Oakland Cemetery’s Sunday in the Park Festival Located less than a mile from down town Atlanta, historic Oakland Cemetery is the city’s oldest and one of its largest green spaces. The cemetery began as a public burial ground in 1850 with 6 acres of land and was known as Atlanta Graveyard or City Burial Ground. With the onset of the Civil War, the grounds grew to 48 acres. It was renamed Oakland Cemetery in 1872 and families used to picnic and visit their loved ones buried on the grounds. Families and friends eventually moved away or became too busy and didn’t tend to the graves and the cemetery became neglected. In 1976, interested parties began reviving the public space, it was listed on the national register of historical places, and these volunteers formed the Historic Oakland Foundation (HOF). The foundation would take over the restoration and maintenance of the cemetery.…
Had a great time strolling through a local antique and flea market yesterday. The indoor ones are convenient to get to with their fixed locations and hours. You can ask for a map and see what booths you’re interested in and plot your shopping strategy. Yesterday, we saw everything from $1.68 deodarant to furniture and vintage items, including Halloween. The one we visited was Unique Treasures in Snellville, Georgia. Do a little research and travel around Georgia and across the U.S. to find even more treasure. 15 Best Flea Markets in Georgia by the Crazy Tourist The Top 10 Flea Markets in the United States Our finds at Unique Treasures [envira-gallery id=’2064′] [envira-gallery id=’2072′]
Everyone loves a bargain or a price steal. I imagine if you had millions you’d still enjoy saving money or if not, the hunt for treasure might thrill you. Looking for deals in thrift stores has always been around, but today more stores are evolving into vehicles for good. There are buy out-right stores, consignment and resale ones, however true thrift stores utilize funds for charities or non-profit organizations (source: What’s the Difference Between a Goodwill Store and a Thrift Store). Goodwill has been raising money as a thrift store organization since 1902 and providing support to food banks, shelters, and meeting community needs. In 2019, more shoppers are frequenting stores and they are discerning not only about what they want but who the stores donate proceeds to. Shopping for a social cause is desirable. We’re highlighting some key Atlanta stores here, but let’s talk about WHAT people find appealing…
Whether you were strolling down the Beltline, biking through the Krog Tunnel, or standing in front of the dazzling lights at the Fox Theatre, it’s hard to forget the magic that you felt when you spotted your first Tiny Door. The doors are the work of artist Karen Anderson Singer, who started the project in her own neighborhood of Reynoldstown in 2014. Singer, a street artist and sculptor who holds a degree in visual art from Rutgers University, wanted to create a project which would respect and reflect what makes Atlanta unique. What started with a single door and a mission statement to “bring big wonder to tiny spaces” has grown into a movement. Tiny Doors ATL’s Instagram account now boasts over 100,000 followers and has inspired projects all over the world. Singer’s project has been featured by media outlets like O Magazine, NPR, and CBS Sunday Morning. So what’s the story you haven’t already…
Edgar Allan Poe’s Pocket Watch On June 12, 2019, Christie’s Auction House, in New York, sold Poe’s pocket watch (item 209). The final price was $250,000. The estimate was $80,000 – 120,000. The watch is described as “French. An 18K gold key-wound quarter repeating open-face pocket watch with metal guilloche dial Roman hour markers and spade hands. The cuvet (dust-cover) is engraved, “Enchappement A Cylindre En – Aiguilley – Edgar A. Poe – Pierre Huit Trous En Rubis.” The inside case-back cover is engraved with the case number 21705. The case is 51 mm.” The summary provenance states “Edgar A Poe, with engraved inscription – acquired by John W. Albright, merchant tailor of Philadelphia and one of Poe’s creditors c. 1840-1842 – given to his brother, H.A. Albright in 1845 and as follows: On H.A. Albright’s death bequeathed to his mother, Sarah Albright. On her death in 1866 – bequeathed…
On 7 December, Fotografiska will open the doors to Kirsty Mitchell’s fairytale world in this winter’s major exhibition Wonderland – a dream world to be enchanted and embraced by during the darkest months of the year. The magical creations and woodland sets of Wonderland both move and fascinate. Mitchell embarked on the intensive 5-year project in the summer of 2009, a few months after her mother had tragically died of cancer in 2008. It became her escape from a painful reality as she sought her way back to the fairy tale world they shared throughout her childhood. In the woods around her home, the characters from Mitchell’s imagination were given free roam in front of the camera.A journey through a healing grief in a fairytale kingdom… The story of Kirsty Mitchell and her Wonderland project is much like a fairy tale. A multifaceted fairy tale in many respects. “For the first time, the exhibition…
It’s a good lie is part of the main foundation of Lulu Wang’s film The Farewell about a Chinese family in a medical crisis. Based on her own grandmother’s experience, Wang has written and directed a meaningful film about what happens when a family with different viewpoints and lives has to reunite and support a cause for the greater good even if they truly don’t want to. Nai Nai (meaning paternal grandmother) is the head of the family. We see her in the beginning of the film talking long distance from China to her beloved granddaughter Billi, played by the wonderful Awkwafina, in New York. Nai Nai is seen at the doctor’s office being tested, and later we see her younger sister receiving the news that Nai Nai has terminal cancer. Interestingly, in China the law does not require doctors to give patients their diagnoses so her sister can inquire…
In honor of World Cat Day (August 8th), we’re sharing an unique spot we found not long ago. I was reminded of the American Museum of the House Cat by a Facebook post on Henry’s House Feral Community’s page. They’d posted a link to an article on the museum by Atlas Obscura. This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, Poe in Wonderland will earn a small commission for the referral at no cost to you. Last fall Tom, Jack, and I headed to Asheville and Lake Lure for our school break. We enjoy taking our time and discovering places along our route to stop or note for future road trips. If you spend any time on our blog, you’ll quickly notice we love cats. We’ve volunteered at Furkids for over 11 years so long before the youngest son was born. About 45 minutes…
Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone in a house that is slowly crumbling toward the Long Island Sound. His parents are long dead. His mother, a circus mermaid who made her living by holding her breath, drowned in the very water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, ran off six years ago and now reads tarot cards for a traveling carnival. One June day, an old book arrives on Simon’s doorstep, sent by an antiquarian bookseller who purchased it on speculation. Fragile and water damaged, the book is a log from the owner of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, who reports strange and magical things, including the drowning death of a circus mermaid. Since then, generations of “mermaids” in Simon’s family have drowned–always on July 24, which is only weeks away. As his friend Alice looks on with alarm, Simon becomes increasingly worried about his sister. Could…
A bit of eclectic for your day. The inspiration for Alice in Wonderland! Interesting that the story’s image of Alice is a matter of dispute. Obviously, it is not the illustration of the original Alice. Lewis Carroll sent a photograph of another child friend, Mary Hilton Badcock to the book’s illustrator, but whether or not the artist actually used it is cloudy. A letter Carroll wrote suggests the illustrator did not. Either way Alice Liddell had a life of adventure and helped to establish stories we know and love. Read more about her here. Alice Liddell, age 7, photographed by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) in 1860 Liddell dressed up as a beggar-maid, photographed by Lewis Carroll (1858)