Bring Back the Coca-Cola Sign...

While I was watching the Roswell circa 1942 video on YouTube!, I noticed that there used to be one of those old-timey Coca-Cola signs on the side of the building where Go With the Flow is currently.  I really think it would be cool to bring that back... or even put up a cool kayaking themed mural on that wall given that we are "a premier riverside community" and Go With the Flow is the top kayaking shop in the region.

Here's what it used to look like.. not sure who the man is but he probably never expected that his image would be blasted out on the interwebs in 2014.

#14... The Art Galleries

Why We Love Them...

What's not to love about good art in your neighborhood?  Strolling down Canton Street and dropping into the galleries is a great experience even if you're not planning on buying anything.  It's just nice to see great art and talk to people about it.  They recently brought back the Art Walk this past October and it seemed to be a big hit.  It was successful because Roswell has one of the highest concentrations of quality galleries outside the perimeter.  There is a great range good quality art ranging from affordable to very expensive.  

What We Would Change...

Honestly, I probably haven't looked hard enough but I'd really like to see one of the galleries feature Roswell themed art.  I'm not talking about local Roswell artists.  There are a number of those.  I'm talking about art that depicts Roswell and our beautiful city. You can find something related to Roswell every once in a while but it can be challenging.  We have a lot of picturesque places here in Roswell that are waiting for an artist to memorialize.  One last thing.. there are a couple of galleries that have just horrendous awnings along Canton Street.  I'm sure there's some crappy code that has to be adhered to as far as awnings and signage are concerned but they just look tacky and hastily done when you look at the rest of the historic district.

Here's a list of some of our galleries:

Ann Jackson Gallery

Taylor Kinzel Gallery

Raiford Gallery

Timothy Michael Gallery

Ford Smith Fine Art

Koko Gallery

Peter Brandi Gallery

The Painted Monkey

Lola Art Gallery

image: JWHomes.com

#20... The Red Door Playhouse

Why We Love It...

This place is great.  It's locally owned and adds a lot of culture to the heart of our city.  It's also situated on the square which is so much better than being in a strip mall with a parking lot out front.  The experience wouldn't be the same.  The Red Door Playhouse engages kids in and gives them a way to enjoy the heart of our city in a way that most other neighborhoods in Atlanta can't.

We can't wait until our daughter is old enough to enroll in some of the activities.  It is kid focused with art and drama classes as well as a summer camp.  However, there are plenty of events for adults such as improv shows and lessons.  There is an annual poetry slam where poets perform their work.  So, there's no excuse not to check it out.  Here's a more thorough article form the Roswell Patch website that covers more on the programming.

What We Would Change...

This one's difficult but if there were one thing, we'd consider a more visible marquee that would engage the sidewalk and the traffic along Atlanta Street to advertise shows and events.  Other than that, there's not much to like about this place.

image: Red Door Playhouse

Picturing the Beltline

As you probably already know, the Beltline is one of our favorite things going on in the city. We try to stay up to speed on the news and events relating to the project but sometimes things slip through. I recall reading about this back in October but completely forgot about it and just ran across it tonight. A local artist, Meryl Truett, put a very nice exhibition entitled "Picturing the Beltline" back in October at the Barbara Archer Gallery in Atlanta. It is worth taking a peek just to see what the Beltline currently looks like. I enjoyed a number of her pictures.

Definitely check out the images at Meryl Truett's website here or if you would like to see a review of the exhibition check out BurnAway's review. We have also added a video to the GreenPeaches YouTube Channel.