The weather has been hot and, oddly, drier than usual. A few Sundays ago, the morning air was actually slightly cool—a rarity in June. Peachtree Street is a busy thoroughfare, except on Sunday mornings, so I decided to stop by Midtown.
My first visit to Atlanta in 1986 was a huge disappointment. A conference brought us to town for five days, and after one day, we were dying for food not cooked in a Marriott hotel. Looking for a better place to dine, we asked the concierge, whose only advice was, “Take a cab to Buckhead.” Peachtree Street, in the heart of downtown, was empty at 9 in the evening. Hotel food was the only option for a decent meal—no restaurants were open except in hotels. Outside, it was eerily quiet for a major city. There were no strollers, no bustle. The Olympics changed everything.
On this beautiful Sunday morning, I did something out of the ordinary for me—I went downtown. My last visit was in 2019, and that was solely to file some legal forms. Even then, I went to the courthouse and immediately returned home. Before that, it was jury duty—twice. This morning felt like a perfect time to become reacquainted and catch up.
One thing I love about my city is its inclination to put art in public places. There are murals, sculptures, and mosaics scattered about so freely that I am rarely surprised but always delighted to stumble upon them. After a few shots around the Federal Reserve building, I headed south.
Unlike in 1986, plenty of people walked about, enjoying the sun and sights. My goal was the Carnegie Education Pavilion, constructed in 1996 and commissioned by the Corporation for Olympic Development. The structure was built using materials from the original Carnegie Library, which was replaced in 1977. Since the weather was so pleasant and a few more frames were left in the Minolta AF-C, I strolled until the roll was complete. There was more worth photographing than I had film for. But, not to worry—beautiful autumn days are not far away, and I have plenty of film.
(All image: T-Max 100, Minolta AF-C)