90+degree humid heat in atlanta. it was late afternoon and I had been out in it (on foot!) for many hours. she sold me a cold grapefruit soda for $1.36 and free unlimited ice water so my stop at the growler shop became an extended one. she could tell i was not from here as i was toting my airport carryon, and engaged me.
she told me about the checker board intentional plan that governs housing development; where gentrification is only allowed in isolated checkered squares. this generates neighborhoods like hers where an at&t ceo lives on one side of her and her neighbor on the other side is (literally) a crack addict who cuts her grass for a beer. it ordered in my mind a map of my earlier wanderings and i realized i had been walking through checkerboard neighborhoods. when i thought i was getting too deep in the hood, i would cross the street and see yuppies on their electric scooter boards silently glide to their corner artisanal craft beer spot (with outdoor seating!). moving through those few blocks back into abandoned yards littered with debris and disintegrating structures enclosed by warped chain link fences - close enough to move through them within minutes on foot. effectively distributing poverty and wealth uniformly. #mindblown
she closed with a musing, they (atlanta) do such a good job with housing, i don't understand why they do such a terrible job with transportation! #carculture
-listen when you wander
