Peach Bites

GDOT almost ends Beltline dispute (Creative Loafing) - David Doss, GDOT boardmember, asked the GDOT to consider withdrawing its stay of abandonment. Stating that, “The idea of commuter rail or high-speed rail going through Piedmont Park makes little sense to me,”. Great quote considering that Doss is from Rome. It makes little sense to most of residents of the city of Atlanta either. Unfortunately, the stay of abandonment was not withdrawn. Looks like we'll be waiting another couple of weeks for more on this one.

GDOT almost ends Beltline dispute (WDSU - New Orleans,LA) In Atlanta, officials are considering eliminating weekend train service. Yikes. Sporting events will never be the same.

GDOT almost ends Beltline dispute (AJC) More than $60 million in federal stimulus money could soon flow to the depleted coffers of the MARTA.

Perdue announces transportation system overhaul (Bizjournals.com - Charlotte,NC) Gov. Sonny Perdue’s solution to the lack of progress in reducing metro Atlanta’s traffic congestion is to blow up Georgia’s transportation bureaucracy and start over.

Google Transit Ushers In Another Update (WebProNews - Lexington,KY) New cities include: Adelaide, Atlanta, Bonn, Calgary, Davis, California, Hamilton, Canada, Pilsen, Sacramento, Torino, Toronto York region, ... Now Google can tell us how to get around Atlanta via two train tracks. One going north/south and one going east/west.

Another Viewe: Working together, we can find smart solutions to ... (Atlanta Journal Constitution) The Atlanta Regional Commission recently reported explosive growth for the city of Atlanta, which has seen its population increase 15 percent in just eight ... Already in Stockholm, congestion has been reduced by 25 percent, pollution has been reduced by anywhere from 8 to 40 percent depending on what kind of emission is being measured, and public transportation usage has increased by 40,000 riders per day. I guess that wouldn't work too well if MARTA has to cut their weekend train service??

Getting to Know Amicalola Falls State Park

Amicalola Falls State Park is one of the most visited parks in the Georgia State Park network. The beauty of the park is inescapable. Getting there will take a while. The park is located about 15 miles northwest of Dawsonville and about 20 miles west of Dahlonega. It's about an hour and a half drive from the city.

The park is 829 acres and has a number of hiking trails, camping sites, cabins, fishing areas and other outdoor activities. The visitor center near the entrance is very nice and you can purchase hiking necessities as well as souveniers.

The park's centerpiece is the waterfall. The falls cascade and are 729 feet tall in total with the largest single drop being 175 feet. The claim is that these are the tallest falls east of the Mississippi but some falls in the northeast may be taller. There is no argument that they are tall, impressive and beautiful though. If you are looking for a good view of the falls, the best time is winter a day or two after a good rain. Most of the hikes center around the falls and there are a total of 12 miles of trails. The park is dog friendly but as always, you should pick up after your pet.

If you are interested in learning more, the park holds interpretive events and hiking tours.  For more info check out the Georgia State Parks site here .

GreenPeaches Eats @ Canoe

Canoe gets enough attention for the phenomenal dining experience but we don't think that the whole story makes it out nearly enough. The menu at Canoe has a significant portion of local and organic food. You will notice the difference. Their menu is diverse enough to satisfy almost anyone but is mainly American with some Asian and French inspired dishes. Seasonal changes are made to the menu to stay in tune with the Georgia and Southeast growing seasons.

The setting is incredible with the restaurant nestled on the Cobb county side of the Chattahoochee River on West Paces Ferry Road. With this address, you're not going to get away from dinner without doing a moderate bit of damage to your wallet but rest assured that it is worth it. The outdoor seating is great with an overlook of a lawn that goes all the way down to the riverbank. It is hard for any restaurant in Atlanta to claim that they have a better atmosphere although there are some fantastic other restaurants. The bar was lively and provided a great spot to chat while waiting on the table. Even with reservations, we waited for about 45 minutes. Enough time for me to put back a couple of my favorite local beers, Sweetwater 420.

We were seated outside and although a little chilly at the time, were not uncomfortable. Our waiter was well versed in the menu and could provide detail on where virtually everything on the menu was grown or raised. Try asking the waiter at Chili's where the beef from that burger came from. To start things off, we had the Cimino Farms African Squash Soup (Reynolds, GA) and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a bit of spice that accentuated the sweetness of the squash. This starter set the tone for the meal. For the main course, I had their Brick Oven Roasted Springer Mountain Chicken and it was tasty (Springer Mountan Farms, Mt. Airy, GA). I can't say it was the best chicken that I have ever had but it was delicious and well worth the price. It had the right amount of taste but I think the chef may have overcooked it a bit. The Mrs. had the Georgia Mountain Trout and thoroughly enjoyed it. To finish it off, we had creme broulet and chocolate cake for dessert and loved it.

