Atlanta Condos For Sale

Fall Friday Lunches In Midtown Atlanta From Midtown Alliance

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Fall Friday Lunches In Midtown Atlanta From Midtown Alliance

Like we need a reason to get out of our office or condo in Midtown Atlanta!

CakeYou might recall we had a lunch program this year, but it was located at the new Plaza at 15th Street. Of course, summer in Atlanta is NOT the time you really want to be out of your office. I certainly stay in unless I’m showing a Buyer a great condo deal in Midtown Atlanta.
Well, Fall is officially upon us, so we are hoping for cooler temps during the day….but that will probably be a couple more weeks.  But it is a good time to get out, and the Fall Friday Lunches In Midtown Atlanta. These are being held at the Bank Of America Plaza on North Avenue and Peachtree Streets.
I’m going to try and make this week…Hope to see you there!
Sponsored by Arborguard Tree Specialists
Bank of America Plaza (North Ave & Peachtree), 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
September 24:
Lunch provided by TAP
Live music by Jay Memory
MENU:
Ham & Cheese Panini
Turkey Club
Chicken Caesar Salad
Grilled Chicken Greek salad
All items are $7; assorted drinks $1 each

Gordon Biersch Midtown Scores Great Review

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Gordon Biersch Midtown Scores Great Review

Gordon Biersch Midtown AtlantaIt was no surprise to me when a review of my favorite Midtown Atlanta watering hole/restaurant, Gordon Biersch showed up on a Google Alert today. Of course it was favorable…..Gordon Biersch Midtown IS a great restaurant!

One of several posts I have written about Gordon Biersch appeared in September, 2009 on my other blog, Midtown,My Town, Atlanta and MORE My good friend, Elizabeth from Huntsville, AL was in Atlanta and we had a delightful evening of food and conversation!

If you are in Midtown Atlanta, and looking for exactly what you want in a restaurant — a great dining experience, good food, great beer, and excellent service….look no further!

Here is a link to the Atlanta Food Critic’s review

PARKatlanta to Meet with Midtown Neighbors

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PARKatlanta to Meet with Midtown Neighbors!

Midtown Atlanta Parking MetersI’m sure you’ve noticed in Midtown….parking meters are now EVERYWHERE!! And there has been LOTS of confusion about the times you can park, and for how long! If you’ve had issues with this, now is your time to meet with representatives from the City of Atlanta and PARKatlanta!

Please note below they ask you to submit questions in advance for the sake of time. (Or maybe to keep the audience for rioting over this hot issue!!!)

Dear Midtown Neighbors,

Please join us for a meeting with PARKatlanta, Alex Wan, and city officials to discuss the City’s Parking Program on Wednesday, September 15th at 6:00 pm in the Grady High School cafeteria. Please park in the 8th St. parking lot, and enter the cafeteria through the 8th St. entrance. (Grady HS is at 929 Charles Allen Dr., Atlanta, 30309)

This is an opportunity to ask questions about enforcement, parking signage, and the permitted parking programs/zones for our neighborhood. Since we only have a limited time (1.5 hours) and need to keep this meeting productive, please submit questions or suggested solutions to problems in advance to maria@mariabalais.com (also please copy your question to Traffic@midtownatlanta.org). PARKAtlanta will also have question sheets available at the meeting when you sign in.

Look forward to seeing you,
The PARKatlanta Team

Maria Balais

Rental Insurance For My Condo

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Rental Insurance For My Condo

As a REALTOR, I am often asked the question if you need insurance for your condominium. And the answer is a big, YES!

fire extingushierRental Insurance for your condo protects your personal property (clothing, books, computers, etc.) in the event of a fire or flood in your building. Remember, the problem may not occur in YOUR home, but in one above, next to or below you. In the case of water, it fill find any crack or crevice and run down. If your personal items in your condo or damaged, you need to have insurance to replace them.

Also, when you rent, you should always confirm your LANDLORD also has insurance. If there was significant damage, his insurance may or may not cover you, but certainly the items that belong in the condo. Take the water issue again. If it came from the unit next door,and damage the flooring, you want to know it’s going to be repaired, and you are not living in a mess because your landlord can’t repair it.

Rental insurance is very, very inexpensive. It may cost you less than $150 per year, depending on the personal items you have. But, it’s something everyone should have.

I have a great contact with State Farm Insurance I would be happy to refer you to for your Midtown Atlanta Condo insurance needs. Just click on the “Ask Us A Question” above, and we will get right back to you!

