Relocating From MI to GA. Advice?

[wesley]

Lived in SE Michigan all my life and now I'm headed to Marietta, GA.  I have no idea about the surroundings: where to ride, where to eat, etc.     I've become a noob!   Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

[2wTraveler]

Geez, everybody seems to be moving to Ga these days. Going to have to organize a R5 Noob ride to show you guys the ropes  

[MichiganMan]

Can't help you on the riding, but congratulations on getting out of "Mississippi North" - I think I might be the one guy left to shut off the lights....

[Roadscum]

Great riding in NE Ga... Start in Dalonega, Ga. and go N. on Rt 60, also try Rt 180 E off 60(Wolf Pen Gap Rd)
there's Rt 129, The Russell Senic Hwy. .... From Dahlonega it's only about 2-3 hrs to Deals Gap, NC.
take a long weekend and ride the Blue Ridge Parkway.

You'll like the riding..... honest!  

Take a look:

http://www.twowheelsonly.com/
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/
http://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htm

Regards, Paul

[Justin]

expect traffic to drive you to the point where you may want to kill people.

I've spent some time in Marietta as I used to have family that lived there, still have some family in Atlanta though. If it wasn't for the terrible traffic around the area It's not that bad of a place. Please tell me you won't be commuting into town!

Seriously though, last time I visited was in January, and the traffic is way better than it used to be, with the recession and job cuts.

[kevrider]

expect traffic to drive you to the point where you may want to kill people.

ain't that the truth, i just bailed form atl metro.  gotta go back to visit relatives and friends, but i'm happy to not live there again.  the riding is great in yonder hills, though.  get some maps (GA, TN & NC), you'll figure it out, it's not hard.

[FJRmgm]

the spring and fall will be great for riding but the heat and humidity in July, Aug. and Sept will be oppressive.


Southern women are the best.

[LoVel]

Southern women are the best.

I totally agree.  Women from the south west corner of Vermont are the best.  

You just moved to a beautiful part of the country if you can get away from that hulking metropolis.  Yuk!

If you go ATGATT I would recommend a riding suit in a light color like gray, that is very well vented, for the summer.  A black suit will kill you if you get stuck in traffic.  I wear my gray two piece Olympia when it gets hot.

[crashtech]

You will love it...the best riding in the area......northGA, east TN, west NC, west VI, WV, east KY.....Get some maps and enjoy.

[twotrackhero]

Go as quickly as possible

Good luck in GA

[county]

Ya'll gonna need to familiarize yourself with grits first.

[falconati]

Ya'll come back to the Midwest and visit yo family now, ya hear?

[Liquidsilver]

Compared to where you're coming from... motorcycle heaven!  

[county]

Compared to where you're coming from... motorcycle heaven!  

Actually just "heaven."

[LoVel]

Grits is good.

[scott19]

You'll be happy to know that we only get two months of real winter here, and you may even laugh that I call it "real" winter. If we get an inch of snow, the whole town shuts down.

The flip side is that it gets VERY hot and humid in the summer, enough to make you stop riding for awhile. If you don't have a mesh jacket, you'll be wanting one by August.

Learn where the Big Chicken is. All directions given in Marietta revolve around the Big Chicken. Do a search for "Big Chicken Marietta" and you'll see it.

And now, I'll reprint an email once sent to me:

I want y'all to understand one thing right up front. I'm a Georgian. Always have been and, the Good Lord willing, always will be. I was raised in a small Georgia Town and educated in a large Southern university. I have traveled in all fifty states and several foreign countries-including New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

I realize that we have been infiltrated as of late with a number of Northern transplants, and they are all welcome, as long as they choose to live amongst us in peace without spending all their spare time telling us how much better things were back in Cleveland and how proficient they are at driving on snow and ice.

Nonetheless, I feel it is my civic duty to provide a primer of sorts for all the good people who have recently migrated to the Peach State. It might not hurt to remind some of the natives of a few points of pride as well.

There are some things that all Georgians should know:

Coca Cola is ours, and unless you've had one in a green six-and-a-half ounce bottle, with a slight crust of ice on top, you don't know what the real thing is. And you might want to try pouring about half a pack of salted peanuts into one sometime.

If it weren't for a Georgian-Crawford Long of Jefferson---open-heart surgery would hurt like hell.

True Georgians say "ma'am and sir" and call their mothers "mama" and their fathers 'daddy".

They know that y'all is perfectly good English and never means just one person.

"Fixin to" is perfectly acceptable, too.

