📢Hub Chatter

c/atlanta-local-chat

17

anna_hill•15h ago

That Marta pass auto-renewal got me again

Tbh I forgot to cancel my monthly Breeze card after I started driving to work in March, and it just hit my account for the 4th time at $95 total. Anyone else keep getting stuck paying for transit they're not using?

12

ray_king•21h ago

Bought a $250 rain barrel, saved my yard and my water bill

I grabbed one of those big rain barrels off Craigslist for 250 bucks back in March. Hooked it to my downspout in Decatur and figured it was just a gimmick. But after that dry stretch in June, I was hauling watering cans all over the place and my bill hit 90 dollars. That barrel stored maybe 200 gallons through two good storms, kept my tomatoes alive, and cut my bill to 55 last month. Anyone else run a rain barrel setup, or is it not worth the space for your yard?

18

elliotburns•2d ago

Overheard a barista say 'good coffee is just patience in a cup', made me rethink my whole morning rush

I usually grab a 7am latte at that Pearl Street shop before work, but after hearing her tell a new hire that the bloom timing matters more than the beans, I tried waiting an extra 20 seconds at home with my $15 pour-over and honestly the difference was wild, anyone else ever slow down one tiny step and get a totally better result?

19

the_robin•1mo ago

That one detour on Moreland Avenue saved me 20 minutes last Tuesday

I always take Moreland to get from my place in East Atlanta to the office near Buckhead. Last Tuesday traffic was backed up past the Glenwood intersection for no obvious reason. I got frustrated and cut through that little neighborhood behind the old gas station, ended up on a side street I'd never even noticed before. Somehow I popped out right past the bottleneck and got to work with time to spare. Has anyone else found a random shortcut like that around town that just works?

10

jason112•1mo ago

I finally looked up why my neighborhood smells like burnt sugar some mornings

I was walking my dog around 6am a few weeks back near the old Kroger on Ponce and that sweet smoky smell hit me again. Always wondered what it was. Finally googled it and found out it's from the cookie factory off I-20. Apparently they start baking at 3am and the smell drifts with the morning air. Surprised it took me 5 years living here to bother finding out. Anybody else catch that smell on the east side?

32

susan_ward•1mo ago

Tried Buckhead Bagels vs. a little shop in Decatur last weekend...

Everyone in this group swears by Buckhead Bagels. I get it, they're consistent. But I drove out to this tiny place off Clairemont called Bagel Brothers last Saturday. Paid $4.50 for an everything bagel with lox. The texture was totally different. Chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside. Buckhead's always feel a bit doughy to me, like they rushed the boiling step. Bagel Brothers let theirs sit overnight in the fridge before baking. That extra 12 hours made all the difference. Anyone else find a hidden gem that beats the popular spot?

9

alice_harris35•1mo ago

Downtown MARTA station platforms got new lighting last year and I barely recognize the place after dark

I used to feel sketched out waiting for the train after 9 PM at Five Points but now it's bright enough to read a book (someone was actually doing that) - is this just better fixtures or did they actually change the layout of the station too? Anyone else notice this shift?

13

phoenixgonzalez•1mo ago

Found a real shortcut for dodging traffic on 285 during that 5pm mess

I was stuck on 285 near the perimeter for like 45 minutes last Tuesday, crawling along. Out of frustration I hopped off at Ashford Dunwoody and took a random left through that office park behind the mall. Turns out there's a back road that cuts all the way over to Peachtree Industrial and I saved 20 minutes easy. Anyone else got a hidden route they swear by for skipping the worst of that bottleneck?

12

jasonp71•1mo ago

Picked MARTA over driving to a concert last Saturday

Big mistake. Braves game traffic had me stuck on 85 for 20 extra minutes just getting to the station. Then the train ran slow. Took me 75 minutes total instead of the 35 minute drive. But parking woulda cost me $40. So I saved $25 but wasted an hour of my life. Is that trade off worth it for anyone else or am I just being dramatic?