Midtown Atlanta Makeover Continues

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Midtown Atlanta Makeover Continues

Improvements to Midtown Atlanta just keep on coming! As you’ll recall, I posted a couple weeks back that some Midtown Atlanta Streets were getting a makeover. Crescent Street certainly was in need of some sprucing! But it seems that is not all that has been happening in Midtown.

Most of these streetscape improvments are designed to enhance the pedestrian experience in Midtown Atlanta while giving Midtown its own idenity. I can say from personal experience that some of the improvements below are certainly a welcome addition to Midtown.

  • Installation of new LED countdown ped-heads and traffic signals are nearing completion:  New, Ped Crossing Countdownsafer, more energy efficient signals have been installed throughout Midtown.  The Midtown Alliance received a grant from GDOT to begin this project and most recently, was awarded a second grant from the US Department of Energy to complete it.  These new signals are 80-90% more energy efficient. The new countdown crossings are great….it really helps you know how much time you have to cross the street. From a drivers perspective, it’s also like having a warning that the signal is about to change, so you can be a bit more prepared to stop. (Or some some people do, speed through the intersection on the yellow light!)
  • Streetscape projects begin on Peachtree Street from Peachtree Circle to the I-75/85 Bridge: This long-awaited phase of the Peachtree Streetscape furthers progress made between 3rd Street and West Peachtree Street.  The project was designed to extend pedestrian improvements to the north end of Peachtree Street, improve public safety and create a better balance between large volumes of vehicular traffic and a more walkable urban environment.   The project is expected to be completed in early 2011.
  • Five new traffic signals installed to create safer mobility for Midtown pedestrians and drivers: Midtown Alliance is in the process of completing construction.  Now at these intersections, traffic will move more smoothly and pedestrian crossings will be significantly safer:
    • 6th and Peachtree
    • 6th and Juniper
    • 8th and Piedmont
    • 12th and West Peachtree
    • 12th and Spring

    I can certainly tell you, that the  6th Street and 8th Street installations are going to be a welcome addition. There is a crosswalk at 6th and Peachtree, but just try to get a car to stop for you!

  • In mid-August, Midtown Alliance will assume the maintenance of the medians and planted materials on the 14th Street Bridge. A few months ago, we celebrated the re-opening of the 14th Street Bridge with our government and community partners. We can all take pride in this gateway into Midtown, representing the power of partnerships. This too will be welcomed! I’m not sure who was suppose to be maintaining them up until now, but there are already plants that have died!  And there are a few unsightly weeds starting to show….not the Welcome To Midtown we want to see!

You’ll be sure to notice these improvements underway on your next visit to Midtown Atlanta. If you live in Midtown, watch out for the construction!

Castle Building Midtown Atlanta GA Sells At Auction

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Castle Building Midtown Atlanta GA Sells At Auction

A unique, historic part of Midtown has gone across the auction block. What will now happen to this special Midtown Atlanta landmark, is anyone’s guess.

The winning bidder for The Castle Midtown Atlanta, or 87 15th St., in Midtown was Bryan Latham, a private investor from New York. He agreed to pay $951,500 for the 11,000-square-foot mixed–use property next to Promenade II office tower, according to Bull Realty partner Daniel Latshaw.

The Castle was built by its owner, Ferdinand McMillan, a wealthy Agricultural Supplier originally from Florida. He built it with no formal training and no architectural background, simply deciding to do what he thought felt right.

I pulled from a blog the following comments posted by “Phreakmoney” (just to give credit where credit is due)

“The most striking interior feature is the collection of large southern medallions gracing the corner of each of the large rooms. There are only two tiny bathrooms, one on each level. There is no obvious kitchen, nor is there infrastructure to support one, although there is a standalone sink and range in the attic. There are two sets of inadequate electrical wiring in the place: the original two-conductor cloth-covered wiring inside the ceilings and walls, still connected to the ancient bulb-fuse boxes on the top two stories; and newer 1970s+ era wiring run through unsightly (and unpainted) galvanized conduit in the hallways.”

So, she will certainly need some updating to become anything other than the Castle Building in Midtown. Suggestions have ranged from a bed and breakfast to a small museum. Knowing a bit about zoning code in Midtown, most options will be a challenge due to the lack of parking. Hopefully Mr. Latham will be able to secure that missing link from a neighboring office building.

I’m not sure it the building has already made the National Register of Historic places….let’s hope so. To give you a glimpse of the building, I recently took some pictures of the Castle Building in Midtown Atlanta.

[tomatoframe width=”600″ height=”500″]https://www.picnik.com/show/id/9610193565_B8MvB/t/the-castle-midtown-atlanta-ga[/tomatoframe]

Thom Abbott

Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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