Day 393

Here we are back at another old friend of ours. The last time we passed by, this old movie palace — built in the late 1920s "to take people out of their humdrum existence and bring them into a world of unimagined wealth and luxury" — was operating as a live entertainment venue, which meant that it was difficult to take a look inside without buying a ticket.

At the end of last year, however, the Paradise was leased to the World Changers megachurch, led by the controversial televangelist Creflo Dollar — he of the prosperity gospel — who holds twice-weekly services here. Meaning... you can now pop by any Wednesday or Saturday night and sneak a free peek at the theater's magnificent interior! I stuck my head in for a few minutes tonight; I wasn't allowed to take pictures during the service, but you can see some great shots of the place in the latter pages of this document.