All in all, Canoe was a fantastic dining experience. The atmosphere, wait staff, food and attention to detail all come together to make Canoe an example that the Green minded citizens of atlanta should be proud of.

We give it 5 out of 5 GreenPeaches.

Additional Info

Address: 4199 Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30339
Executive Chef: Carvel Grant Gould, 770.432.2663
Email: info@canoeatl.com
Web: www.canoeatl.com

Peach Bites

Atlanta has been busy since our last readings post. Catch up with some of the more notable stories below.


Overbuilt? (AJC) - Metro Atlanta ranks third worst in the nation in empty homes. Wow! Only Las Vegas and Detroit rank higher in the numbers of vacant rental properties and single family homes on the market currently. Notable Quote: "Intown Atlanta had more than 6,000 new unsold condo units at the end of 2008, and only 645 new units sold the entire year, Haddow & Co. says."

Stimulus Package Breakdown (AJC) - Info below taken directly from the AJC:

• Transit - More than $1.01 billion for highways and bridges; $168 million for transit capital grants
• Energy - Will be determined by legislative action and efforts by private companies and homeowners to apply for credits and grants, but $97.8 million is included for weatherization.
• Education - $420 million for Title I schools; $333 million for special education; some of the $1.28 billion the state will receive in fiscal stabilization funds will also go to education, specifically for modernization and renovation.
• Unemployed & Poor - Estimated $220 million in additional unemployment insurance trust fund dollars.

Atlanta Receives Poor Marks for Park Space (AJC) - Atlanta is still one of the worst cities in the nation when it comes to parks. The report indicates that the main cause is lack of spending on parks. While surrounding counties' citizens have taken it upon themselves to pay taxes, $264M in Cherokee, Cobb & Gwinnett, the City of Atlanta has been mired in infrastructure issues for the better part of the decade. The beltline will go a long way to improve the city's standing but we all know the issues there. Notable Quote: "Apparently, it takes green to be green." State of Atlanta's Parks (Park Pride .pdf)

This Week in Atlanta - 2/09/2009

Here are just a few events in town this week. Check on our calendar for more details.

Tue Feb 10		1pm – 2pm	City of Alpharetta - Composting Workshop - 13450 Cogburn Road, Alpharetta, GA
Sat Feb 14		6pm – 10pm	Lusting for Local Food - Georgia Organics - The Gardens at Kennesaw
Sun Feb 15		2pm – 3:30pm	Sweetwater Creek Visitor's Center Tour - Sweetwater Creek State Park

On the Bookshelf - 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles - Atlanta

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Atlanta

Written by husband and wife Randy & Pam Golden with the American Hiking Society.

This is a great book for getting out of the house for an inexpensive, fun outing. My wife bought this for me for my birthday last year just after moving back to Atlanta from Charlotte. Our goal is to hike all of the trails in the book over the course of the next two years. That puts us at about one trail every two weeks. We've done about 8 hikes in 3 months which is behind schedule but the weekend weather has been chilly and we had to throw in some slack time during the holidays.

The book is divided into regions and hiking types at the beginning. The region is divided into Atlanta (hikes near downtown), Northwest, Northeast and South. Each region has about an equal number of hikes which makes this useful no matter what part of town you live in. They also classify the hikes by type; Busy Hikes, Hikes Featuring Waterfalls, Hikes Featuring Wildflowers, Hikes Good for Children, Hikes Good for Solitude, Hikes Good for Wildlife Viewing, Hikes With Steep Sections, Historic Trails, Lake Hikes, Scenic Hikes, Trails Good for Mountain Bikes, Trails Good for Runners, Urban Hikes, Hikes Less than 3 Miles, 3 to 6 Miles and Longer than 6 Miles. The one thing I wish they had added is a category of Hikes Good for Dogs. Dog lovers will have to check ahead.

Each hike has a map with an elevation chart. The writers provided directions as well as a section for At-a-Glance Information. The book also takes each hike and gives an 'In Brief' overview of the hike. This is followed by a couple page description of the hike with landmarks, points of interest, clarification of areas that may cause confusion as well as historical information. Each hike ends with a brief section of nearby attractions.

Our next planned hike is Kennesaw Mountain: Burnt Hickory Loop. The "In Brief" on this hike is that it "is the most challenging trail in the book and one of the most rewarding in the Atlanta area." We're looking forward to this one and you'll probably see a post on it in the near future.

The GreenPeaches rating on this one is a 4 out of 5 peaches. Buy it from Amazon if you are interested or try your local library to see if it is available there.



mdh

Request a Bike Rack - Downtown

image courtesy of Gaetan Lee

From the February Downtown Connector Newsletter... The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) is in the process of installing additional bike racks throughout Downtown. Bike racks help encourage alternative commuting as well as provide a great amenity to any facility.

