Last Tuesday, my father and I attended a Braves game here in Atlanta. My normal parking spot is at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers which is a bit of a walk, and on the other side of I-75/85 from the stadium. As we were walking under the bridge to get to the park, I snapped this picture of a man’s shelter up underneath the bridge deck.
This is quite a set up! A papasan chair and all. Frankly, I was a bit surprised that this complicated structure was allowed to remain in place by the police who, as always, are out in force for game nights. Atlanta has made a big deal about chivvying the homeless out of the tourist areas. This bridge, and the ball park, aren’t in the “Tourist Triangle” centered around the Five Points and Centennial Park, but it still surprised me. There’s an awful lot of people who walk under this bridge to get to ball games and I imagine a lot of them aren’t local. “Protecting” the vision of Atlanta as a tourist-friendly city without panhandling homeless was the whole point behind the Tourist Triangle regulations.
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