Welcome to Atlanta where the homeless sleep.
Written: Jun 11 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots to do.
Cons: Roads are confusing and can lead you into the ghetto. Lots of homeless people.
The Bottom Line: It is a great city. Scary at times. But it's well worth the visit.
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| marsgrl200's Full Review: Atlanta |
I first went to Atlanta in the beginning of 2001 for my girl scout troops end of the year trip. Our troop leader was driving and ended up getting lost on the confusing and congested roadways. Well, we ended up right in the heart of the ghetto. The houses there were all boarded up and falling apart, which is ashame because they could be very beautiful. I felt like I should be wearing a bullet proof vest going through there because there was no one there. No cars driving around except us, no one walking the streets unless you count the prostitutes, and no sign of life in the houses unless you count the two people selling drugs off their front porch. I kept expecting there to be a drive by or a sniper in one of the houses. As you can see, my first impressions of Atlanta were not very good as I was scared for my life. (And I had reason to be scared... on the news the next morning they reported a shoot out at a place that we passed by. And it happened less than an hour after we went by there.)
When we finally got out of the ghetto and into Atlanta itself, we were faced with never ending traffic, small sometimes forked roads, and one way streets. This was my first time in a big city, so I was amazed at how many people could fit in one small area. And the buildings were huge! I was constantly looking up. We happened to visit Atlanta right when they were having some music or jazz festival, so some roads were closed and there were more people there than usual. The streets were littered with so much garbage, it was disgusting.
Our hotel room had a view overlooking the music festival in the small park in the middle of Atlanta. It was great to be able to open the windows and hear the music. I enjoyed it very much. At night, every inch of sleepable space in the park was covered by a homeless person. It was like this every night, even after the festival ended. But the homeless people were very nice. We talked to some of them. And after the festival ended, all the homeless people cleaned up all the trash in the streets. I was surprised at how fast they cleaned up the city too.
While we were there, we felt like the minority. I don't think I saw one white person besides the people in my girl scout troop. It was a very strange feeling. We went to the Underground one night to eat. We were the only white people there. There are lots of places there to eat, which was nice. It wasn't nice when guys tried to hit on us though... we're a girl scout troop and our leader was right there and guys kept hitting on us. Well... they did seem a little drunk. hehe. I think the Underground is a good place to go. It might have been better in the day time though.
The night life there is good. We went to a club just outside of Atlanta called Cowboys. They were having teen night. That was the first dance club I'd ever been too. It was huge and they had a mechanical bull! The only thing I didn't like much was the music. It was all country music until about the last hour before they shut.
Besides my bad first impressions and fearing for my life the whole trip, I think Atlanta is a good place to go for short visits. I would not change anything about my trip, despite how I felt at the time. I would, and will, go back there someday. Maybe for the music festival? :-) Who knows? But I would recommend people to go visit. It's good to sometimes leave your element and try new things. I learned alot while on my trip and it opened my eyes to what's really out there in the big wide world.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
marsgrl200
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Member: Amy M.
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
18 year old, Freshman at UF, aspiring photographer. Enjoys long walks on the beach.
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