DIDN'T GET THE CURBED ATLANTA JOB

I didn't get the Curbed Atlanta editor job, but they asked me to write up six samples in the Curbed style. Not sure if I nailed the Curbed style.

Spanish Hacienda Extravaganza

Looking for a little piece of Spanish Mission style California comfort in the heart of Atlanta? A great place to throw a rollicking Cinco de Mayo party with piñatas and ladies wearing banana hats? Please learn how to correctly pronounce guacamole before purchasing this grand, Alhambra-looking beauty, constructed by architect J.L. Turner back in 1926 when Ernest Hemingway was still attending bull fights. It’s not every day that one stumbles upon a groovy Spanish estate in the depths of the South. Check out the sexy archways, the terracotta tiled floors and those awesome church-style windows. The “doggie bath spa in the basement” can also be used to shampoo and pamper one’s pet bull.

1218 N Decatur Road, Atlanta (Coldwell Banker)

Reveling in Atlanta’s Vacant Lots 

Atlanta does not lack for open space and much of that consists of unfenced, vacant lots, many in residential neighborhoods. Kudzu often envelops those dirt patches carpeting discarded tires, real estate for sale signs and colonies of exotic beetles. Recently, a vacant lot on the corner of Boulevard and Atlanta Avenue in Grant Park was put to use by the adjacent neighbors, who threw their 3rd Annual COCKtail Party there in honor of their chicken coop. The chickens appeared to sleep through the hoedown, but neighbors and friends arrived in droves and boogied to bluegrass and country outfits, Packway Handle, Waller and Seven Handle Circus, whose bluegrass version of A-ha’s “Take On Me” had a squadron of toddlers bouncing around like baby lemurs. A professional stage was rigged on the lot and a full open bar kept the crowd groovin’ until the wee hours. A salute to the party organizers for their creative use of vacant neighborhood open space for something other than disposing of shopping carts.

Old Money Rules the World

Are you a CEO of somethingerother? Do you have Mitt Romney’s cousin’s phone number among the contacts in your cell phone? Are you heaving around the sort of disposable income where you can toss $100 bills into the toilet just for sport? Oh, and most importantly, are you in the market for a grumpy old mansion going for five mill and change? If you can answer yes to the last question and at least one of the first three, there is a secluded gated estate once owned by Coca-Cola CEO J. Paul Austin that beckons your fat wallet. And with a little bargaining you may be able to lower the price or hell, pay in cash. This seven bedroom behemoth (including seven bathrooms and two half-baths for $100 bill tossing) boasts an all Viking appliance kitchen with soapstone countertops, rooms that take the beige and gold motif to the next level, a crazy man cave currently outfitted with deer antlers and a stuffed pheasant and dignified geese statues overlooking massive, manicured grounds. 

You get a good head start, fox. We’ll be right at your heels!

711 Broadland Road Nw, Atlanta (Coldwell Banker)

No Breaks, Man!

With a reliably clogged downtown connector, gas prices permanently soaring through the roof and hipsters seemingly taking over all major American cities, bicycling has all of a sudden arrived in Atlanta in a big way. This is despite the general lack of bike lanes, narrow in-town boulevards that can barely fit a small SUV and Atlanta’s reputation as a city where you drive or take MARTA, but don’t bother trying to get around any other way. But there they are: young, bearded, tattooed, two-wheeled adventurers cruising down Moreland Avenue with a line of cars trying to get around them. To support them, bike shops have sprouted up around town such as the Sopo Bicycle Cooperative in Grant Park and Outback Bikes in Little Five Points, as well as a bike advocacy group, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. It’s a sort of sweaty movement for change. And perhaps the city is slowly but surely beginning to recognize this cause with the opening of the Eastside Trail, the first finished section of the Atlanta Beltline, which will extend from Piedmont Park south to Elizabeth Street in the Old Fourth Ward. The opening will be celebrated with the event Atlanta Streets Alive on October 7, when portions of Virginia Avenue and North Highland Avenue will be car-free from 2 pm to 6 pm.

http://beltline.org/trails/eastside-trail/

Dragon’s Lair Craftsman in Atkins Park

An alluring 1918 Craftsman loaded with the sort of details home architectural enthusiasts go bonkers for has hit the market in Atkins Park. The serpentine-looking driveway gate was designed by local metalsmith Andrew Crawford. Hopefully, that suave Lacanche burgundy stove remains with the home (that model currently starts at $8,995). Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper lines an attractive den with an original fireplace and mirror above. Upon clicking through the photos, you’ll notice some eccentric strangeness suddenly appearing when you get to the bordello red bedroom with the Bradbury & Bradbury “random star ceiling,” the curtained second bedroom (What’s behind those curtains?) and finally the muralled fantasy-themed dragon’s lair fit for a DragonCon shindig.

1156 Saint Augustine Place Northeast, Atlanta (Trulia)

Dreaming of the Upscale Loft Lifestyle in Castleberry Hill

For those looking to indulge a wee bit in the NYC artist fantasy of living in a mildly gritty urban setting and both working and playing in a space that says, “I am an artist who makes actual dough,” this four-level building in Castleberry Hill cannot be topped. Situated in one of the hippest spots in town, it exudes city living in metal, brick and industrial duct work. In the afternoon, after a long day of sculpting or splattering, you can enjoy a glass of wine on your very own rooftop terrace with a splendid view of downtown from the south. That main level offers a living and dining open space fully equipped with a swanky kitchen that is all about hosting: cocktails, crab cake appetizers, erudite conversations and Stan Getz softly playin’ his horn. Why live bad when you can live good?  

146 Walker Street SW #NA, Atlanta (Keller Williams)