Editor’s Note: Variety writer Laurie McGowan gives those returning to Athens a heads-up on a change for the better and a change for the worse downtown.

The New Tasty World

Upon leaving Athens earlier this summer, many individuals who drove through downtown on their way home were left with the sad sight of construction with sledge hammers, plumes of saw dust, boarded up windows and men walking through a hollowed out Tasty World.

Everyone was entitled to their bafflement. The venue is famous for its eclectic variety of performers and has been home to many rising artists. Have no fear, however, a simple primping was all that Tasty World owner Murphy Wolford was scheming.

While the upstairs didn’t change much, the downstairs underwent a complete renovation, unofficially titled “re-Rockification.”

Transformed into a bar called Magnolia’s, it has an extended open patio, handmade furniture by the staff and a brick bar topped with granite.

Although there is a stage area in its usual spot, it is now designed to fit a grand piano for classy jazz to welcome happy hour customers. While the downstairs remains a decorative bar, the upstairs is now the place to hear the gritty bands that made everyone love Tasty World. The music venue has also seen a touch of new décor. The space now enjoys new lighting and an extended, raised stage that improves the acoustics.

With a fresh look and clearer sound, the new Tasty World is a welcomed change.

Parking Meters

One unwelcome change regarding downtown parking came in early July. An expired meter and a yellow ticket sitting on one’s windshield used to be no big deal – what’s three dollars? Yet all that nonchalance came to a screeching halt when meter fees (formerly $0.25 an hour) and ticket fines (formerly $3) skyrocketed.

Meter fees have doubled to $0.50 an hour, and ticket fines have more than doubled to $10 a fine. All of the expenditures to discourage past violations may actually prevent people from wanting to even park downtown. Yet it doesn’t stop there. The time span for which ticketing occurs was also extended from 6 to 7 p.m.

Fees at the courthouse and the College Avenue decks have also gone up from $1 an hour to $1.50 (with an $8 a day maximum). Fortunately, the first 30 minutes of deck parking will now be free, and downtown employees get a 20 percent discount.

Try not to be like many who forget the new changes and take heed of this warning. Two tickets in one day can be a serious dent in anyone’s grocery funds. Not to mention, fines not paid on time double.