And if y'all don't like the way we talk, Delta (which is also ours) is ready when you are.

Long before the Olympics brought the world's greatest athletes to Atlanta, we gave the world Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson, Walt Frazier, Luke Appling, Johnny Mize, Fran Tarkenton, Bobby Jones, Wyomia Tyus, and Herschel Walker.

If you don't know who these people are, you ought to find out before you go to bed tonight.

Long after the Atlanta Olympics have faded from memory, the greatest tournament in golf will still be played in Augusta every April, with or without Jessie Jackson's and Martha Burke's approval, and on autumn Saturdays, 90,000 or so Red-and-Black faithful will gather in Athens for a prayer meeting between the hedges.

The Stone Mountain carving is lots bigger than the one on Mt. Rushmore, and the people etched into the side of Stone Mountain deserve the honor.  

Atlanta was called "the city too busy to hate," back in the sixties, because it really was, and we should be proud of that fact.

In 1864 Sherman burned Atlanta and much of Georgia in his March to the sea. We're still not over it.

We don't grow the most peaches, but we still deserve to be called the "Peach State", because ours are the sweetest. That includes the Georgia peaches that don't grow on trees.

We do produce the most peanuts, pecans, and poultry.

Elvis wasn't ours, but Otis Redding, James Brown, the Allman Brothers, Johnny Mercer, Joe South , Ray Charles, Bill Anderson, Brenda Lee, Trisha Yearwood and Alan Jackson are.  

So are Sidney Lanier, Joel Chandler Harris, Margaret Mitchell and Alice Walker.

And I still miss Lewis Grizzard every day.

Julia Roberts may be Georgia's prettiest movie star, but Holly Hunter is the most talented.  

Dakota Fanning may one day surpass them both.

FDR adopted us. His "Little White House" in Warm Springs is exactly as it was the day he died there,  near the end of World War II. Every Georgian needs to visit Warm Springs.

Gone With the Wind belongs to us. We own it. Not only is it by one of our own and is about us, but it's also one of the great novels of all time and an absolute film classic...and we shouldn't apologize for liking it.

The Brown Thrasher, the Cherokee Rose, and the Live Oak are our symbols.

Proud, decent, honest people are our heritage.

None are as plentiful as they once were, but none are on the endangered list, either.

The best barbecue in the world is served at Vandy's in Statesboro, but Open Air in Jackson ain't far behind.

The best seafood is at Williams in Savannah and the best catfish is at Henderson's in Covington.

The best sausage is at Stripling's in Crisp County.

The best fried chicken in the world is served at my mama's house.

Grits is groceries and sugar doesn't belong in cornbread.

God intended for tea to be served iced and sweet.

Hope this doesn't scare you off!



   

[Liquidsilver]

That email sounds like it was ripped off from a Texas thing.  
 
I do love GA though.  (and parts of TX)  

[CLAY]

Advice?  Turns the lights off in Detroit- we can't afford to pay the electric bill.

[county]

You'll be happy to know that we only get two months of real winter here, and you may even laugh that I call it "real" winter. If we get an inch of snow, the whole town shuts down.

The flip side is that it gets VERY hot and humid in the summer, enough to make you stop riding for awhile.

    

Or, like many of us Southerners...ride in a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops...It is really nice on a hot Southern nite.  And during the day you may want to remove your shirt to work on a tan.

A little tip....hold your legs out from the bike to keep the tan even.

[volleykinginnc]

Advice?  Move to Charlotte.

[volleykinginnc]

Or, like many of us Southerners...ride in a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops...It is really nice on a hot Southern nite.  And during the day you may want to remove your shirt to work on a tan.

A little tip....hold your legs out from the bike to keep the tan even.

and exactly how do you get the back side of the legs?

[county]

and exactly how do you get the back side of the legs?

Duh, ride away from the sun.

[volleykinginnc]

Duh, ride away from the sun.

Excellent thinking....and under the chin?

[county]

Excellent thinking....and under the chin?

You obviously are one of those ATGATT guys.....

[Ryan381]

I currently live in Marietta and there is alot of really good riding within just a few hrs. As someone else already said get to know the"Big Chicken" because if you go anywhere in Marietta people are going to reference the "Big Chicken"

Marietta in itself is a pretty big and diverse area that covers a couple zip codes, any idea as to where in Marietta you are moving? I live in East Cobb

[Brent099]

I moved to the Atlanta area from Michigan in 1997, I have only gone back to Michigan once and didn't miss anything.  The weather is infinitely better.  There's no winter here, just a long Fall that goes straight to Spring, but if there is snow in the forecast just smile and nod as your neighbors prepare for the coming apocalypse.
 
