Oakland is a small slice of a neighborhood, bordered by Downtown Atlanta, Grant Park, Cabbagetown, The Old Fourth Ward, and Sweet Auburn. It also happens to be home for me and Tony.
In some ways Oakland seems like more of a crossroads than a real neighborhood. - a crossroads of several of the most dynamic communities in Atlanta, as well as a crossroads of transportation. The neighborhood is bisected by major freight rail lines, and the East-West MARTA line, and bordered by the busy streets of Memorial Drive, Decatur Avenue and Boulevard Street. It's a short walk to Downtown Atlanta, with just a bridge over the I-75 / I-85 downtown connector as the separator, and it's central location has made it one of the prime "up and coming" neighborhoods in the city.
The two standout landmarks of the neighborhood are the King Memorial MARTA Station and the historic Oakland Cemetery. The King Memorial Station is a fascinating example of Brutalism-inspired 1970s urban-Utopian architecture, and the Oakland Cemetery is known as one of the great examples of a Victorian garden-style cemetery. "Gone With The Wind" author, Margaret Mitchell is buried at the cemetery, as well as many of Atlanta's founders.
The Oakland neighborhood is also home to some slightly less major landmarks - Daddy D'z Bar-B-Que Joynt, Six Feet Under (a restaurant right across the street from the cemetery), Ria's Bluebird Diner, the Standard, Stella, and Tin Lizzy's Cantina.
Oakland was, until recently, almost completely commercial. Many buildings stood abandoned and the area became known mainly for its crime rate. Old warehouses and factories have now been re-claimed as residential lofts, and new buildings such as The Pencil Factory Flats, have turned the area into a bonafied Atlanta neighborhood.
In my first expedition, I really became intrigued by how much reflection and texture define Atlanta, as opposed to Miami's expression in color and shape. In looking at my new neighborhood, I continued to think about reflection and texture, but I was continuously confronted with notions of movement and transition. I kept coming back to Oakland as a crossroads, a metaphor of transition that can be seen at every level. It's a transportation hub, a place of decay and renewal, and the place that I'm calling home at one of my life's crossroads. I hope I've been able to capture it to some degree.
In some ways Oakland seems like more of a crossroads than a real neighborhood. - a crossroads of several of the most dynamic communities in Atlanta, as well as a crossroads of transportation. The neighborhood is bisected by major freight rail lines, and the East-West MARTA line, and bordered by the busy streets of Memorial Drive, Decatur Avenue and Boulevard Street. It's a short walk to Downtown Atlanta, with just a bridge over the I-75 / I-85 downtown connector as the separator, and it's central location has made it one of the prime "up and coming" neighborhoods in the city.
The two standout landmarks of the neighborhood are the King Memorial MARTA Station and the historic Oakland Cemetery. The King Memorial Station is a fascinating example of Brutalism-inspired 1970s urban-Utopian architecture, and the Oakland Cemetery is known as one of the great examples of a Victorian garden-style cemetery. "Gone With The Wind" author, Margaret Mitchell is buried at the cemetery, as well as many of Atlanta's founders.
The Oakland neighborhood is also home to some slightly less major landmarks - Daddy D'z Bar-B-Que Joynt, Six Feet Under (a restaurant right across the street from the cemetery), Ria's Bluebird Diner, the Standard, Stella, and Tin Lizzy's Cantina.
Oakland was, until recently, almost completely commercial. Many buildings stood abandoned and the area became known mainly for its crime rate. Old warehouses and factories have now been re-claimed as residential lofts, and new buildings such as The Pencil Factory Flats, have turned the area into a bonafied Atlanta neighborhood.
In my first expedition, I really became intrigued by how much reflection and texture define Atlanta, as opposed to Miami's expression in color and shape. In looking at my new neighborhood, I continued to think about reflection and texture, but I was continuously confronted with notions of movement and transition. I kept coming back to Oakland as a crossroads, a metaphor of transition that can be seen at every level. It's a transportation hub, a place of decay and renewal, and the place that I'm calling home at one of my life's crossroads. I hope I've been able to capture it to some degree.
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