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WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The Lowdown on LoDo
Okay, folks: what we're missing here is the right name. Early
in the last decade Flagpole occasionally referred to the area
between the Classic Center and the river as "LoDo": Lower
Downtown, if you will. Sure, Denver has a famous area by that
name, but they're so far west it won't matter if we use it, too.
Besides, their LoDo is the same as ours, an older, funky area
where the city got started. If we include lower Oconee Street
as well as lower East Broad, we'll be including the area where
Athens started, too.
When we refer to the River District, people have a hard time
visualizing where that is, ditto Blue Heron. Lower Downtown,
on the other hand, tells you exactly what we're talking about
and also emphasizes the connection with, well, upper down
town, up there on the ridge. LoDo is descriptive as well as
catchy. The whole point about developing the River District/
Blue Heron/LoDo is just that: the area is important primarily
because it lies so close to downtown—can in fact become part
of downtown, i.e., Lower Downtown.
Lower Downtown is a geographic designation, but it also
captures the spirit of what we're talking about when we envi
sion an extension of our restaurant, bar, entertainment district
beyond its present boundaries. Properly nourished, downtown
will, as the economy allows, flow east past Thomas Street,
becoming lower downtown
as it heads down hill toward
the river: the very definition
of LoDo.
So, here's for embracing
this neat appellation that
tells us where the area is and
what it is: LoDo. Yes, and
LoDo emphasizes, too, the
importance a lot of us have
been talking about of enhancing the flow of downtown rather
than impeding it. And it illustrates why the design of the
Classic Center is such a vital element controlling what happens
to downtown and whether it is cut off from lower downtown.
Some people have trouble envisioning that growth down the
hill, pointing out that Foundry Street, the warehouses and the
railroad already constitute a serious barrier to connectedness.
We can't make downtown grow, although you may recall
that back in the day there was some serious government money
and some incentives that helped get the present downtown
rolling. And, of course, the Blue Heron project is similarly pro
jected as a business incubator. The main point at present is to
avoid doing something that slams the door on that potential
future growth. We cannot afford to seal off the only remain
ing flow from downtown, and we cannot afford to obliterate
any chance of people-friendly commercial development in the
Foundry Street area. If Hancock remains open, people can still
get down that way to patronize businesses. The Classic Center
at least has the possibility to sit in the midst of a mixed-use
area of shops and restaurants, making the vicinity inviting
to out-of-town conferees as well as local citizens. Instead of
erecting a barrier, the Classic Center can become a part of the
flow as downtown eases into LoDo.
Let's hear it for LoDo, because it tells where we are and
where we want to go.
LoDo: lower downtown—that's what it is.
Athens Favorites Coming at You
We couldn't resist any longer. Athens has such a rich
environment of businesses and places of fun, enjoyment and
civic interest that we just have to find out our readers' favor
ites. Sure, it's a way for us to try to make some advertising
money, too, and you may have heard how important that is
to newspapers. Go online to flagpole.com and start picking
your favorites. We will appreciate your participation, and it's
a way for you to recognize the places you like in Athens. We
expect the answers to be all over the map, because there are
so many places that people like. So, pick your own favorites
online between now and Mar. 16, and we'll announce them in a
special Flagpole section after that. F pluribus unum: one out of
many—our favorite town composed of all our favorites.
Pete McCommons edilor@flagpole.com
So, here’s for
embracing this neat
appellation that tells
us where the area is
and what it is: LoDo.
THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:
City Dope 4
Athens News and Views
A former City Dope makes good—very, very good—in the first year of his new gig.
The Problem of Bethel 30
Are We Helping Athens’ Poor to Help Themselves?
The poverty and crime in Bethel Midtown Village are symptoms of societal ills.
event
Crave a Challenge? 10
Get Existential
T&G's Crave executes beautiful material with a larger message about the fragmentation of society.
Movie Pick 13
Downsized and Despondent
The Company Men is produced with the above-average quality of the HBO movie it should have been.
IMUS0C
The Get Up Kids 16
All Grown Up
Now that the reunion is out of the way, The Get Up Kids redefine themselves.
Catch YellowFever 17
...While You Still Can
A name change is imminent for the dexterous songwriting duo.
CITY DOPE 4
CITY PAGES 5
CAPITOL IMPACT 6
BEHIND THE RAIL 7
ATHENS RISING 9
CRAVE 10
GRUB NOTES 11
MOVIE DOPE 12
MOVIE PICK 13
THREATS & PROMISES 14
RECORD REVIEWS -.14
GRAPE SODA 15
THE GET UP KIDS 16
YELLOWFEVER 17
THE CALENDAR! 18
BULLETIN BOARD 24
ART AROUND TOWN 25
COMICS 26
REALITY CHECK 27
CLASSIFIEDS 28
BETHEL MIDTOWN VILLAGE 30
COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto
featur jj a painting by Joe Havasy
(www.joehavasy.com) on display at
Transmetropolitan (downtown) •
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner
MANAGING EDITOR Christina Cotter
ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey. Melinda Edward* Jessica Pritchard
MUSIC EDITOR Michelle Gilrenrat
CITY EDITOR Dave Marr
CLASSIFIEDS, DISTRIBUTION l OFFICE MANAGER Nico Cashin
AO DESIGNER Kelly Ruberto
CARTOONISTS James Allen. Cameron Bogue, Jacob Hunt. Missy Kulik, David Mack, Matthew Ziemer
ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell
CONTRIBUTORS Charles-Ryan Barber, Hillary Brown. Jason Bugg, Carrie Dagenhard, John Granofsky, John Huie,
Gordon Lamb. Bao Le-Huu, David Mack. Carlo Nassise, John G. Nettles. Matthew Pulver. Mark Sanders. Harry Sims,
Sydney Slotkin. Jordan Stepp. Jeff Tobias, Drew Wheeler. Kcvan Williams, Marshall Yarbrough
CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf. Nash Hogan. Jesse Mangum. Matt Shirley
WEB DESIGNER Kelly Ruberto
ADVERTISING l EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jessica Smith
ADVERTISING INTERNS Caroline Harris. Sarah Zagorski
MUSIC INTERN Sydney Slotkin
CONTACT US:
STREET ADDRESS: 112 Foundry St.. Athens. GA 30601
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603
EDITORIAL: (706) 549-9523
ADVERTISING: (706) 549-0301
FAX: (706) 548-8981
ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com
CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com
COMICSrcomics@flagpole.com
EDITORIAL: editor@flagpole.com
LETTERS: letters@flagpole.com
MUSIC: music@flagpole.com
NEWS: news@flagpole.com
WEf) SITE: web@flagpole.com
VOLUME 25
iSSUE NUMBER 7
Flagpole. Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 17.000 copies
free at over 275 locations around Athens. Georgia. Subscriptions cost $55 a year.
$35 for six months. © 2011 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.
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FEBRUARY 23, 2011- FLAGPOLE.COM 3