18

blairwhite•1mo ago

Had to pick between driving 45 minutes to a hardware store or improvising with a butter knife for a hinge repair

So last Saturday I was fixing this screen door on my back porch over by East Lake and I needed a tiny flathead screwdriver to adjust the hinge pins. My toolbox has everything except the one thing you actually need, right? So I'm standing there holding a half-eaten sleeve of crackers wondering if I should drive all the way to the Ace Hardware on Memorial or just try to wedge a butter knife in there and hope for the best. I went with the butter knife because it was raining and I didn't want to deal with traffic. It actually worked but I bent the knife a little and now my wife keeps asking why there's a weird curve in the butter knife. Has anyone else gone with a shortcut and regretted it or did it actually pay off? I feel like every time I try the easy way I end up making more work for myself later.

20

lee_grant97•1mo ago

Hot take: the BeltLine got worse after the paving finished in 2023

I keep seeing everyone rave about how the BeltLine is so much better since they finished that stretch near the Fourth Ward. But I walked it for years before they paved it, and honestly the gravel had a better feel. Now it's packed with people on rental scooters and groups taking up the whole path. The noise level tripled after they added those speakers at the overpass. Anyone else miss when it was quieter and less like a commercial strip?

24

margaretk89•1mo ago

Old neighbor told me I was pruning my crepe myrtles all wrong

Been doing landscaping for about 8 years now but an older guy on my street caught me trimming my own trees last spring. He said I was doing that 'crepe murder' thing where you chop the tops off and it makes them look all knobby. Explained how to cut back to the branch collar instead and just thin out the smaller branches. Now my trees look way more natural and actually bloom better, but man did it feel weird leaving them so tall at first. Anyone else get schooled by a random neighbor on something you thought you knew?

18

vals38•1mo ago

Had a guy at the Ace Hardware on Ponce explain why my mulch was molding

He pointed at my bag and said 'you're using the dyed stuff, that's why it clumps up in the rain'. Has anyone else had better luck with plain cedar or pine bark?

22

the_robert•1mo ago

My air conditioner died on the hottest day of the year in Midtown

Last Tuesday the temperature hit 98 here in Atlanta and right when I got home from work my AC unit just stopped. It was making this weird grinding noise for a few days before but I kept putting off calling someone to look at it. I spent the whole evening with all my windows open and three fans going but it still felt like an oven inside. Ended up sleeping on the couch with a wet towel over me just to cool down enough to get any rest. Next morning I called three different HVAC places and the soonest anyone could come was two days later. The guy finally showed up and said the capacitor had blown and it was a simple fix but I could have saved myself a lot of misery if I'd called sooner. Anyone else here ever ignore a weird sound from their AC until it totally gave out?

20

bethcarr•1mo ago

My BIL insisted you can grill a steak on a gas grill, but I've smoked meat for 6 years in my back yard off Moreland Ave.

He showed up with a $12 ribeye from Kroger, seared it on high for 4 minutes each side, and called it medium rare while it was grey through the middle how do people think a quick sear equals the real thing?

0

fox.jesse•1mo ago

My 3 hour trip to buy a single 6-inch PVC pipe at Lowe's

So last Saturday I needed a short piece of 6-inch PVC to patch a broken drain line in my back yard. Figured I'd run to the Lowe's on Moreland, be in and out in 20 minutes. Got there and nobody in plumbing knew where the PVC fittings were because they rearranged the whole aisle two weeks ago. Then the guy who finally helped me said they only stock 6-inch in 10-foot sections, which is way more than I need. I had to ask three different employees before one told me to check the special order desk, but that desk was closed for lunch. By the time I found a manager who could cut me a 2-foot piece from a full stick, I had been wandering around for almost 2 hours. Then I get to checkout and my card gets declined because I forgot I locked it after losing my wallet. Had to call my wife to unlock it over the phone while standing in the parking lot. Has anyone else had a simple hardware run turn into a whole afternoon ordeal?