You will experience culture shock.  The people are generally more polite.  You'll never be considered a southerner, but it's okay, most people in Atlanta are transplants.  You'll still have to fit in.  Might as well start calling all "pop" "coke" now.  Get used to phrases like "might could" and "fixin' to."  I have tried but never acquired a taste for grits; practice polite ways to turn them down.   Southern women are great, just watch out for the self-described "Georgia Peaches," unless you like plump fuzzy women.

If you are bringing a vehicle down with you, don't expect to sell it if it has much rust on it, also make sure the A/C works well.

Head north for the good riding.  Invest in a good mesh jacket, possibly a cooling vest or neck wrap (it will get you wet, but not as bad as sweating).  Don't ride anywhere that you might get stuck in traffic during summer, you will melt (avoid downtown during rush-hour).

[jfurf]

If you're single or even slightly youngish... avoid the suburbs. Seriously. Try to find a place to live inside the perimeter. Your commute will be much easier... Marietta traffic will make you want to stab yourself in the eye.

Pros:
Great riding in the mountains
Great year-round riding (I've ridden at least once every single week this year.  )
Low cost of living
Lots of people from all over the country and world
HOV lanes that benefit moto-commuters
Lots of bike nights (Vortex on Thurs. nights is supposed to be a great one)
Some great dealers (2 good BMW dealers, at least one great Triumph, probably others)

Cons:
Very suburban and fake.
Lots of cheesy generic strip malls.
Incredible sprawl.
Hot summers (to me, this isn't a huge problem. Maybe one or two days a year are really TOO hot to ride. Get mesh. Definitely)

[scott19]

Some more notes:

Don't know if you have High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes in Michigan, but motorcycles here are allowed in the HOV lanes here. No filtering though.

Our perimeter highway, I-285, is not very hospitable to motorcycles, or cars for that matter.

I-20, which cuts across Atlanta east-west, is a favorite haunt of the urban biker crowd, the guys with the Hayabusas and Gixxers with the extended swingarms and such. It is quite common to be passed by groups of from 3 to 20 of them going double (or more) the speed limit, which is 50MPH for most of I-20. Not only will it startle the crap out of you when they zoom by, but the police crack down on them from time to time, and might mistake you for some other guy that flew by a quarter mile back.
   
There's a bar/restaurant called The Vortex in a section of Atlanta called Little Five Points that has an excellent bike night every Thursday. Every type of bike imaginable; hang around long enough, and an example will show up.

The intersection of I-85 and I-285 in the northeast corner of the Atlanta metro area is known as Spaghetti Junction. You'll know why when you see it.

Someone will at some point probably coax you into going to The Varsity at some point. It is a very famous Drive In restaurant right next to Georgia Tech in midtown Atlanta. I find the food to be average, an opinion for which some of my fellow natives wish to disown me. But it's a fun experience, nonetheless.  

Marietta is in Cobb county, the major NW county. Other major counties are: Gwinnett (NE), Dekalb (E), Douglas (W), and Clayton (S).

The Atlanta Braves play at Turner Field, which is a great baseball stadium.

The Atlanta Thrashers play NHL hockey at Philips Arena, which is right downtown.

The Atlanta Falcons play at the Georgia Dome, which is right next to Philips Arena.

So is the Georgia Aquarium, which is pretty new, and by almost all accounts really nice.

CNN News is also right next door to all these things.

Marietta has a large Air Force Base: Dobbins. It is quite normal to see several C-130s in the skies above, as well as fighter jets.

Buckhead is the ritzy party nightlife area of Atlanta.

Little Five Points (L5P) is the bohemian center (although an area called East Atlanta, slightly south of L5P, is challenging for the title).

Midtown is where a lot of culture events take place (The High Museum of Art, The Fox Theater, Piedmont Park, numerous other theaters and concert venues).

Decatur, in Dekalb county, is home to a large lesbian population (It's home to the Indigo Girls, after all).
Atlanta, overall is very gay tolerant, which is why I reckon Elton John has a home here.

BTW, Fulton county is a full nude strip club zone, thanks to Atlanta's large convention economy.

Speaking of, Dragoncon,a large sci-fi convention, is held here every year.

ITP is Inside The Perimeter. OTP is Outside The Perimeter (referring to I-285). ITP'ers generally look down their noses at OTP'ers.

That'll do for now.  

