For a novice, Atlanta can intimidate. The Georgia capital — about a half-million people live there, with 4.5 million more in the surrounding area — has some peerless attractions, yet they are sometimes overshadowed by agonising traffic and myriad streets with the same forename, Peachtree.
In addition, the city comprises 25 communities, a crazy quilt in need of a good seamstress.
But you don't have to get caught in the urban maelstrom. Many of the neighbourhoods surrounding downtown resemble spirited villages with independent hearts and souls. Each of the five east-side destinations I recently explored on foot boasts distinct characteristics but all share the same Southern warmth that made this outsider feel like a neighbour.
Cabbagetown
With a name like Cabbagetown, the area should be dotted with leafy heads; instead, I found the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill, the district's centre of life from the 19th century until its closing in 1977.
“This is the old, old South,'' said Barb Kenney, vice-president of the Cabbagetown Neighbourhood Improvement Association and co-owner of the Milltown Arms Tavern.
The neighbourhood's main strip is a short stride of real estate along Carroll Street. Village Pizza, purveyor of gourmet pies and local artwork is nearby. Beside it, the Cabbagetown Market and Little's Grill open since 1929, could be mistaken for a museum: An old Coke machine rests by the door and cabbages wait for takers.
According to legend, the neighbourhood's moniker sprang from the residents' penchant for growing the vegetable.
At the Carroll Street Cafe the food is modern and the panorama includes the rainbow-hued homes once occupied by textile workers and the mill that dominates the skyscape.
For details, visit www.cabbagetown.com
Castleberry Hill
“We don't want to be SoHo, Chelsea, the Lower East or New Orleans,'' said Carolyn Carr, whose paintings are inspired by the graffiti scrawled on the train tracks visible from her loft window. “We just want to be Castleberry.''
The neighbourhood boasts a dense concentration of galleries — upward of 20 establishments along Peters and Walker streets — and a community of artists who live and work in renovated warehouses. The district also holds ArtStroll every fourth Friday of the month.
What makes Castleberry stand out from other art-centric areas is its hip hop streak. Performers record in the neighbourhood's studios and on weekends, Bentleys and Rolls-Royces unload guests who come to hear well-known DJs.
At Slice, a pizza joint, the banging soundtrack combined with diners dressed for the dancefloor turned a meal into a warm-up.
For details, visit www.castleberryhill.org
East Atlanta Village
East Atlanta Village is the groupie hangout for music listeners and performers. “If you chose one neighbourhood as the music centre of Atlanta, I would say East Atlanta was it,'' said Scott Trinh, who works at Earthshaking Music, which sells instruments, CDs and more.
A coterie of music venues and businesses occupies the triangle formed by Flat Shoals, Moreland and Metropolitan avenues. The best-known is the Earl, a top spot for indie bands, though the new 529 has a growing fan base.
For details, visit www.eastatlantavillage.net
Little Five Points
The telltale signs of a hip territory: The neighbourhood's name is reduced to an acronym (L5P) and the denizens' body parts display an explosion of ink.
Often compared to New York's Greenwich Village, the district exudes a similar subculture ethos. “You'll find guys sitting on the street making jewellery or trying to make music,'' said Andy Anderson, manager of Rag-O-Rama, a used-clothing store spanning many fashion eras.
Copper John, for one, creates wire bracelets and necklaces at his outdoor studio, a curb by a parking lot. If you have a design in mind, he can twist it on the spot. The stores and restaurants echo the edgy street life.
To get a snack at the burger joint Vortex, I had to pass through a giant skull, then sit next to a skeleton riding a motorbike.
For details, visit www.l5p.com
Poncey-Highland/Virginia-Highland
Highland Avenue may be only one street but it has two personalities. The lower portion, also referred to as Poncey-Highland, is the outlier sister to the more mainstream Virginia-Highland.
The Young Blood Gallery and Boutique carries works by local agitator R. Land, who uses his art to protest the mall- and condo-ification of Atlanta. The Highland Inn nearby had a sordid past but has since cleaned up for overnight guests and local social bees drawn to its Ballroom Lounge, which stages jazz bands and comedy shows.
On the other side of Ponce de Leon, the avenue that splits the personalities, the demographic widens, adding years and khaki to the mix. “In the morning, we get older retirees; for lunch, young professionals and students; and in the evening, groups of friends,'' said Gerald Tyler, general manager of Neighbor's Pub.
Visit www.ponceyhighland.com and www.virginiahighland.com for more details.
