Here Now, Dashboard Views Of Atlanta, Circa 1987

In the summer of 1987, a visionary named Reilly loaded his Canon VM-E1 camcorder with 8 mm videotape, fired up his '85 Olds Calais and went for a cruise around Hotlanta with the camera rolling. Let's all be grateful he did. This four-minute video, available to the masses via the wonders of YouTube, captures a pre-Olympics, pre-Bank of America Tower, pre-everything else Atlanta in the midst of obvious growing pains (see: messy Connector construction). We recommend watching this with the volume up, as the soundtrack is a veritable '80s hit parade, spanning from U2 to Chicago. See the honeycombs of the Freedom Parkway exit rise. Take flight on a Spaghetti Junction that looks brand-new. Observe the Downtown Connector sufficiently handle traffic! Fast-forward past the airplane fetishism to the 3:20 mark for a clear glimpse of the old Fulton County Stadium and the skyline from the south. It's a wonky joyride. And if this doesn't spark a little ATL nostalgia, you're probably not human.
· Atlanta 1987 [YouTube]