While Playboy TV and I were out carousing with strippers and such, Atlanta was being destroyed by a freak tornado that struck the city.  None of us had any idea it was happening.  It struck around 9:30pm while we were inside Tattletale.  We got out of there about midnight and drove back into a city that was strangely dark.  Something was weird.  That’s when Martha (my roommate) called to ask if I was okay and told me what happened.

Atlanta tornado

It’s sort of devastating to see a city that you love in pieces.  It’s almost unreal.  Places you were standing not 12 hours earlier are now covered by pieces of the buildings that stood above them.  These are from right below The Glen Hotel, where we were just the night before (you can see The Glen Hotel just above and to the left of the twisted Philips Arena sign).

tornado01

tornado02

tornado04

tornado05

It was all quite strange… being thrust completely out of your element and then left to question where you are.  It was especially weird because I had just spent 3 days showing off the city that I loved.  I got to drive around, brag, point out cool shit, and totally reconnect myself.  Showing other people what you see everyday allows you to see it through their eyes and it becomes fresh again.  That’s what had happened with Atlanta and now it was so violently torn apart… and in an instant.

 

(This entry previously published on March 14, 2008 but I moved it up to be a part of the new kyle.tv blog, which began on July 1, 2008)