I think New Year's resolutions are silly and stopped making them years ago. However, like a good Southerner, I did eat my black-eyed peas this year for good luck. So instead of a New Year's resolution, I have a New Year's Wish list for Atlanta. I am aiming high, so this is where the prosperity of the black-eyed peas comes in handy.
1) I wish for alcohol sales on Sunday. This issue drives me crazy. There are only three states that prohibit retail alcohol sales on Sunday. Can Georgia please be removed from this list? I'm not suggesting we all go out and booze it up on Sundays, but can we at least be given the chance to vote on it? It looks like this issue might get to a vote in the Georgia legislature, so maybe I'll get my wish.
2) I wish for different radio programming for our local public broadcasting channel, 90.1 WABE. Classical music is great, but do we really need a 6-hour block of it every day? How about mixing in some news or talk programs.
3) I wish for a world-class Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Parts of the historic site are in a shameful condition and this hurts my Atlanta pride. Atlanta was the birthplace and home of one of the most important figures of the 20th century and the area is less well-cared for and not as educational as the exhibits at the Georgia Aquarium. I know the beluga whales are paid for through corporate donations and ticket sales, and that the MLK Jr. Center is privately owned within land owned by the National Park Service, but the legal wrangling among the King family members really needs to end so that improvements can be made.
I'd like to see better signage overall, and improvements to the plaza area surrounding the grave site and crypt. The National Park Service visitor center building is cramped and outdated with inadequate facilities for visitors. This area should be top on my list to take visitors and right now it's not and that's a shame.
4) I wish for a lower unemployment rate. Obvious. Remember when it was 2 or 3%?
5) And last but not least, I wish for another World Series title for the Atlanta Braves! Considering our performance as the Wild Card in last season's NLCS, I think it's entirely possible this year. We need a good center fielder (Nate McLouth, don't let us down) and fewer injuries overall. More Braves posts to come as we get closer to baseball season.
What about you? What's on your Atlanta wish list for 2011?
Hi Dana! Those are some great wishes for Atlanta! I agree, it would make sense to let people buy alcohol on Sundays. Less theft of vanilla extract on that day, and less of the little bottles scattered around on Monday mornings! I remember seeing them wehenc walking to Emory a few years ago.... which brings me to what I wish for Atlanta. I haven't been there in a few years but I would wish for more continuous sidewalks, to allow for enjoying the neighborhoods and architecture on foot. Oh, and for a bit less pollen. But then again, that's what makes it so pretty in the spring I guess, and it's also a price you have to pay for so many trees. I look forward to your next post!
ReplyDeleteI like your inaugural post...couldn't even find a typo and I always look really hard! With your ice cream affliction, errr...I mean addiction, you might like the website -- and ice cream -- by West Side Creamery. They sell some pints at the Mercantile on Dekalb Ave. I think one of your posts might be a book review. A good book review is always a pleasure to read and can be more enjoyable than the book itself. Hope to read more! I'm a fan.
ReplyDeleteDana, we need to have an ice cream tasting party! It will be on a Sunday, and we'll have plenty of red wine, perfect for those deep dark flavas, and lots of champagne (of the non-frozen variety) for the lighter delights. Both purchased in advance, of course. Fun?!? :)
ReplyDeleteAs per my friend Jason Carter:
ReplyDeleteSB 10 ("Local Control of Sunday Sales") would allow local communities to vote on whether to allow retail stores to sell alcohol on Sunday passed the Senate with a 32-22 vote. I voted in favor of this bill. It now goes to the House and will be considered in committee as early as next week.
Does the slow clap start now, or when this bill passes?
Let the slow clapping commence! I just hope the House is smart enough to pass it too.
ReplyDelete