4

wells.brooke•1mo ago

Just ran into my old neighbor at the Dekalb Farmers Market who called me out for my terrible parking

He saw me trying to squeeze my Prius into a spot near the herbs section (you know how that lot is) and shouted that I still park like I'm driving my college Civic from 2012. Has anyone else had a random person from years ago remind you of something embarrassing in public?

28

robin_campbell36•1mo ago

Doubted that fancy GPS watch for hiking until I got lost on Kennesaw Mountain

I was SURE my phone GPS was fine for the trails around Atlanta. Then last Saturday I took a wrong turn on the East Trail loop and my battery died at 15%. My buddy had this Garmin he swore by, so I borrowed it for the next trip. That thing literally guided me back to the parking lot through a foggy section I'd never been in before. Has anyone else had a device save them when their phone crapped out?

24

miller.jason•1mo ago

Found a random $20 bill in a couch I was cleaning last week

I was cleaning out this house in Decatur last Tuesday and flipped over a old recliner to vacuum under it. A crumpled $20 bill fell out from between the cushions. The homeowner said I could keep it since she hadn't sat in that chair in like 3 years. I used it to buy lunch at that taco spot on Memorial Drive. Has anyone else ever found random cash while cleaning or moving furniture?

14

paulperry•1mo ago

Rant: My buddy swore I could pull spark plugs on a cold LS motor from a '97 Tahoe

He told me just use a 5/8 thin wall socket and some elbow grease on a stone cold block. Cracked the porcelain on cylinder 3 and spent 4 hours with a vacuum extractor getting shards out of the hole. Anybody else learn the hard way that heat cycles really do matter for seized plugs in Atlanta's humidity?

7

lewis.drew•1mo ago

Talked with a guy at The Porter Beer Bar about how I always order the same IPA and he made me try a sour ale instead

Honestly I've been going to The Porter for like 3 years and always get the same Two Hearted IPA. This dude next to me at the bar was like 'you ever try anything else?' and I said nah I know what I like. He bought me a glass of some raspberry sour they had on tap and man it was totally different. Not gonna lie it made me realize I've been missing out on a whole side of beer. Has anyone else had a random bar conversation that completely changed your usual order?

20

willowc60•1mo ago

My neighborhood farmer's market vs the big chain grocery store near Moreland Ave

I used to do all my shopping at Publix on Moreland Ave because it was quick and I knew where everything was. But a few months ago I started hitting the Saturday farmer's market instead and the difference is huge. The produce at the market actually tastes like something, like a tomato that tastes like a tomato not just red water. Plus I spend about $15 less per trip because I'm not buying all that packaged stuff I don't need. The downside is I have to plan my meals around what's in season which took some getting used to. But honestly once I tasted a real Georgia peach from a local farm I couldn't go back. Has anyone else made the switch and found it harder to go back to regular grocery stores?

27

patriciamoore•1mo ago

Saw a big snapping turtle crossing Piedmont Road near the park today

I was stopped at the light at Piedmont and Monroe around 2pm and this huge turtle just slowly made its way across the crosswalk. Must have been at least 15 inches across the shell. Everyone in my car was losing it and the guy in the truck next to me got out and actually helped it get to the grass. I've lived here 8 years and never seen anything like that. Anyone else run into wildlife like that around Atlanta?

5

spencer664•1mo ago

Finally committed to the neighborhood co-op over Kroger this month

I've been driving past the East Atlanta co-op for like two years but always defaulted to Kroger because it's familiar. Finally forced myself to do a full grocery run there last week and ended up spending $12 less than my usual trip somehow. Has anyone else made the switch to a smaller local spot and noticed their wallet actually felt better?

17

davis.casey•2mo ago

Hot take: Is the new Beltline tunnel at Piedmont Park a win or a bad idea?

I rode through that new pedestrian tunnel under Piedmont Park last week and right at the midpoint my bike chain slipped off and I ate pavement in the dark. What was supposed to be a smooth shortcut turned into me walking a busted bike a quarter mile back to the exit. I get it's supposed to keep people safe from the road, but the lighting is terrible and the floor gets slick after rain. Has anyone else had a close call in there or am I just being dramatic about the design?