In Defense Of Lenox Mall

[psyched_out]

There's a tourist guide to Atlanta on The Economist's website that says something along the lines of "Atlantans love to talk endlessly about alternate travel routes & weather, so be prepared."

Comments

[vertamae]

My family shopped at Lenox Square when it was relatively new, and we were new to the area. Back then it was an open air shopping square of sorts, like a town square, sort of. There was even a bowling alley! And a crazy gourmet grocery store called Colonial that sold not only escargots and the shells to put them in, but chocolate covered ants. Fun times for a six year old! Today I hardly recognize the place, and I have no reason ever to go there.

In fact, with gas at around twenty dollars a gallon (okay, four, same thing, to me), I don't go anywhere on weekends. I, unlike you, stayed indoors today, all day, and will do the same tomorrow. No wife and children to entertain, but only a couple of cats, and they're easy.

[cola_fan]

Lenox as an open air market / town square. awesome :)

More about Lenox Square

[vertamae]

I just Googled Colonial grocery store, and Lenox Square, and I found this tidbit:

Clearing for Lenox Square began in July 1957 and grading the following December. On June 28, 1958, Lenox Square, designed by architect Joe Amisano, one of the pioneers of modernism in Atlanta, was completed. The grand opening was held in August 1959. The center was anchored by two department stores (Rich's and Davison's) that were joined by a landscaped mall and plaza and flanked by 60 specialty shops, a Colonial grocery store, bowling alley and movie theater. It was, in the words of Atlanta newspapers, the largest regional shopping center south of New York. The slogan was "Everything's there at Lenox Square." The center's somewhat space-age design included a Gulf Service Station at the corner of East Paces Ferry and Lenox roads that many likened to a UFO, flaring arches over the central open-air mall, a bank drive-through with wing-like awnings and parking lot light poles festooned with large balls in different colors to help shoppers remember where

Re: More about Lenox Square

[psyched_out]

That's all quite fascinating stuff! Remnants of vintage space-age decor is hard to come by these days & as someone who missed that era entirely its fascinating to read about the prior history of places I may take for granted. Too bad the places themselves don't try to preserve at least a little of the history themselves, but that's the mall/suburbia/gentrification/etc mindset for you...

[billings]

A shame! I haven't seen you and S in ages - if you guys even recall me...

We played to a tiny crowd of people who tried to take refuge in what little shade there was. And I accidentally played half the set with a not very subtle distortion on. And my amp overheated in the middle of one of the songs. Really not the best time to catch the band in action.

[psyched_out]

Of course we recall you! I feel guilty now, on rereading my message, because I actually edited quite a bit of my writing before posting (a first - I did say I am going for a different feel) and it looks like I inadvertently deleted a selection of sentences that mentioned your name along with poodleface's with your band.

Truth be told, we haven't seen virtually anyone since we moved south 4 years ago. Just the couple of ex-roommates and that's been it. And don't even mention shows - I haven't been to a club show in Atlanta since seeing DQE's 20th anniversary at the EARL in March 2006. I'd like to change both of these things soon...

[rotfromthestars]

I too have had to bite the bullet and visit the occasional mall for comfort reasons in Summer or Winter. GHC loves to barrel down the corridors, so he burns off energy at the same time. We all (kind of) win.

[psyched_out]

Yeah, that's the nice thing about malls. The one we were at Saturday has an approximately 10x15 touch-screen on the floor, which plays games (and hateful subliminal capitalistic messages) in a feedback loop, and we spent literally 30 minutes right there, with A-chan working up a sweat. That made up for all the excessive car travel right there.

[turdburgler]

Haha, we have one of those things at North Point too. The kids really seem to love it. I had no idea other places around the ATL had them as well.

[ladygzb]

So what is it that makes Atlanta such a wretched hellhole? I think its the fact that we get no wind.

I've been saying this ever since J & I got together, and we started heading down regularly to visit his family. A weekend in FL then back to ATL made ATL unbearable. It's actually hotter here in FL, but the air MOVES. Moving air makes all the difference.

It's also horrible and disgusting when you walk out the door of a building into someone's cloud of smoke that hasn't dissipated because the air doesn't move. They may have been smoking there 30 minutes ago and are long gone, but the smoke cloud remains. Ugh ugh ugh. I don't miss that at all!

[psyched_out]

Y'know, I hadn't actually thought about the residue of things like smoking and such until you brought it up. I guess I've just counted it as a given that everything stays contained in the area. More typical Atlantan thoughts!

I'm glad you were able to realize it & get away from it. We'll live vicariously through you for now at least...