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Know Athens
20 tfr OO^lcA' ^eJte^
yeah, make your way to the dou-
\s) ble-barrelled cannon. Contemplate
CO (or at least drive by) that Tree
That Owns Itself. But those? Those are things.
They're things you look at once. And then the
rest of your time you pass by them, or you
take visitors to them, because your visitors
wanted to come up on a Sunday, and what
else are you going to do on a Sunday?
To fully experience Athens, you need to
engage with it. You need to get your fingers
into its sticky, sweaty core and.work around
in there. (And an important part of Athens
is cleaning yourself off afterwards, too.)
Herewith, then, a list of what you can do,
whether as a new arrival or as a longtime
resident, to make yours an Athenian life.
Many of these things work in other places,
too, but when applied to time in Athens make
this place more special. But also: the end of
the facing page is not the end of this list,
and there's more to be added. Your
own Athens experience expands
the canon. It's valuable to engage
while you can, while you're here,
while it's now—whether you're
retiring from the nightly scene to
raise kids or calling.it quits for
Brooklyn or Portland or wherever
it is everyone goes next. Visit this
story at Flagpole.com to let us
know what you think makes for a
full life in this lovely, frustrating,
confining, enlightening, enriching,
curious little bubble called Athens.
1. Become a regular. Whether at
a restaurant or a bar, it's comfort
ing to recognize and be recognized.
There's so much in this country
that's generic and universal;
embrace what we've got of our
own! Building a relationship with
someone who gives you food or
drink is primal. It is the foundation
of community. Reward the people
who treat you well! You'll better understand
the impact of your dollars. You might get
slipped the occasional free cup of coffee.
2. Swear off a restaurant. That said, stan
dards in Athens are often-abysmal, so despite
a place's delicious burgers or intoxicating
cocktails'or outta-sight pies, it's helpful to
draw the line somewhere. Every Athenian has
at least one place they'll never go back to,
with horror stories of lousy food, surly service
and clueless management. Find a place that
does you wrong, and rail against it at high
intensity whenever possible.
3. Engage with Ort. William Orten Carlton
- ORT. He is an Athens institution most fre
quently holding forth over prodigious pints
of beer downtown. You may recognize him as
a dingy Santa Claus. You may be intimidated
by the bluster. You may be confounded by the
minutiae extracted from the recesses of his
mind. But Ort has been around and will be •
around, and is a fixture on the scene. Strike
up a chat, and four hours later you'll have
learned so much, and sometimes nothing. But
that's something!
4. Watch Athens, GA: Inside/Out. The
documentary film shot in 1986 is so far the
only substantive chronicling of our music
scene—besides the weekly issues of Flagpole,
of course. It's older than most college stu
dents, and it shows; it's kinda boring, poorly
organized and a little awkward. It's also
totally adorable and even a little electrifying.
5. Stand up to a landlord. Our town has its
share of crumb-bums and swindlers, eager to
prey on a passive or uninformed populace.
We've also got a lot of amateur landlords
who are just as clueless about their responsi
bilities. Don't sit back! Stand up! Know your
rights! And argue in an informed way when
that security deposit's return doesn't look
likely...
6. Eat at Weaver D’s. The downtown soul
food place is not the be-all-end-all of
Southern cooking, and not even locally, but
it's internationally known for its R.E.M. link,
and after a meal there you can argue with
friends: Does Wilson's have better pies? Does
Food for the Soul bake a better chicken? Does
any-damn-body make mac-and-cheese like
your grandma used to?
7. Drink too many Maker’s-and-B!enheims.
It's hard to say for sure whether the
Manhattan Cafe pioneered this delectable
combination of sweet Maker's Mark bourbon
and spicy Blenheim ginger ale that is now
popular beyond the borders of Athens. It's
easy to say that a conversation over a few
cocktails in the fine Hull Street establish
ment-one of only a few bars to thankfully
remain free of flickering TV screens—is some
thing all Athens should share.
8. Eat a Golden Bowl. There's a wide range
of options for vegetarians in Athens, but
the longtime champ is The Grit. The world-
famous Golden Bowl is a salty, yeasty, loving
assemblage of tofu and rice, with veggies and
cheese if you like. (You will.) Bland on paper,
yes. A revelation in the mouth, also yes.
9. Organize a benefit show. If you're in it
for the money and you're in Athens, GA, bub,
you're outta luck. Funds are tight around
town, and no more so than in these troubling
days, but the community's always willing to
give a little, especially if live music's involved.
18 FlAGPOLE.COM • AUGUST 12,2009
JASON CROSBY