If you are in the Downtown area and your office building or property is in need of a bike rack, please send a request to Carly Nassar at cnassar@atlantadowntown.com or call 404-658-5915.All requests will be on a first come first served basis as the supply is limited.

Georgia Organics 2009 - 2010 Local Food Guide

Georgia Organics recently released its 2009 - 2010 Local Food Guide. You can download it for free as a .pdf from their website or you can use their lookup tool.

The guide uses locator maps to effectively divide the state up into five regions; Mountain, Metro, Piedmont, East Coastal Plain and West Coastal Plain. Each regional map shows the locations of all the businesses and organizations that are detailed in the guide. This is great if you either don't know what is around you in the way of local/organic food or if you are traveling and are unfamiliar with the area. Each locator map tags the Farms, Farmers' Markets and Restaurants with different tags so the reader can locate things quickly. The guide then details each region by county and provides a description with contact info for each business.

If you are in the metro area, you'll be happy to know that there are 32 farms, 26 farmers' markets, 54 restaurants and 23 grocers available to you in the 13 county metro area. This is a great source of dining ideas if you're looking to eat out. A few of our favorites that are in the guide are Canoe, 5 Seasons Brewery (both locations) and R. Thomas' Deluxe Grill. A couple others that are on the list that we are looking forward to checking out are The Hil at Serenbe and Watershed.

Peach Bites

It's been a little while since our last post. A lot has transpired in the Beltline saga since it flared up last week but really when you look at it deeper, it doesn't seem like much.


Beltline Rally Last Saturday Drew More than 200 Supporters - The Epoch Times - Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it down to Piedmont Park for the rally but there was a decent gathering of support. I expect that we will see more of these if the news continues to go against the Beltline.

Agencies Working Together on Beltline 'Solution' - AJC - The City of Atlanta, Georgia DOT, MARTA and many other agencies agreed to a 30 day timeout to work on a solution to the dispute over the NE section of track that everyone seems to want but only one seems to be able to have.

Georgia Senate Approves Mag Lev Train Between Atlanta & Chattanooga - TheChattanoogan.com - Do we have approval for a Mag Lev train from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson to Chattanooga Municipal Airport? Do we have the money? At $40 million per mile, Mag Lev isn't cheap, but it sure is fast. Check out this YouTube post of the train in Shanghai.

Transportation Bill Calls for New Northern Arc, Tunnel - AJC - Do we really need new roads? Let's fix the ones we have first and stop building the type of sprawl that creates the perceived need for new roads anyway. My bet is that this project won't do much to decrease traffic congestion nor will it do much to increase quality of life.

Green School Opening in DeKalb - AJC - "It will be Georgia’s premier “green” school —- one of the first public schools in the state with a national certification for environmental construction and perhaps the only one with an environmentally themed curriculum." The school will be in southeastern DeKalb near Arabial Mountain and is expected to have LEED Silver certification. To learn more

Beltline Derailment Update

The news has been buzzing around Atlanta for the past couple days that an 11th hour move by the GDOT and AMTRAK may be putting the Beltline at risk. The story centers around the right of way in the northeast quadrant of the proposed loop. The GDOT swooped in with AMTRAK on 1/21/2009 to stop the abandonment process that was already set in motion by Norfolk Southern set to take effect on 1/22/2009. The state feels that this section of the Beltline is one of the only suitable corridors that they can use for commuter rail and/or high speed intra-city rail. I think everyone can agree that both of those are needed solutions to the metro area's transit woes but should we potentially sacrifice what may be the largest urban redevelopment project in the city for potential commuter rail and/or high speed intra-city rail?

There are other options for those two (Brookhaven & the Gulch area) but no other viable options exist for the Beltline. Not to mention that the northeast rail lines would run right through some of Atlanta's nicest neighborhoods and parks. Light rail would be a much quieter and development friendly solution for these areas.

I have full faith that the city and state leaders will work this out and the Beltline will move forward. But, for all of us who are in favor of this project, this is a wake up call that pitfalls are out there and this multi-billion dollar project is certainly far from a done deal. If you are unfamiliar with the Beltline project but are interested in learning more, check out our previous post on the free Beltline tours.


Recent Articles on the Beltline Dispute

GDOT, AMTRAK Throw Wrench in Beltline Plans - Creative Loafing
DOT Action Could Kill Beltline, Mayor Says - AJC
BELTLINE: Amtrak Wants Land for Heavy Rail - AJC
Most of DOT Board Didn't Know About Beltline Opposition - Creative Loafing
Mayor Shirley Franklin's Letter to State Representative John Lewis