Thom Abbott

Summerfest Virginia Highlands – June 5-6, 2010

June 2, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Summerfest Virginia Highlands June 5-6, 2010

Summerfest VaHi The 27th Annual Virginia Highlands Summerfest is upon us! This event, sponsored by, and to raise money for the Virginia-Highlands Civic Association will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Summerfest is located on scenic and historic Virginia Avenue between North Highland Avenue and Park Drive.

Parking for the event is extremely limited. It’s a hike from the Midtown MARTA station, but you can take the No. 45 bus, from the North Avenue MARTA station or Midtown, or from Lanier Boulevard, University Avenue, or Stillwood Drive. This line doesn’t run on Sunday, and the Saturday route will detour onto Ponce de Leon Avenue, although the route to Summerfest from each end will not change.

The juried Artists Market will feature art in the following categories with a variety of prices:

Painting
Photography
Clay
Metal
Stone
Wood
Jewelry
Glass
Textiles/Fiber
Graphics
Mixed Media (2D & 3D)

Looking for a specific artist you want to purchase from? Here is a link to a page that will provide a list of the artists.

Kidsfest
This year, Kidsfest will be held near Arcadia at the edge of John Howell Park. Kidsfest features unique games, crafts and activities for children of all ages. Most games, crafts and activities are free. Times are Saturday, June 5 (10am to 6pm) and Sunday, June 6 (Noon to 5pm).

Of course there will be food available at the many restaurants in Virginia Highlands as well as “adult” and kid beverages.

The DaveFM Music stage will be chock full of acts sure to please everyone. Here is the schedule.

Come on out and support this great neighborhood festival, Summerfest in Virginia Highlands!

Summer Lunch Box Series – Midtown Atlanta GA

May 31, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Summer Lunch Box Series – Midtown Atlanta GA

Woodruff Arts Center Ah yes, summer is upon us here in ATL! With it brings a whole new crop of events and things to do, despite our nickname of “Hotlanta.” Yes, it does get a bit warm, but still it is nice to be outside! Well, the Summer Lunch Box Series is your ticket.

Hosted by Midtown Alliance, this weekly event is held every Wednesday, 11:30am – 2:00pm at the new Arts District Plaza at the Intersection of 15th and Peachtree Streets. Each week, food is provided by some of Midtown Atlanta’s finest restaurants, ranging in price from $5-7! Live music is provided each week as well.

Here is the restaurant schedule from now through July 28th. Check back, and as we know the entertainment for each week, we will add that onto the list.

June 2 Nickiemoto’s
June 9 Ri Ra Irish Pub
June 16 Spice Market
June 23 Opera
June 30 Rising Roll
July 7 Evos
July 14 Livingston/Cafe Mims
July 21 Marlow’s Tavern
July 28 Gordon Biersch

So mark you calendars for Wednesday lunch! Hope to see you there one of the days!

Atlanta-Macon Commuter Train

May 27, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Atlanta-Macon Commuter Train

300px-ATL_People_Mover_2 As I read stories about the development of mass-transportation projects, I’m often confronted with the question, “Will Georgia EVER get mass transportation, or will be just be left standing on the platform….that does not even exist?”

We actually missed the train back in the 60’s or 70’s when MARTA was being constructed. Individual county governments were allowed to decided if they wanted the system or not. As a result, MARTA only services DeKalb and Fulton Counties. When I say “service,” I mean where the actual trains run. Gwinnett County wanted nothing to do with trains coming to their pretty suburb. Ah Ha! Now what to do they have….a bus system of red buses I see each day bringing in the Gwinnett commuters to Buckhead, Midtown and Downtown. I think I recall they (residents) were surveyed and would NOW support a tax to pay for mass transit. Ah, sorry….you have been left at the station. The cost to build any more MARTA lines is now past any return on investment.

So, now, a train from Atlanta to Macon? Development of more urban-friendly communities where people can walk and leave those nasty vehicles parked? WOW, what a concept.

Let’s hope that this project will move forward. It could be a big boost to the South side of Atlanta all the way to Macon, and just imagine the jobs……something everyone needs right now.

Here’s a link to the article, Atlanta-Macon Commuter Rail as it appeared in Creative Loafing.

Hot Jobs of…..2018!

May 26, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Hot Jobs of ….2018!

Mind you, I have a hard time thinking about the next 3-6 months, let alone 7 years from now. Yikes! But, if you are 18, and just graduating from high school, or a parent of the same, then this is some serious dinner table conversation.

This morning, The Wall Street Journal (WJS) ran an article titled, “What Will Be the HOt Jobs of 2018?“ I’m going out on a limb and saying I would of never picked some of these jobs, or I’d probably not have the grades! But, according to the Labor Department’s 10-year forecast in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, here’s the top ones: (and their percentage of growth)

Biomedical engineers 72%
Network Systems analysts 53%
Home health aides 50%
Personal and home-care aides 46%
Financial examiners 41%
Medical scientists 40%
Physician assistants 39%
Skin-care specialists 38%
Biochemists and biophysicists 37%
Athletic trainers 37%

So, what’s for dinner? It’s gonna be a pretty heavy conversation based on those careers!

1010 Midtown Condominiums Announces New Pricing…Finally!

May 23, 2010 by Thom Abbott

1010 Midtown Condominiums Announce New Pricing

Well, we all knew it had to happen sooner or later. Just wish it would of been sooner.

1010 Midtown has finally announced discounts on the homes at this stunning addition to the Midtown skyline. Of course there is the disclaimer “on selected homes” but at least it gives Buyers the idea that the pricing on some of the homes has come down to reflect the Midtown Atlanta Condo Market.

1010 Midtown Condominiums is part of the 12th and Midtown development located at, you guessed it, 12th and Peachtree Streets. The retail space remains largely empty, with the exception of several restaurants that have been strategically placed along the 11th Street, Cresent Avenue and 12th Street sides of the building. These include Ri Ra Irish Pub, Noon Midtown and Ra Sushi. Additionally, there are several clubs within walking distance of the building.

The new Loews’ Atlanta Hotel is also part of this development, offering elegant accommodations and meeting space.

1010 Pricing Discounts If you have been considering a move to Midtown Atlanta, now is the time to take a look at 1010 Midtown! Give me a call and let’s look at some of the models.

Georgia Lottery What's the Numbers?

May 22, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Georgia Lottery. What’s the Numbers?

I’ve always figured the lottery was pretty big money. I don’t mean winning it. (Oh but if I did…..whoops, that’s another topic) I mean how much money it generates. It boggles the mind to say the least.

Just take a look at some of these numbers:

$29 BILLION in ticket sales, 2000-2009
$1.8 BILLION in tickets provided as prizes
$16 BILLION in prize payouts 2000-2009
$7.8 BILLION funding for education 2000-2009
$1.9 BILLION paid in cash commission and bonuses to Lottery retailers

And of course, you gotta spend money to make money, right? So $189 million on advertising (those billboards don’t come cheap) and $87 million for merchandising. That’s some serious money as well.

Georgia Lottery funds go to HOPE scholarships for one thing. It’s nice to know that from 1993-2009 there were 90,824 HOPE students at Univeristy of Georgia alone.

So, there are lots of people playing the lottery for that “chance”. And it certainly shows in the numbers.

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