The New Phone Book is Here! The New Phone Book is Here!

Well, I warned you it was coming. No, no...not the end of the world (that was Nostradamus, not Ponce de Leon), nor the death of Charles Nelson Riley...but this week's Creative Loafing cover story on local bloggers. Here's to our 15 minutes of fame (again with special thanks to Andy and Jeoff).



Bright lights in the blogosphere: Five local bloggers who matter
BY ANDISHEH NOURAEE
Photo by Joeff Davis

I Saw It on Ponce
www.isawitonponce.com

Why we love it: I Saw It on Ponce's singular obsession reminds us that, while Peachtree may be Atlanta's main street, Ponce is Atlanta. Peachtree has the offices, the boutiques and the malls, but Ponce has rich and poor Atlanta, black and white Atlanta, and Whole Foods and gay-leather-bar Atlanta, all rolled up on one street.

Blogger profile: It is a little-known fact there are two Ponce de Leons.

One is a long-dead Spanish conquistador who accompanied Christopher Columbus to the New World and, later, searching for a mythical fountain of youth, led the first European excursion to what is now Florida.

The other Ponce de Leon is a pseudonym for an Atlanta blogger who wants to remain anonymous because he says he "enjoys the mystery of it." According to his online profile, his interests are "boating," "meeting new people," "staying young," "chicken & yellow rice," "traveling" and "general conquistadoring."

The second PDL looks a lot younger than the 546 years he claims on his profile. And he doesn't look much like a conquistador, either. He's, in fact, a marketing consultant in his mid-30s who's endlessly fascinated with Ponce de Leon Avenue.

PDL recently moved back to Atlanta after a stint in New York. He was shocked by how much the city had changed since he left. "Everything's condos and shitty apartments now," he says.

Everything except Ponce.

"Ponce keeps the local flavor. It's relatively unchanged," he says. "It hasn't succumbed to overdevelopment. It's not like Midtown with all those South Beach condos."

I Saw It on Ponce started in February with an ode to one of his favorite hangouts, the low-key, retro breakfast joint Java Jive. It has since evolved into a one-stop repository of Ponce-themed restaurant reviews, photographs, nightlife listings and news of the weird. The site was inspired, PDL says, by recurring "only on Ponce" moments he says he encounters when he commutes on Ponce.

"Naked man masturbating in the street." Only on Ponce.

"Credit Union inside police headquarters building robbed." Only on Ponce.

The street is so rich with character, PDL thinks, because it is the border dividing several distinct "pocket neighborhoods" – Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, Virginia-Highland, Druid Hills, Candler Park, Decatur. "It divides neighborhoods that are almost different worlds."

Though an explorer at heart, PDL believes his one-street focus is what keeps his page interesting. "Do one thing and do it very well," he says.

PDL's goals for I Saw It on Ponce include exploring the stretch that runs east of Decatur to Clarkston, raising money to put a 24-hour webcam on Ponce, and removing the middle-of-the-road crosswalk markers recently placed on the street.

"Who uses crosswalks on Ponce, anyway?"

LINK to the full story on CL's site or pick up a copy at one of your favorite places (on Ponce, of course).