A Day On The Beltline: Southeast Atlanta

Renown for its traffic jams, the Atlanta perimeter highway I285 is emblematic of the city's sprawling growth model and a commuting challenge for many who would venture from one part of town to another. In a bygone era, most goods were shipped by rail instead of roads. The remnants of that local system are being reimagined as a 22 mile inner loop for pedestrian and light rail traffic, the Beltline. Saturday a sizeable group gathered at the Inman Park-Reynoldstown MARTA station for a 6.5 mile urban trek along its corridor through southeast Atlanta, ending at the West End station.

First we heard from Chris Campbell, proud owner of the first Volt in Georgia. This sleek hybrid car differs from the Prius et al in that its gasoline motor works only to charge the batteries. Like a locomotive, its impetus is entirely electric. The first 35 miles of travel are battery powered. Only then does the gasoline motor fire up. Fuel consumption from Washington, DC to Atlanta averaged 37 mpg, but he hasn't bought gas for it since arriving here in December. Overnight electrical charging from a standard outlet all but replaces the pump. Chris demonstrated the awesome electric torque while zooming in near silence 'round the parking lot.

Our guide for the walk was Angel Luis Poventud, an urban cyclist and Wonderroot board member whose day job as a CSX freight conductor lent unique insight to the project. He even knew the archictect who created this stunning bit of trackside modernism.

Enough digression: this is a fashion blog, after all. While creativity shows in the handpainting she lavished on these shoes, her ventursome spirit wore them on this ardurous hike. Check the old school film camera. 'Tis fun to see so many children of the digital age using analog media. Is theirs a yen for something personal and tangible, like a fountain pen and paper instead of Word and a computer?


The urbanscape provided ample photo ops for all of us.





hat: greatgrandmother's
scarf: maid of honor gift
shades: vintage Ray-Ban Wayfarer
coat: Guess
cardigan: Nordstrom
jeans: WalMart

"This is my to do laundry look," she laughed. Some people just know how to mix it.
jacket: Lucky Brand
shirt: GAP
cardigan: TJ Maxx
jeans: Express
bag: Parcel



Our track walk may have ended at Allene Avenue, SW but the fashion show continued with an impromptu urban photo op en route to the West End MARTA station.





For reasons best known to MARTA, it was necessary to change trains at the King Memorial station. This minor delay gave me yet another photo op, one with the talented Mister Friday. Rock that fixie!