting here. Anyway, otherwise I liked the city, its attractions, its restaurants, its scenery, its congested highways and its people. Get on that grid system, Hot-lanta!

Dear Hotlanta, I saved the 100th review for you, the city I thought I'd never spend two seconds in. After acquiring the master's degree, the job, the homeowner's deed, and the dog, I guess I'll keep you awhile. I love that you're cheap, the rapper sitings, Clermont Lounge, Piedmont Park, Glady's Knight's corn muffins, Fat Matt's bbq, Castleberry Hill Art Stroll, MLK, you have a pretty good basketball team now, and cool grassroot efforts are starting. I hate that pedestrians get zero respect, air quality is really bad, your legislative session is only 40 days (get with it rural Georgia), the solution for potholes is steel plates, un-gridded streets, and it's hot. I like-like you and can't wait to see what else you got.