The next morning, Ressler's in a different world. He stacks his car in a deck atop a McDonald's and lopes alongside the towering, tawny bulk of Grady Memorial Hospital. Perennially teetering on the edge of financial ruin, Grady remains the hospital of first and last resort for Atlanta's urban poor. Across from the main entrance, men leaning on “No Smoking” signs exhale plumes of smoke and raise their voices over the roar of the oppressively close Interstate. Although an architectural facelift has smoothed and tightened Grady's facade, look more closely and this massive, 21-story structure is marked by more than 50 years of hard use.

Photo: Gregory Miller