   

[Justin]

Learn where the Big Chicken is. All directions given in Marietta revolve around the Big Chicken. Do a search for "Big Chicken Marietta" and you'll see it.

Hah, that's funny. I actually found that myself on my first visit to Marietta. I used it as a point of reference to know where I was  

[Mr Sunshine]

expect traffic to drive you to the point where you may want to kill people.

I've spent some time in Marietta as I used to have family that lived there, still have some family in Atlanta though. If it wasn't for the terrible traffic around the area It's not that bad of a place. Please tell me you won't be commuting into town!

Seriously though, last time I visited was in January, and the traffic is way better than it used to be, with the recession and job cuts.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

I visitied Atlanta last October.  The traffic was NOTHING compared to Seattle.  Nothing!

[Ralf]

I worked in Atlanta from 2000 to 2002. Overall, it was a very nice experience. My wife and I lived north of the city center in Brookhaven and took the local train (MARTA) in to work so that we didn't have to deal with the city's notorious traffic. Buckhead was the big clubbing area, but somewhat too collegiate for me and I preferred the Virginia Highlands.

We found Atlanta to be a fun city but, coming from Europe, somewhat ugly (AFAIK the Union burned the old city to the ground during the American Civil War) and difficult in terms of entertaining guests. We really had trouble setting up an agenda for visitors (you can visit Stone Mountain only so many times), but wish to echo the sentiments of another poster who mentioned Little Five Points as an interesting place to see and hang out.

When I left Germany I sold my R1 and bought an RZ350 because I wanted a fun bike, but not a horsepower monster as I was warned about the revenue generation, er I mean rigorous speed limit enforcement in the US. Anyway, I frequently took the bike out about an hour north to the Appalachian mountains (we also did a lot of hiking here), with the gateway being in Dalonega. There are definitely a lot of fun roads up there (Wolf Pen Gap is great). I would not ride in August as it was simply too hot and humid for me, but autumn is great. However, (I hope I'm not offending anyone here) US car drivers are horrible.

Pros about Atlanta

Cosmopolitan
Affordable
People generally laid back and friendly
Healthy nightlife and ample recreation
Reasonable proximity to mountains
Professional sports

Cons about Atlanta

Ugly
Hot and humid in the summer
Crime
Traffic (including no lane splitting)
Lots of fat people

Upshot: I've been to Michigan once (in the winter for a wedding) and I think Georgia wins hands down.

[scott19]

We found Atlanta to be a fun city but, coming from Europe, somewhat ugly (AFAIK the Union burned the old city to the ground during the American Civil War) and difficult in terms of entertaining guests.

Ouch, that hurts a bit, especially from a citizen of a country that's seen war much more recently than we have. The Civil War is no real excuse for us, especially if you see pictures of how small Atlanta was at the time of the Civil War. In our defense, I think Atlanta has one of the better looking skylines on the east coast, at least for it's size (most of that skyline is built around one street, the famous Peachtree Street). it's all good.

[LoVel]

I almost forgot.  People from Atlanta seem to have a very high opinion of themselves.  

[Ralf]

Ouch, that hurts a bit, especially from a citizen of a country that's seen war much more recently than we have. The Civil War is no real excuse for us, especially if you see pictures of how small Atlanta was at the time of the Civil War. In our defense, I think Atlanta has one of the better looking skylines on the east coast, at least for it's size (most of that skyline is built around one street, the famous Peachtree Street). it's all good.

Sorry, but especially compared to Savannah or Charleston it's just not that attractive a city. BTW I worked in the BOM building on Peachtree Street (god, I remember how practically everything was called Peachtree St., Ave., Blvd. or something).

[Brent099]

(god, I remember how practically everything was called Peachtree St., Ave., Blvd. or something).

That reminds me, coming from Michigan where the streets make sense, navigating in Atlanta can sometimes be frustrating.  Streets change names randomly, different streets have the same or nearly the same name in the same area.  It's easy to find yourself on the wrong road because you assumed things would follow a logical order.  Not a problem if you have GPS, but if you rely on google maps, mapquest or common sense to get you to new places, like I did when I first moved here, be prepared to get lost.

[FBRR]

Sorry, but especially compared to Savannah or Charleston it's just not that attractive a city. BTW I worked in the BOM building on Peachtree Street (god, I remember how practically everything was called Peachtree St., Ave., Blvd. or something).

Raf,
You think Peachtree is a problem!!!???? I lived in Luxembourg and visted Germany often! That damn einbahn strasse was everywhere, very confusing!!
( to say nothing of those "Hotel Du Ville", they never had a room available!)

