Wednesday, December 31, 2008
News 2008: The year that didn't (totally) suck
Posted by Mara Shalhoup on Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Bankruptcy. Foreclosure. Recession. Layoffs. Crime. Death. Even a freakin' tornado. Let's face it: 2008 wasn't our best year.
Then again, it wasn't our worst. For instance, in years past we would have scoffed at the touchy-feely optimism that drips from the catchwords "hope" and "change." But even our jaded-ass attitudes softened when America's first African-American president cruised to victory on a platform that promised just that.
There were the little things – like the Atlanta Ballet's big. There were the big things – like longtime death row inmate (and possibly innocent man) Troy Davis getting two stays of execution. On the music front, Criminal Records bucked the downsizing trend by expanding its Little Five Points digs, and Poncey-Highland's historic Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge landed firmly on the map of hipster hangouts. In the food realm, Holeman and Finch set the bar – and set it high – for the city's surge of gastropubs, while Atlanta rock-star molecular gastronomist Richard Blais almost took the prize on Bravo's "Top Chef." (A reality-TV moment of pride that was all but eclipsed by the weirdness that was Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Oh well.)
Yes, despite the gloom and doom, 2008 had its high points. Here are a few.
Read the rest of this week's cover story — and don't miss our awesome Year in Photos.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
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