What’s Going on Underground?
“It just isn’t the same anymore,” or “That place is pretty much dead now,” are just a couple of the varied answers I would receive when I mention Underground Atlanta. Underground Atlanta used to be a hub of activity and nightlife, so what happened?
Curious, I took a look at the timeline on the Underground Atlanta website and found that there’s a whole segment of time missing: 1997 to 2015. That’s the largest time-gap ever since Underground’s establishment and opening in 1969. There’s no way that nothing happened within those 18 years — at least, nothing that was worth mentioning. I had to investigate.
“I used to visit the Underground a lot when I was in college,” said Taneko Harrigan as she picked up her cat before it attempted, once again, to bolt out the front door. Harrigan attended college in Atlanta from 1996 to 2000 and made it a habit to hop on the MARTA train and visit the Underground when she could — usually for the entire day — during her time as a student.
“Underground was the place to be,” Harrigan reminisced. Shifting her cat in her arms, her eyes trailed upward in thought as she tried to recall her timeline of events. She would then mention how from her perspective, it was between 2004 and 2005 that the Underground’s popularity began to wind down due to a string of robberies and other crimes that were happening at the time. In her eyes, Harrigan considers the end of the Underground’s popularity to have happened between 2005 and 2008.
Even with her statements, however, I was still curious to see what was there. Times had passed and changed, things had to have been different, right? Plus, even if the place was still “dead” by comparison there still had to be something since the Underground Atlanta’s Instagram page was still active by posting announcements, stories, and reels. I had to go and see for myself.
When I visited Underground Atlanta myself for the first time, I wasn’t expecting to see much. The announcements on the Instagram account seemed to put a lot of focus on the nightlife, which formed my expectations for my excursion. Since I went during the day, I was expecting a couple of open stores and maybe a place to eat. What I found, however, wasn’t exactly the case.
Most of the stores surrounding the area were closed and boarded up and in front of them stood bootleggers with their semi-bare tables. The air reeked of cigarette smoke and body odor and I was met with the sight of homeless people huddled up at every corner. As much as I wanted to investigate and explore, the atmosphere of the area had me on edge so I kept it brief. On the bright side, the weather was good and I got some ice cream out of my visit.
Ayana Jennings, the general manager at iScream Ice Cream Rolls, has been working at Underground Atlanta for about a year-and-a-half. Jennings said that the area is not been as lively as it used to be, but a lot of things may soon open — studios, bars and comedy clubs. One specific mention was Daquiriville, which What Now Atlanta had written about in 2022.
Even though many people I have talked to in passing mentioned how Underground Atlanta was dead, a lot has been said about Underground Atlanta since the change in ownership back in late 2020. Of course, with the ownership change happening during a time in which the world and everything else was put on hold, not much could have been done.
“When Covid-19 happened, things were slow and things were closed before that,” explained Ed Chay, one of the barbers at Legends Barbershop. Having worked there for three-and-a-half years, he was a witness to not only the change in management, but also as to how Covid-19 may have been a factor in the “deadness” of the Underground. He also mentioned how things have been picking up, although the focus is more-so on the Atlantan nightlife.
“I think that in due time,” Chay says as he puts the finishing touches on his client’s haircut, “things will pick up because what they’re doing now is bringing attention as shops are opening and more events are taking place.” He also brought up the increase in security, which would be a plus.
Upon questioning, both Chay and Jennings had visit the nighttime festivities that take place in the Underground. Both had claimed to have enjoyed the studios and bars and had a good time.”
With the information that I had gathered, it would appear that what led to the fallen popularity of Underground Atlanta was a series of factors, from rising crime rates and safety risks of being out at night to the pandemic that shut the world down. However, things appear to be looking up for the once popular attraction. With the plans and activities that had been done previously, there had definitely been efforts and attempts made to try and revive the popularity and business of Underground Atlanta.
However, since the last time I had visited the website, the Underground timeline had been updated with the addition of the year 2023 which had been labelled as, “The start of something great…”
