(05-02-2013 11:00 AM)Panthersville Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 10:03 AM)troy4ever Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 09:58 AM)KennesawEagle Wrote:  The one point that the Falcons are really missing is the fact that it's not the stadium that was keeping people away. It's the area of town.

The Ga Dome is not a bad venue. Especially since they renovated it. It's what's outside of the stadium that turn people away.

My wife went to one game with me there, and she said she didn't feel safe. Therefore she will never go back. I can promise you that she's not the only one. And with that said, you can build a new stadium every year, but if you keep it in that area of town, you are never going to get the crowd size you want.

Here's a completely valid question. I'm not asking to be a smart butt. I'm genuinely curious. Would your wife feel the same way about Turner Field and going to a Braves game?

The thing about Turner field is that nobody approaches it from the south. Coming in from the north, all you see are parking lots. On the other hand, Going to the Dome, you either walk over the gulch and the under-bridge dwellers of the gulch, you park in the gulch, or you approach along Northside drive (the straight road to the left of the Dome in the last picture panama's posted above) which is known by people who live in the city as a bit of a line of demarcation between the relative safety of downtown and the less-patrolled/controlled areas west of the city center.

I feel safe doing either, but I used to walk the length of downtown from GSU to Peachtree Center, every night after class - I can easily see how some suburbanites would not be comfortable.

Hopefully, the New Dome and related urban renewal, along with the proposed greenline/MMPT will help to tie the Dome area to Centennial Park in a better way.

Speak for yourself. I live in the Southwest burbs. I always approach from the South.