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dantheman · #28 04-27-2007, 04:41 PM

Hey Roseman, thanks for the Memories.

Atlanta was an amazing and magical place in the early 70s. It truly rivaled Haight Ashbury in it's heyday, and lasted longer. And Like the Haight it was unique in that it was a real scene, and not just a College or Spring Break hangout. Lots of local businesses and support systems, "The Great Specled Bird" alternative paper, and large numbers of people living there and passing through. A very happening community and one of the few true head scenes on this scale that we've ever had in this country.

The rest of the nation was a few years behind Californina, and the "Summer of Love" in Atlanta was 1970. By then California was quiet in comparison, scene wise. (many of the heads had headed into the hills in communes in Big Sur and other places). But Atlanta was just getting going! It had the Only scene like this in the Southeast so it was a huge influence on the whole region.

The Strip, as it was known, ran along Peachtree Street near Piedmont Park, the Playground of the hipsters with regular free music. It ran from around 8th to 14th Street, with the center at Peachtree and 10th to 12th. Just an amazingly vibrant street scene with thousands of young people on packed sidewalks hanging out in headshops and healthfood restaurants. Chicks and dudes with longhair, and smoke in the air everywhere! ....... People took up residence in the great old turn of the Century Atlanta houses in the area, turning many into small communes and room houses.

The Atlanta Strip was legendary all across the South. I was from a small town on the coast and we'd hear all these stories about Atlanta and the great scene there. But it wasn't just the scene that drew people from around the South. Atlanta was the distribution center for practically all of the magical substances that supplied the south. We would go there, like hundreds of kids across the region, and bring back supplies for our small town. To "give" away to our friends of course

The first time I went there in late 1970, my eyes popped out of my head driving down Peachtree for the first time. What a scene! Cool people everywhere. And as Roseman says, it was a wide open market like I've never seen since, and I've been around. To score you'd walk and circle the block on Peachtree, down Tenth around Juniper and back up 12th. Half the people you'd pass would whisper, not too quietly - "Hash, Acid, Mescaline, Psilocybin, Grass," etc....... Depending on the transaction and trust, you'd close the deal in the park or at a discrete location nearby.

We were only into Smoke and Psychedelics, and it was rare to see hard stuff like Heroin and Coke dealt there at that time. We knew to stay away from that stuff. We were into tripping and not being druggies. But there was a wide variety of exotic pharmaceuticals available, the likes of which you never see anymore.

The Psychedelics were unbelievable. Strong and clean. Unfortunately, as Roseman said, the Weed was just awful. Mostly Mexican, and no one had decent homegrown yet. But the Hash was exceptional! We used to get bricks of Blond Lebanese that actually had the original Seals stamped right into the hash. Beautiful green brown color with a rich aroma that would make you high before you even lit it! Wow, whatever happened to good hash like that? Used to be everywhere. I can still taste that stuff.

Unfortunately due to this open market, the scene on the Strip in Atlanta did get rough in late '72, '73 onward . A lot of Reds and Speed were being sold and the clientele and dealers were becoming more hardcore. The Cops were getting more hip to the scene and cracking down, and people were moving on to greener pastures. I headed to the West Coast in early '72.

But it was a wonderful magical time down there. I wish young people today would create scenes like these for themselves. You wouldn't want that kind of open drug market, but it was a wonderful community where people did care about, and take care of each other and they had a big impact on greater society. Sure has had a positive and lasting impact on my life.

Thanks again Roseman. Please share more of your memories of Atlanta.

Dan the Man