Guys who live in big cities, a question...

[Febi Guibo]

NYC SUCKS... it will, eventually destroy your car... + parking is so unbelieveably expensive...

For example, the garage around the corner from me (wooster st. / grand st.) has a waiting list for spots at $436 a month... if you wanna walk to the west side highway, it's a more reasonable... $225/mo. or so.

Weekdays, I park in harlem in an enclosed lot under the MTA tracks (eg, I am the only idiot who has to take a *train* to get to his *car*...) and that runs me a cool $140 a month plus 135 block train ride back and forth.

Street parking offers such perks as $75 basic tickets (eg, didn't move on street cleaning), dings, bumper rubs, petty theft (learn to *love* your OEM cassette player), random keying, and... having your door bashed in by some moron woman on her cell phone in a rental van, who promptly did a drive off....

most of the above has happened to me in the last year (no keying, thank god) ... and all that's while PARKED!! I won't get into the potholes (visible on google maps, seriously), traffic, price of gasoline, fender benders, and 3rd world driving styles (you think cabs are bad? try the car service jockeys in the outer boroughs).

anyway... moral of the story: having a car here is insane, I am insane, and when you see pics of a new york city E30 that looks even half decent, try to remember all the *extra* love that goes into it.

I'm moving to brooklyn, and hopefully getting a spot in the lot behind my new building... god willing...

[delatlanta1281]

What happens downtown man? Tell us.
I have lived in downtown atlanta for half my life and have never had a car messed with. In Cobb county, east cobb, and norcross I have. I lived in edgewood for two years and no one even looked at me in a bad way..... 95% black neighborhood, crack house a block away, my car was never touched. I lived in little five for two years before that no problems... all my close friends live in Atlanta proper, no problems..... It seems to me in "atlanta" most crimes happen outside the perimeter.... Gainesville, Smyrna, Douglas county, Clayton (i agree with you on the south side). The only time I have heard of stuff happening was at Ga tech... more bored rich kids perhaps. I think Atlanta's problem is it's bored upper middle class children. I just bought a house in lake claire and I seriously doubt anything will happen there as well. It's good for those of us who live downtown because the bored kids' parents think Atlanta is too scary and teaming with criminals, so they aren't allowd down there. Saves my cars and house from being messed with!
I think people should know when someone describes Atlanta they are talking usually about a 45 mile radius around atlanta's perimeter. If someone tells you they are from atlanta ask them if they are really from Atlanta, they will most likely say they live just outside, like chatanooga!

I think it would help to know where you live in Miami? Cause I doubt people in Hollywood leave their doors unlocked. I can tell you that west and north miami are not the best places to leave doors unlocked either.... lemme guess, you don't live in coconut grove, Coral gables?

I would never leave my doors unlocked in any city.... not in this day and age, your asking to be messed with.

AJ - Which part of ATL will you be? Feel free to PM or e-mail me if you have any questions.

x2 any questions about the city or anytime you wanna meet up for a drive or a drink let me know. I can tell you when and where fun stuff is happening downtown, and when the bmw/vw meets are. I can also tell you where all the skateboarders and the other "cool" kids hang out! Atlanta will be what you make it. There is no town I have been to with more stuff to do, yrust me, I have been everywhere in the U.S. All you have to do is ask. Pick up a creative loafing or ask one of us. I can only speak for me but I know what it's like to be in a new town.

[Vedubin01]

I live in Kendall, and its much safer than most make it out ot be. Sure Liberty City or Little Havana areas are just as bad as any big city. I grew up in Cobb County and can remember people thowing concrete block off the overpass. I remember seeing the news about 3 years ago were kids on the south side were shooting bottle rockets at the fuel truck when unloading fuel. I guess all big cities have their bad and good spots. Atlanta is a big city, not that down town is as big as NYC but as stated above, People claim Atlanta 50+ miles outside downtown. There are to many people in that town and its one of the only places in the US that measures distance by time. EX: How far is it to go from 85/285 to the 285/75 north exit. Normal drive is about 20 mins. Thats no traffic. But at Rush hour it would be 1 hour 1 hour 30 mins. Not that its about 20 miles. I just think its crazy and a pain in the ass to get anywhere. And Atlanta has S. McKinney. Stupid Bitch!

