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Published: 27 February 2019

We continue our rubric "Atlanta Chronicles" prepared by Arts et Métiers student Alexis Cassier who spent fall semester in Atlanta attending Georgia Tech. Thank you, Alexis, for sharing!

by Alexis Cassier:

Atlanta during fall is really great! Lot of sun and warm weather.  

I really enjoyed cycling and running around the city. You can relax in Piedmont Park which is the biggest park in Atlanta. From there, people run and hang out on the Beltline, a former railway transformed into a pedestrian path. Also, really good bars and breweries stand along this path.

On the photo above: Piedmont Park

If you like some history, you can visit the Jimmy Carter center, which celebrate the President who is also a GT alumni, or the Capitol, which explains the history of Georgia and how politics works in the country!

Going a bit further, you can’t miss Edgewood and its neighborhood! That’s where Martin Luther King was born. Now, during the day, you can visit the memorial and by night, it’s one of the best places in Atlanta with really fun bars such as the Sister Louisa. Plus, for brunch and punch lovers, you can spend your whole Sunday afternoon listening to music and drinking in there.

In the summer and beginning of fall, there are lots of music festival across the city, in every park, where you can spend some great time.

Going back to downtown, Centennial Park is at the heart of the city. It was built for the 1996 Olympics. Lots of museum are around that place such as the famous World of Coca Cola (where everyone goes while in Atlanta) or the aquarium. But it gathers also a lot of people during Hawks (basketball), Falcons (football) or Atlanta United (soccer) games.

On the photo above: Centennial Park by night

Indeed, the stadiums are just across the street. And, in the US, you can’t miss sports games. Also, you should at least see a game in the brand-new Mercedes Stadium, which is just amazing! For soccer fans, the hometown team won the MLS championship while we were on campus and they have amazing supporters.

On the photo above: Atlanta United soccer game at Mercedes Stadium

Finally, the US is also all about food! My favorite doughnuts are in Homepark at Sublime Doughnuts. Midtown is also a great place to find restaurant, with excellent southern dishes.

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Published: 26 February 2019

February was full of events for the gadz community in the US. The very first gadz gathering organized by Nicolas Horde, our Atlanta representative, happened on February 9th. Just a few days before SF gadz community enjoyed spending time together at the Alchemist Bar & Lounge, a must-try place in SF.

NYC is having gadz friendly events every month thanks to West Coast Gadz'Arts group and its president Jean-Baptist Commans.

Here are some shared moments captured in Atlanta and New York:

On the photo above: Gadz in NYC

On the photo above: First Gadz Gathering in Atlanta

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Published: 01 February 2019

1.      How did you come to the US- why and when?

I arrived in San Francisco on January 12^th 2019 with my spouse, Cécile. For the moment we are planning to stay in SF one year. My spouse is starting a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology, in San Francisco, at SKERI (Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute). So, in 2019, I took an unpaid leave of absence to come to SF with her. I have applied for a US work permit and hope to get it quickly. I would love to find a job linked to the maintenance or investment projects, as it is how my career started and is what I like doing. I am also ready to work in any other field if I have an interesting opportunity, as this year I am open to try something new.

2. Tell us about your career path and area of expertise today. How did it come about?

In France, I have worked for 7 years at ArcelorMittal in Dunkerque, a big factory of 2500 employees - which produces steel coils from iron ore and coal. I spent these 7 years in a Central Maintenance Department. During the first four years, I led maintenance projects and I implemented 5 numerical control machine tools for our workshop. 

When I found out that our mechanical workshop manager is leaving the company, I applied for this position. I was young and it was a challenging position as the job implied managing 100 people, but it worked out. So for the past 3 years, I was responsible for the site mechanical workshop, which main mission was to repair mechanical parts for the production facilities. 

My area of expertise is the maintenance strategy, the mechanical repairs (including machining and welding), and I have a good experience of team and project management.

3.     How did being a Gadz’Arts help you in your everyday tasks and team management?

Gadz network was very helpful! In ArcelorMittal, we were a good team of Gadz’Arts seeing each other at work and spending time outside of work together. Thanks to my network, I knew some maintenance managers who later became my friends. It helped communicate faster. 

4. What is the best advice someone ever gave you? Why?

“Set your objective. If you have an objective, work hard for it, you will manage to achieve it”. This is pretty much what my best friend said to me when I was following preparatory classes. The first semester, I was ranked in the second half of the class, as I was not working enough. My friend talked to me about Arts et Métiers engineering school, and this is how I started working for this goal, and was 1^st of the class after that for 2 years.

5. What is your favorite way to spend your free time (hobbies, weekend activities)? Tell us about places, activities you have discovered in SF and surroundings.

My favorite activity is hiking, especially in the mountains. The last big hike I did was in Switzerland: “Le tour des dents du midi” in 4 days. I also enjoy biking, running.

In France, I often played tennis and squash.

I also love playing music. I have been playing the saxophone for 16 years, and the guitar - for 5 years.

A place I really like in the SF Bay Area is Marin Headlands, especially by bike. I bought a used bike and like to explore the area going down from Hawk Hill to Point Bonita Lighthouse. I hope to discover a lot of new places I will enjoy here in San Francisco.

Thank you, Pierre-Edouard, for sharing with AFAM!

On the picture: Pierre-Edouard with his wife Cécile

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Published: 14 January 2019

Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) has a really nice campus. For a French student, it is so different than what we are used to. The best place on campus is definitely Tech Green, which is a nice place in the middle of the campus where people gather, eat or relax. It is really cool to stop there at noon and have your lunch under the sun.

Beyond that, another place that you can’t miss is the CRC, the Campus Recreational Center! There, you can run, swim or climb in an amazing facility. And the swimming events of the 1996 Olympics took place here.

Swimming poll at the CRC

Also, you can’t miss a football game at Bobby Dodd Stadium! Football here is a religion and people gather hours before the game with friends and families.

Photo: Georgia Tech football game at Bobby Dodd Stadium

But the campus is one thing. The city of Atlanta has plenty other places to show!

To be continued....