Weekends are fun, but traffic issues not so much

The weekend has arrived and once Friday’s clouds pushes through, we should see sunny skies and cooler temps. Surly the regular influx of folks will be streaming into Midtown for weekend fun.

It also means weekend traffic on Midtown streets. A resident recently emailed me their frustration concerning cars stopping/parking in the Juniper Street lane closest to the establishments and on weekend evenings.

Some of the vehicles are awaiting to pull into the valet lot between the two restaurants. But last weekend, I observed some vehicles merely parked on the street for up to 15 minutes waiting for friends to emerge from the restaurants. The resident who emailed me expressed a safety concern with this practice.

Have you observed this and do you have an issue with it? Are there other Midtown weekend traffic issues that concern you? Let us know.

Now, let’s take a peek at a few happenings forthcoming this weekend.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company continues its run of “Romeo and Juliet" throughout the weekend at the New American Shakespeare Tavern, located at 499 Peachtree Street. Performances on Friday and Saturday are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. See here for more info.

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The celebration of all things oyster continues this weekend with the best (in this writer’s opinion) oyster shindig of the year – the 25th Annual Steamhouse Lounge Oysterfest 2012. The music-filled block party runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. at the restaurant’s 11th Street and West Peachtree Street location. The Georgia Satellites are the Sunday headliner and a portion of proceeds will benefit Embraced Atlanta. See here for more info.

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Not far away, Moe’s Original Bar B Que will be celebrating its birthday with its 1st Anniversary Party with Gimme Hendrix and members of Seven Handle Circus. It begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday as bluegrass will vibrate the walls of Moe's early and old school rock n roll late. Moe's is located at 349 14th Street and more info is here.

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And Saturday night, the Goat Farm Arts Center, located at 1200 Foster Street, presents an evening featuring the music of Quiet Hounds. Music begins at 9:30 p.m. and entry fee is $5 (cash only). More information can be found here.

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But the adults aren’t having all the fun, as there are several family-related activities on tap. will host a free in-store reading event in celebration of the National Education Association’s Read Across America program. The 9-11 a.m. event will include a reading nook inspired by Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax,” a reusable bag filled with activities for children, readings by Target team members, and more.

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The  2012 Mad Hatter Winter Wonderland at the Woodruff Arts Center begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday. It will feature artist performances, raffles, take-home arts and crafts and a whole lot more. See here for additional information. The Alliance Theatre also begins its stage performance of the “The Wizard Of Oz” Saturday at the Woodruff Arts Center. Saturday's performance begins at 7 p.m. and the production runs through March 11.

What's on your weekend agenda?