LETDOWN CITY

I have been in Atlanta (HOT-lanta!) this week, helping my dad take care of my mom as she recovers from hip-replacement surgery. And I have to say, the theme of this trip has been disappointment.

Disappointment 1:
You still can't buy beer in the grocery stores on Sunday (except in actual Atlanta, which no one has actually ever seen). I went to Publix Sunday afternoon with a list that included dinner fixin's and sweet, sweet beer to get me through my stay -- if you know me, or more accurately my parents, you know that sweet, sweet beer is an absolute requirement for surviving more than 10 minutes with them. After soaking in all the Publix goodness (like the bread lady -- the Publix bread lady is always awesome no matter what location you visit), I turned down the beer aisle to find ... no lights. And a big sign saying "No beer/wine sales on Sunday ... SINNER." Because I guess the baby Jesus doesn't want us to drink on his big day. Or, more accurately, he wants us to plan ahead for drinking on his big day. But lottery ticket sales on Sunday? No problemo. Thanks, Georgia. Thanks A LOT.

Disappointment 2:
I had forgotten that radio station 99X bit the dust. Now it's called Q100 (which is completely ridiculous, as the frequency is 99.7), and its playlist is pure suck -- of the same vintage of suck as every other radio station in this town now. I e-mailed a fellow Atlantan co-worker to share my despair, and, bless him, he reminded me that Georgia State's Album 88 still exists, and is still awesome. Thank you, the baby Jesus, for that. But I'm still going to drink on your big day because you allowed 99X to die. Sorry.

I'm heading back to Raleigh today, blissfully. The City of Oaks may not have the Big Chicken, but it does sell beer every chance it gets, and for that I love it.

Comments

[Janna]

I'm even a little sad about 99X. I used to look forward to it when I drove to the ATL airport.

[Carlton Swift]

Oh, dear sweet Album 88. Sort of like musical Russian Roulette. With bullets. Which is a good thing because it keeps you on your toes.

Then again, the bullets may just be, you know, Atlantans.

[Bryce]

The X? Gone? Man that sucks, I always used to listen to them back when I was living in Atlanta. I loved how they made fun of the local Clearchannel stations. I hope they were spared that fate.