? about M.A.R.T.A. in Atlanta

[tnkbl]

I will be traveling to Atlanta in April for a school conference. The train goes from the airport to right beside my hotel, would you take the train from the airport to the hotel or take a shuttle service? Can I depend on the train to get to the mall? I guess what I am asking is... are the trains considered safe?
Thanks for your help,
Sherri

 

[ducklite]

Where is your hotel? Downtown? MARTA is very safe and user friendly. I fly into ATL almost monthly and take MARTA to Buckhead for a meeting, then back to the airport to fly home.

Not sure if it goes to any suburban mall, I've taken the bus from downtown to Perimeter Mall, which is easy enough. The drivers are generally pretty helpful. If you are tlkaing about Atlanta Underground, it's very easy to get from anywhere to there on MARTA, although if you hotel is downtown, you might not need it.

Anne

 

[tnkbl]

Thanks, my hotel is right downtown, From what I read on the M.A.R.T.A. website it goes to several malls, I guess more than anything I wanted to make sure it was safe.

 

[ducklite]

Very safe. And BTW, it's M.A.R.T.A. Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. If you ask someone about M.E.R.T.A. they might not have a clue what you are talking about.

Anne

 

[olena]

It's safe enough. Going north from the airport, you'll see some run-down areas. If your stop is in town and you don't get off in a questionable neighborhood, then you should be fine. I don't know where your hotel is, but you'll probably be fine. MARTA is pretty reliable. My friend was flying out of town recently and the train broke down within 200 feet of the airport station and was stuck there for a half hour. She missed her flight, but Delta didn't charge her extra. I don't think that happens often, but you should definitely give yourself plenty of time anyway when heading to the airport, especially for security and getting to your concourse.

 

[olena]

Which mall are you trying to get to? MARTA trains go to Lenox Mall and Phipp's Plaza easily enough. It also goes to Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody.

 

[CheshireVal]

I wouldn't ride MARTA alone. Well, I guess I would if I *had* to, but if there were any other options, I'd look into them first.

I have a friend who used to always take Marta to the airport by herself, but she got harrassed one too many times and now either drives herself or takes a cab.

 

[tnkbl]

Thanks ducklite- M.A.R.T.A. makes much better sense.

 

[ead79]

During the daylight hours, Marta is safe. I wouldn’t ride it alone at night though, not that anything is all that likely to happen. I have ridden it to the airport numerous times. As for malls, both Lenox and Perimeter Mall are easily accessible by Marta. If you need a map of the Marta train, go here: http://www.itsmarta.com/getthere/schedules/index-rail.htm.

As an FYI, Lenox Mall is at the Lenox stop on the Northeast Line (stop NE7). Perimeter Mall is at the Dunwoody stop on the North line (stop N9). The airport is the last stop on the south end of the North-South line.