And Away We Go!
The new Midtown Patch editor introduces himself and reminds users that the site is just a vehicle for many of the conversations already happening daily on the streets.
Good day Midtown! And you, too, Atlantic Station, Ansley Park, Brookwood Hills, Georgia Tech, Home Park, Loring Heights, Midtown’s Peachtree Corridor, Sherwood Forest, and others.
Forgive me if I’ve lumped you into the “others” category as I happily begin reacquainting myself with what I believe to be the crown jewel area of Atlanta. For you see, I’ve spent the last 16 months knee-deep in all things involving Smyrna and Vinings and the Cumberland Community Improvement District.
That doesn’t mean I haven’t been watching you Midtown!
And now I am back in the community where I have lived, worked and played for the majority of my life. A few moons ago, I was born on a warm Sunday late afternoon (the No. 1 song at the time was The Young Rascals “Groovin’” on a Sunday afternoon if you really want to know how old I am) at Georgia Baptist Hospital, which is now known as the Atlanta Medical Center.
I grew up in the Howell Mill Rd. area, graduated from The Lovett School and later lived and worked at a variety of Midtown locales. Prior to Patch, I was the sports editor for the Westside located The Sunday Paper. Perhaps you remember me there? Maybe not, but I look forward to getting to know you now.
You’ll find that I like to have fun and we’ll have plenty of such here. Silly, stupid fun (you’ve been warned), but we’ll also explore the more serious issues that matter most to this community. We’ll examine the types of businesses that Midtown needs to attract, the ones that promote a safe, walkable urban community. We want local, independent businesses along our streets as local leaders continue building the Midtown experience.
Transportation and parking continue to be drags of daily life here. Will this summer’s vote on the transportation sales tax bring money for needed transit solutions? How will progress on the Atlanta BeltLine transform our neighborhoods?
And, of course, public safety remains a chief concern of Midtown residents. Even with a more focused effort to combat crime, is enough being done by police and residents to ensure better neighborhood and personal safety? We’ll break it down.
It will take astute planning to confront many of these issues, but most of them are a result of something good – the fact that Midtown is growing into such a desired place to live. And hot damn, ready or not, I’m back in it!
I’m here to help grow this site so you as a community will continue to read, continue to ask questions and continue to debate. Please, share your thoughts and ideas about Midtown by emailing me at midtown@patch.com.
As with Patch sites across the state and country, Midtown Patch is just a vehicle for many of the conversations already happening daily on the streets. Let’s keep the dialogue going, why don’t we?
Tammy
10:00 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Where Amy at?
Hunt Archbold
10:06 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Hi Tammy, she starts a new job next week. See more here: http://patch.com/A-q66P
Clicker
10:41 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
You may want to start by editing your front page. That 'Remain in Light, Andy Warhol' piece has been there since the Stone Ages.
I'll never understand websites (especially news oriented ones) that the leave the same junk on their pages for months. It makes the readers not bother checking back often. Surely web editors know this; print editors do.
Louis Mayeux
11:01 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Hunt: Welcome back to Midtown. I'll look forward to continuing working with you in Midtown, although I would quibble that it's the "crown jewel" of Atlanta. Everyone knows Buckhead is. Your headline brings nice memories of Jackie Gleason. Away we go for sure. I'm sure you'll build upon Amy's fine work.
Hunt Archbold
11:06 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
I hear where you're coming from. Fred and Barny were still sporting Water Buffalo Lodge hats the last time Midtown Patch posted a fresh blog. Which leads me to this, who's got something to say? Be interesting. Be provocative. Be yourself. Be a blogger at Midtown Patch. Bueller? Bueller? http://patch.com/A-nQSf
Hunt Archbold
11:08 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Louis: One of these days... One of these days... POW! Right in the kisser!!
Natalie Gilmore
11:38 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Welcome Hunt!
Hunt Archbold
11:48 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Thanks, Natalie. Glad to be here!
Thom
6:18 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Hunt....as a real estate broker that lives, breathes and sells Midtown Atlanta, welcome! I had the pleasure of meeting Amy several times and look forward to meeting you as well.
You made a comment about parking issues. Other than the strict enforcement and some of the mess that came with it, Atlanta still has probably the cheapest parking I've seen. Lots at $4 for the day, maybe $5....I mean really. Yes, the on street parking meters are a pain, but we all just got spoiled being able to park anywhere and everywhere for free. I'm not saying Park Atlanta and the whole process is right, but in the big picture, all good things come to an end at some point. I guess free street parking was one of them.
Looking forward to meeting you soon!
Hunt Archbold
7:31 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Thom, my brother's name is Thom and I've witnessed him having a parking fit in San Diego where he lives with his family...You make good points. I just paid $3 all day off 13th near Crescent. I'm sure we'll meet soon and thanks for the welcome wishes.
Robert Miller
7:34 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
Welcome, Hunt! I live in midtown and work in Cumberland/Vinings area. Glad to have you onboard.
Hunt Archbold
8:09 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
Thanks much, Robert. You sound like someone who would possibly really like to have (or at least use) a Midtown to Cumberland light rail service. Having come from that area most recently, not sure it's such a popular idea there. Cobb (like metro Atlanta as a whole) really screwed the pooch with regards to transportation decades ago and now doesn't seem to know what it wants to do.
Neal Miller
2:12 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
WELCOME BACK Hunt!
Hunt Archbold
5:51 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
Thanks, Neal. It feels good (but that could be just because it's happy hour on Friday). Have a great weekend!
Bill Palmer
7:43 am on Thursday, February 23, 2012
Hi Mr. Archbold, sorry I discovered your introduction back to Midtown so late!! I can't welcome you since we are recent (10 months or so) transplants from beautiful downtown Pasadena, California (and it really is beautiful). We lived in a mixed use mall there, could watch the Rose Parade from one of our balconies, see the San Gabriel Mountains every day (if the inversion layer was not out there) and really missed it for several months. But we are coming to love Atlanta, have a lovely house in the burbs, want to either rent it or sell it and move back to the urban, apartment life style. So we are trying to decide on downtown, Midtown or Buckhead and the Patch really helps. So thank you for your insights and hard work with this web journal.
Hunt Archbold
8:07 am on Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thanks for your kind words, Bill, and welcome to the South! Love me some southern California, especially my two nephews who live in sunny San Diego. Let me know if myself or Patch can be of future service. Have a great day!