ARTS & FARCES internet

My wife Karen and I returned to Atlanta for the first time in many years last week and I realized—almost immediately, while driving through midtown—how much I miss the US South in general and Atlanta in particular. We went down for my niece’s wedding in Buckhead and reception in Brookhaven. I lived in Atlanta from 1969-72 and 50 miles west of the city from 1972-82 (except for a stint from 1976-78).

On a tight schedule, we didn’t get outside of Buckhead and Brookhaven, unfortunately. Driving in from the airport, I didn’t dare venture any further on the downtown connector than the downtown Peachtree Street exit. As I found out later, the downtown connector north of midtown has completely changed. Even a new freeway has been added. The core of midtown has always been the Fox Theatre for me. From the Fox to 10th, midtown hasn’t changed very much except for the names of the banks and law firms. Once we got to Buckhead though, I was completely lost. Everything had changed. Everything. Except one of my old hangouts, Dante’s Down the Hatch. But even Dante’s looked, somehow, different. It was smaller than I remember, diminished even.

Los Lobos performs a medley for the First Family and others at the White House for this special night of “In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina” in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Los Lobos perform “Chuco’s Cumbia” from The Town and the City at Austin City Limits Festival on 16 September 2006.

This is The Grateful Dead’s set opener—“Easy Wind”—from the 30 August 1970 “Celebration” broadcast and FM simulcast from the KQED studios in San Francisco, CA.

This is The Grateful Dead’s first set opener—“Iko Iko”—from the 26 July 1987 show at the Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA.