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A Brief Guide to Atlanta (1991)

A Brief Guide to Atlanta (1991)

©1991, 2003 by Dallas Denny

Source: A brief guide to Atlanta. (1993). Decatur, GA: American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

As executive director of AEGIS and a member of the planning committee of the first-ever Southern Comfort Conference, I turned this paper into a brochure for insertion into the attendees’ packet. Stephanie Rose did the layout. I’ve been unable to find a hard copy in the AEGIS archives.

 

Needless to say, the information below is more than twenty years out of date. I present it here for historical purposes.

 

A Brief Guide to Atlanta

 

Atlanta is a stimulating city, with lots of exciting things to do and delightful places to go. We have prepared the following information to help you during your stay. It is but a brief guide; there’s lots more to do.

Listing of a business does not indicate endorsement by Southern Comfort, or mean management has been approached to determine how they will act toward individuals who are crossdressed.

 

Emergencies

In the event of an emergency, dial 911 for the police or fire department, or for medical assistance.

 

The Loaf

 Creative Loafing is a free newspaper which can be found in green dispensers throughout the city, and which will give you lots of ideas for things to do. It is distributed every Wednesday, and, as it is popular, it is usually gone by the weekend. Pick one up as soon as possible. The Loaf includes a guide to restaurants, television, cinema, theater, and concert schedules, as well as a Happenings section which tells what is going on around the city.

 

The Phone Book

Find a phone book and look inside for information about attractions of interest, MARTA (our people-mover), and simple maps of the city.

 

MARTA

MARTA, The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, maintains a subway system and bus lines which can take you throughout the city. The Dunwoody Hotel is about five minutes from the northern terminus of the north rail line, at Chamblee Station. The southern terminus is at Hartsfield International Airport. A one-dollar MARTA ride will result in considerable savings over a cab or limo ride, as the airport is at the extreme southern end of the metropolitan area, and Dunwoody is to the northeast. Taxis are available at all hours at Chamblee Station.

Phone 848-4711 for MARTA schedule information.

 

The Dunwoody

The host hotel, the Dunwoody, has a restaurant, a gift shop, and a bar.

 

The Immediate Area

There are a variety of restaurants, mini-marts, and shops within easy walking distance of the Dunwoody Hotel.

Denny’s Restaurant: On Cotillion Drive, Right next door to the hotel. Denny’s features a full-service menu. Open 24 hours.

Mrs. Winner’s: Also next door to the hotel, Mrs. Winner’s specializes in fast-food chicken.

Krogers: In Georgetown shopping center. Your basic super-supermarket, Krogers features a deli, bakery, and restaurant, and an automatic teller machine. You can pick up pantyhose or a picnic meal to go. Open 24 hours.

Within a couple of hundred yards of the hotel, you’ll find a variety of other businesses: banks, several gas station/mini marts, a drugstore, a photo shop, a florist, a luggage repair store, a print and copy shop, a shoe shop, a travel agent, several beauty shops, a dry cleaner, a Christian bookstore, a package store, a video rental store, a food store with an ice cream stand, Burger King, Arby’s, a deli, a pub, and a Chinese restaurant with a buffet. Holiday Inn and Residence Inn are also close by.

At Buford Highway (Exit 25), you’ll find lots of fast food places and ethnic restaurants, as well as large stores like K-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Service Merchandise, and Phar-Mor.

 

Shopping Malls

There are many malls in the Metro area; we have listed the three closest to the Dunwoody Hotel.

Perimeter Mall: Just one exit north on I-285 from the Dunwoody Hotel, at Exit 22 (Chamblee-Dunwoody Road). Turn right at the exit. Management and security have been contacted by Southern Comfort staff to let them know we’re coming.

Northlake Mall: About 10 miles south on I-285. Take LaVista Road (Exit 28) and turn right. In addition to Northlake Mall, Northlake Festival and other strip malls are in the immediate area.

Market Square Mall: Just a bit south of Northlake. Take the Decatur exit (Exit 30A) from I-285, and turn right at the first traffic light.

 

Points of Interest

Atlanta has many attractions. We have listed a few of the most popular. Consult the phone book for a more comprehensive listing.

Atlanta Botanical Garden.1345 Piedmont Avenue at the Prado, PiedmontPark (Phone 876-5858). Stroll through a 15-acre wood, or visit tropical, Mediterranean, or desert habitats in the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory. Horticultural library and gift shop.

Carter Presidential Center.1 Copenhill Avenue (Phone 331-3942). Contains more than 26 million written pages from Jimmy Carter’s administration. Films, displays, restaurant, Japanese garden.

Cyclorama. Grant Park, Georgia and Cherokee Avenues (Phone 658-7625). A huge painting-in-the-round, completed in 1864, depicting the Battle of Atlanta. Three-dimensional figures and a rotating platform add to the experience.

The Fox Theater. Downtown, at 660 Peachtree Street NE (Phone 881-2100). Built in 1929, and the site of the premiere of Gone With the Wind, the Fox, with its Moorish and Egyptian design, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Fox has a pipe organ with 3600 pipes, and a ceiling which looks like a nighttime sky, featuring moving clouds.

Georgia‘s Stone Mountain Park. Highway 78, Stone Mountain (Phone 498-5600). Stone Mountain is a granite monolith (the largest in the United States) on which the likenesses of Confederate heroes have been carved. The 3200-acre park features a steam locomotive ride, a skylift, a hiking trail to the top of the mountain, camping, swimming, fishing, boating, a paddle wheel riverboat, Civil War exhibits, tennis, and golf. HistoricStone MountainVillage features 50 specialty shops. The nightly (summers only) laser show on the side of the mountain must be seen to be believed.

Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site.Auburn Avenue (Phone 524-1956). This two-block area includes Dr. King’s birthplace, his gravesite, and the MartinLutherKing Jr.Center for Non-violent Social Change.

Underground Atlanta. Downtown, at Peachtree and Alabama Streets (Phone 523-2311). In the oldest section of downtown Atlanta, literally under today’s traffic, the Underground complex features night clubs, 20 restaurants, and more than 100 specialty shops.

The World of Coca-Cola. Adjacent to Underground at 55 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (Phone 676-5151). Just blocks from Jacob’s Pharmacy, where Dr. Asa Chandler gave the world its first Coke in 1996. Features memorabilia and a space-age soda fountain. It’s a good idea to phone ahead for reservations.

Zoo Atlanta. At Grant Park (Phone 624-5600). An old and prestigious zoo, featuring rare and endangered animals in their native habitats. Restaurants, gift shops. Dinosaurs Alive!” special exhibit, featuring animated, life-sized saurians.

 

Night Life

Atlanta has no shortage of night clubs and show bars. Most are open until about 3 A.M., but the party never stops—it merely moves to 24-hour clubs like Backstreet or The Cove.

Crossdressers will probably not raise an eye in the gay clubs, or at Petrus and Velvet on their Gay nights. If you don’t pass, you may want to avoid the straight clubs.

 

Gay Clubs

Etcetera and Hot Spots magazines, which are free in most gay bars, will let you know what is going on in the gay community. Here are some popular spots:

Backstreet.845 Peachtree St., at the rear (Phone 873-1986). Crowd is mixed. Female impersonator shows, food. Disco. Open 24 hours.

Crazy Ray’z. 1492 Piedmont (Phone 873-4655). Crowd is mixed, but mostly men. Female impersonator shows most nights. Restaurant open until midnight.

Deana’s One Mo Time.1890 Cheshire Bridge Road (Phone 874-0980). Mostly women. Female impersonation on Sunday nights.

Lavita’s. Cheshire Square (Cheshire Bridge at LaVista). (Phone 633-0452). Crowd is mixed. Female impersonation on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Shows at 11:00, 1:00. Dancing between shows. The $6.00 cover charge gets you in free at Options and Backstreet.

Options.Cheshire Square (Cheshire Bridge at LaVista). 634-4584. Mostly women. Disco.

The Otherside. 1924 Piedmont Rd. 875-5238. Mostly women. Disco, piano lounge. Snacks.

The Page. 2069 Cheshire Bridge. 728-9045. Mostly women. Disco.

 

Clubs that are Gay Some Nights

Petrus. 1150-B Peachtree (Phone 873-6700). Crowd is mixed. Disco.

Velvet.89 Park Place. (Phone 681-9936). Crowd is mixed. Disco.

 

Straight Clubs

American Pie.5840 Roswell Road (Phone 255-7571). Singles bar. Food.

Blues Harbor. 10 Kenny’s Alley SW, in Underground Atlanta (Phone 524-3001). Blues music.

Dante’s Down the Hatch.3380 Peachtree Rd. NE (Phone 266-1600) and in Underground Atlanta (Phone 577-1800). Jazz, featuring the Paul Mitchell Trio.

The Gold Club.Piedmont at Lindbergh (Phone 233-1210). Live adult entertainment (i.e., strippers).

Nashville Sound.3611 Cobb Parkway NW, Ackworth (Phone 974-2503. Live country music, dancing.

 

This brochure was prepared by Dallas Denny and Stephanie Rose.