[delatlanta1281]

Vdub, I'm not trying to call you out or come down on you btw, I just get upset when people say the city isn't safe. It is alot safer than it was when you lived in Ga. Reason being people started caring after the olympics and began to build again. Now all the old "unsafe" neigborhoods have turned around (which is why the southside has gotten so bad). You and I both grew up there and I remember what it was like when I was in highschool and college. It is totally different. Buckhead is now the scary part.... While streets like ponce and moreland are much better. Grant park used to be scary as hell, now it is much nicer. There are still shady parts of course, but you actually have to look for them instead of them finding you. man don't even get me started on that bitch, how many run-offs is it gonna take for her to realize she sucks???? I remember the cinderblocks, and the shootings on powers ferry and delk road, every rest. got robbed except for the one I worked in mainly b/c it is run by some of the craziest greeks you will ever meet!

[Vedubin01]

Well I hear ya but every time I go there something bad happens.

The picture that I posted above was hit at this house. This is my moms house and as you can see its no crapper of a house. I never said that Atlanta was full of crack whores, the problem is Duel income families that dont take care of their kids. They are the ones that do things like the brick through my car door.

[b*saint]

Let's see. Springfield MA isnt that big (150,000 roughly) but its still a city. Slashed tires, dented doors, spray painted, broken windows, that damn wheel lock thing when the time runs out, back into a million times, and that tire lock thingy when your time runs out.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

sometimes I get empty evian or ferrari dealership water bottles in the backseat of my car when the top is down.

ciggarette butts, cigar wrappers, toothpicks too

[Low Level E30]

AJ - Which part of ATL will you be? Feel free to PM or e-mail me if you have any questions.

x2 any questions about the city or anytime you wanna meet up for a drive or a drink let me know. I can tell you when and where fun stuff is happening downtown, and when the bmw/vw meets are. I can also tell you where all the skateboarders and the other "cool" kids hang out! Atlanta will be what you make it. There is no town I have been to with more stuff to do, yrust me, I have been everywhere in the U.S. All you have to do is ask. Pick up a creative loafing or ask one of us. I can only speak for me but I know what it's like to be in a new town.

Thanks fellas!!! Appreciate the offer --- I will let you know where I'm going to be, and we'll hook it up!!

I'm going to be staying down in Griffin, GA for a couple weeks, until I find a house and get set up --- hoping to work near the airport, or some such area, but we'll see.

[blunttech]

in gods country if you leave your car out at night someone will wash and wax it or maybe put a new set of tires on it for you. its the ozzie and harriet of towns to live in

[e30vert]

Just bash and ding your car as if you did not give a crap about it. Rip your radio out and leave its innerds sprawled all over your passenger seat.

Then at least you can have the privledge of saying. "I did all this damage" Nobody else but me!


Then cruise to where ever ya like.

[parkerbink]

Let's see. Springfield MA isnt that big (150,000 roughly) but its still a city. Slashed tires, dented doors, spray painted, broken windows, that damn wheel lock thing when the time runs out, back into a million times, and that tire lock thingy when your time runs out.

My Father was born in Springfield, my Grandfather had a shoe store there and was the Mayor of Chicopee Falls in the 30's.

[Beej '86 325es]

I may end having to do the same but in STL so I guess I am going to semijack this thread

St. Louis is strange, you can be on a street with mansions, and around the block it's the ghetto. There are a lot of apartments with gated parking though.

[CleanAzzE30z]

in gods country if you leave your car out at night someone will wash and wax it or maybe put a new set of tires on it for you. its the ozzie and harriet of towns to live in

God has his own country?!?! Where have I been?!!! I must see it someday.

Mariano

[blunttech]

God has his own country?!?! Where have I been?!!! I must see it someday.

Mariano

youre always welcome dude. i think we have a few things in common anyway from reading your past posts.

[delatlanta1281]

Thanks fellas!!! Appreciate the offer --- I will let you know where I'm going to be, and we'll hook it up!!

I'm going to be staying down in Griffin, GA for a couple weeks, until I find a house and get set up --- hoping to work near the airport, or some such area, but we'll see.

Just try not to live too close to the airport, ok? I would try to live north of the Braves stadium. Griffen is nice, out there, but nice. Lotsa good BBQ down there.