Exploring Buckhead on brief Atlanta trip

Before Tuesday of this week, I hadn't been in Atlanta for 42 years. I don't remember a whole lot from that visit; it was a brief stop en route to Orlando from the Midwest, but I did take a quick tour of the Underground Atlanta mall.

This week, the mission was to get Lee Ann's daughter Lea to the offices of the Consulate General of Japan in the upscale Buckhead Neighborhood on Atlanta's Northside. The neighborhood is loaded with strikingly tall buildings, distinct architecture and very tony shops sprinkled among several chic malls.

Buckhead also is Atlanta's third largest commercial center (behind downtown and midtown) and is considered the banking center of the Southeast. Indeed, I saw towers of at least two financial institutions -- JPMorgan Chase and Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T, which recently merged with SunTrust to form Truist Financial) in the modest four block area that I roamed.

The afternoon was very overcast and rich in thick clouds; we encountered a little light rain on the drive home. That's why you see the skies the way they appear here. 

The shiny Phipps Tower -- a small slice of which leads off the post, and a full view immediately above -- is where the Japanese Consulate General is located in Atlanta, and it's where Lea's interview took place. It is right next to Phipps Plaza, one of the aforementioned shopping malls in the immediate proximity. It's two anchors -- on opposite ends -- are Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom (pictured immediately below). Phipps Plaza is kitty corner from Lenox Square. I spent about an hour in this area shooting images you see in this post.

Not far from the entrance to Phipps Tower is the JPMorgan Chase building (first photo below), where a trio of window washers was at work (second below).

Probably the most distinguished building in the area where I strolled was the Ajilon (first three photos below). I was particularly drawn by that curved top. I photographed it from several angles, and composed shots of it solo and with a couple nearby buildings. When I got home after the trip, I hunted around for a good half-hour or so to hopefully explain the functionality of the curved top portion of the structure ... to no avail.

As always, to view a larger and sharper version of a photo, click on the image. This is particularly helpful when accessing the blog from a mobile device. To view a gallery of all my shots in Atlanta from Tuesday, follow the link in this sentence. 

 

The shot above looks south from Phipps Tower. I don't know Atlanta well enough to know for sure what each building is ni this composition, although I'm pretty sure the structure peeking into the frame on the far right is the JPMorgan Chase building.

Again, because of my unfamiliarity with the Atlanta skyline, I'm not positive of the structure above, captured with my iPhone 11. I believe it's the Monarch Building. The one below, taken with my Canon 6D, is the Marsh Mercer Building. 

The images above and below are from the Whitley, which is described online as a Marriott "collective luxury hotel." I have no idea what a "collective" hotel is. I will say the getting the angle of the shot above is a nice benefit of the wide end of the 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Tamron lens I was using. 

Above: One of two bench shots I grabbed during my walk. Never had one with an arm rest in the middle like this before. 

Above: Even the Dick's Sporting Goods store in Buckhead looked dignified.

Above: The BB&T building looked daunting, and the skies looked ominous.  

This tall, skinny structure is called Park Avenue Condominium. Park Avenue is a very short and narrow access road off Wieuca Road leading to the condos and strikes me as something was dubbed with such a familiar moniker to upscale its appeal. 

At Peachtree and Roxboro roads, this Jos. A. Bank meanswear store anchors a modest commercial center.

Next: Wieuca Road Baptist Church