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What’s the best Halloween happening?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is The Westminster School’s Halloween Parade from 2006. File parades under “best places to people watch.”
I hear Savannah is one of the most haunted cities in the United States, but I’ll bet Atlanta’s no slouch when it comes to Halloween entertainment, especially this year. Halloween on a Friday is just begging for craziness.
I grew up in a place with an unfortunate tradition of setting abandoned homes on fire the night before Halloween — huge efforts have been made to curb that, by the way — but it instilled in me the sense that holidays may have the same name and the same general aesthetic, but they don’t mean the same thing from one place to the other.
Of course, I’ve got to work the morning after Halloween, and I’m not willing to show up at the office with makeup stains, hair glitter or a candy corn hangover. People-watching from the bar is more my style.
So what’s the metro area’s best Halloween event? Where’s the best place to get an eyeful or people or decorations? And for families new to the area, what’s the best neighborhood to trick-or-treat?
Here are some Halloween resources to help you get started…
Maps of corn mazes and pumpkin patches and another map of haunted houses and ghost tours.
Halloween costume ideas from Amy Winehouse to Sarah Palin. (And yes, if you dress your pet, just say so. We won’t laugh too loudly.)
Halloween events — that’s one serious list.
Family-friendly Halloween events — another long list.
Holiday Guide! This site will be updated continuously for the next few months as we roll into hard-core holiday season.
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Phones for geography or gadgetry?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I didn’t buy a phone because it would browse the Web, tell me where to go, play music while I get there, tell all my friends about it, shoot a photo, post a video and make my dinner. I use it because it works, you know, like a phone.
Oh, with news like this, it’s so tempting to think that way. But whenever you move, the first real techno-question is this: will my phone even work there? Having lived a few places where the balcony was the best place to get a call and AAA was useless if you traveled too far out of town on a weak tire, I know the realities of bad service. I remember driving for hours to get to my brother’s old house, then standing outside, holding the phone as I high as I could, hoping it would send a text message that said, “I arrived OK!”
My service is fine here so far, and that has to be good enough — now that I’m a 13 hour drive from my family, I’m wedded to Verizon as long as they are. The alternatives: a gluttonous plan, a bill full of overages or a blackout on phone calls home.
So what cell phone services work well in Atlanta, in metro Atlanta and once you get into other regions of the state? Have you ever had to changed services because you needed a better signal or service to match your out-of-town friends and family?
Or do you just ignore all that and go for the cool gadget?
Permalink | Comments (23) | Post your comment | Categories: Moving
What not to wear…to the polls.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ahh, political fashion.
Like this?
Rasheed Aziz of Dallas sells T-shirts and sweatshirts outside a stop Democratic candidate Barack Obama in Jackson, Miss. in March.
Or maybe this is more your style?
Melinda Mock displays her allegiance during breakfast at the Fulton County Republican HQ in Sandy Springs in October.
Not on Nov. 4, it isn’t, at least not when you head to the polls.
The Georgia Code doesn’t allow any kind of campaigning or electioneering with 150 feet of a polling place on Election Day, and the Secretary of State’s office considers wearing a shirt, button, hat, lapel pin or sticker with a candidate’s name or face just that. We’re not the only state with those kinds of rules, either.
You can find the law in the Georgia Code, sections 21-2-413 and 21-2-414, and on page six of the Georgia Poll Worker Training Manual.
This election has given voters some interesting ways to show off to show off their political pride, but Matt Carrothers, director of media relations for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, says they’re not worried about people trying to break the rules.
The law isn’t new, he says, and poll workers are well aware of it. Expect to be asked to cover it up or come back without it.
“Those rules are in place to protect the sanctity of the polling place and make sure that no voter is pressured or subject to undue influence and electioneering by another voter,” Carrothers told me.
If it helps at all, you can wear that peachy little “I’m a Georgia voter” sticker on the way out.
Other election resources:
Georgia Secretary of State’s Election Center: early voting information, voter ID information, poll locater, election results.
Georgia Voter Guide: builds your ballot and introduces you to the candidates.
Permalink | Comments (45) | Post your comment | Categories: Current Events
The Great Atlanta Gas Hunt ‘08
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey folks, I’m over at the Talk of the Town blog for now, updating and aggregating news of the gas shortage in the Southeast.
Check back for the latest news and notes on the gas shortage and find tips on hunting gas, saving gas and how to live without it. Share your woes and ideas for how to get around in the comments.
See you there!
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Every day is Election Day, until Nov. 4.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Absentee voter, it sounds so ugly, like absentee parents or absentee landlords. I’ve been one. It’s not pretty.
Now, early voter. EARLY voter. Up before dawn, getting down to work and finishing up with plenty of time to beat the traffic. Better, right?
Recent AJC stories pointed out that people are hitting the polls already, even pre-presidential debate. As long as you’re a registered voter, you don’t have to give a reason. Your pollworkers will thank you for easing the crush of people on Election Day, Nov. 4. You even get the sticker.
Here’s a list of locations where you can vote early.
And if you’re not that far ahead, here’s information about registering to vote and what you need to bring to your polling place. And don’t forget the AJC election guide, which can help to educate you about the races on your ballot.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Current Events
Latest comments
FYI - I live in a typical middle class neighborhood. In the past I’ve lived in apartments. I hate to tell you - but we decorated more at the apartment and had more trick-or-treaters than I ever have at the house. Btw, don’t you know that the... read the full comment by Lissa | Comment on What's the best Halloween happening? Read What's the best Halloween happening?
hey Jamie, your coworkers won’t mind you participating in halloween, it’s always been a big event for adults in Atlanta. go out and have some funn.... read the full comment by mayretter local | Comment on What's the best Halloween happening? Read What's the best Halloween happening?
Lissa, Choose Joy!!! :)... read the full comment by Micha | Comment on What's the best Halloween happening? Read What's the best Halloween happening?
I agree.Lissa sounds terrible. I would hate to be her husband- child-etc. If you are inyour 20’s, Athens is a great place to go out for Halloween…everyone is dressed up and ready to party- and it is not too crowded as everyone else is... read the full comment by bob | Comment on What's the best Halloween happening? Read What's the best Halloween happening?