Instead, I think it's far more fun to list all the things I will not miss about Atlanta as I leave for my return to the West and Austin:
- Traffic. This is quite possibly the reason that 90% of people who leave this wretched town leave. I have driven in bumper-to-bumper traffic in LA, Houston, Chicago and even New York City. They are rural excursions compared to Atlanta. Routinely, it takes 60 minutes to travel five miles in this town. At 1 PM. On a Sunday. You simply can't get "there" from "here." It has choked this town and creates daily stress that I will blissfully leave behind for Austin. They complain about the traffic in Austin, of course. They haven't a clue how bad it can be.
- Sidewalks. Or rather, the complete lack of them in Atlanta. The town pulls a double whammy on people - it conveniently avoids sidewalks on most major streets, and when they are present, they are ripped up, too narrow, made of 17 different surfaces, or otherwise impassable by pedestrians; and because the lack of sidewalks forces too many people to drive, well...see point 1.
- Unhealthy people. Atlanta must be #1 in this category nationwide. I have never seen more waddlers - more 400-pound behemoths. Amazingly, some of these people smoke. And have diabetes. I wouldn't be surprised if a few hundred of them didn't suddenly collapse on a single day, similar to whales washing up on shore. Given that there are approximately 200 fast food restaurants per square mile in this town, I really can't blame them too much.
- Veneer hospitality. As a friend of mine has pointed out, Atlanta hospitality is a mile wide and an inch deep. It was always ironic for me to drive on the "Hospitality Highway" and observe a driver laying on his horn for a good 30 seconds because someone had the utter gall to try to merge into his lane.