You complain about our "traffic enforcement" at least they don't collect on the spot!

As I just returned to Michigan from Savanah ( a vacation), you will love Ga.!! City traffic in Atlanta is terrible. Many areas of Ga. are like Northern Michigan, Pine trees and forests.

[scott19]

I almost forgot.  People from Atlanta seem to have a very high opinion of themselves.  

I know! It's almost like I'm a Californian, ain't it?  

[jfurf]

Ouch, that hurts a bit, especially from a citizen of a country that's seen war much more recently than we have. The Civil War is no real excuse for us, especially if you see pictures of how small Atlanta was at the time of the Civil War. In our defense, I think Atlanta has one of the better looking skylines on the east coast, at least for it's size (most of that skyline is built around one street, the famous Peachtree Street). it's all good.

I think Atlanta definitely IS very ugly. Not because of the Civil War, though. The problem is that over the past 40 years the city has continually sold out to developers who tear down prettier stuff to put up new glass/concrete office complexes. It's also surrounded by suburban (formerly rural) counties that have bee really hostile to the urbanization of Atlanta. It's a weird place. Oftentimes it feels like one giant sprawled suburb. THere are interesting neighborhoods, you just have to look for them.

[Craigart14]

Atlanta does have a lot of green areas.  Just be sure to get an air conditioned bike--and GPS for the city.

Craig

[Ack535]

Hmnnn, another guy from Michigan moving south. No surprise there...

I hope you filled out your census form in MI before you left. At leat we can claim you for the next 10 years as living here. God knows we need it!

My wife works in banking, and had a conversation with a local moving company executive. Currently they are running about 4 moves out of Michigan to every move into the state... Whoever is the last one here, can you please turn the lights off!

Pete

[LoVel]

I think Atlanta definitely IS very ugly. Not because of the Civil War, though. The problem is that over the past 40 years the city has continually sold out to developers who tear down prettier stuff to put up new glass/concrete office complexes. It's also surrounded by suburban (formerly rural) counties that have bee really hostile to the urbanization of Atlanta. It's a weird place. Oftentimes it feels like one giant sprawled suburb. THere are interesting neighborhoods, you just have to look for them.

Funny you should mention that.  I recently finished reading Gone With the Wind and it made me wonder if the destruction of everything old was a kind of hangover from Atlanta being burned.  Almost a, what the hell,  everything old and beautiful was already destroyed anyway.

Was in Huntsville AL a couple of weeks ago and saw a house General Sherman had stayed in during the civil war.  That was kinda cool.

[spinmaster]

We really had trouble setting up an agenda for visitors (you can visit Stone Mountain only so many times)

That's because Atlanta is a great place to live, not a great place to visit.  If you want a great place to visit, move to Orlando, FL.  I for one am glad it's not a tourist destination.  I've visited most every major city in in the North America and Atlanta is the best overall package for living.  Other cities may be better in some category but none have the complete package like the ATL does.

Also, there's great riding just out your back door.  No need to go all the way to North GA.  It's great up there but it eats up a few hours getting there and back.  Visit http://www.georgiasportbike.com if you haven't already.  Yes, its a sportbike site and can be a little childish at times but you'll learn about the local roads quicker there than here.

[scott19]

If your idea of ugly is modern skyscrapers, then yes, you will find Atlanta unattractive. However, Atlanta is routinely voted one of the best (often the best) looking skylines in the south.

One thing Atlanta does lack is vastness, and I'm not talking about the sprawl. Because of a large amount of trees, semi hilly terrain, and the lack of a large body of water nearby, there aren't a lot of really wide open spaces here. a quarter mile line of site is about the best you can hope for. I didn't know what I was missing until I drove cross country to California a couple of years ago.

[greywolf]

I've lived here 17 years , after moving from the Left Coast.  "Mayretta" as the locals call it is a fairly conservative area.

One thing I learned quickly is , slow down and chill.  The one thing Atlanta area natives don't like is people in a rush.  They will move WAY slower if they suspect you are.   Ask them " How about them Braves"  and you might just see a big improvement.

There are tons of great roads, mostly north.  Deals Gap, Cherohala Skyway , Hellbender, Blood Mtn, Richard Russel Pkwy, Blue Ridge Parkway , all within a days ride of Marietta.

[evilted]

+1   Nothing more needs to be said.

You will love it...the best riding in the area......northGA, east TN, west NC, west VI, WV, east KY.....Get some maps and enjoy.