Hotel to Airport on Marta

From hotels around the Peachtree Center Mall, like the Atlanta Hilton, Atlanta Marriott Marquis or Hyatt Regency Atlanta, the Marta Station in the mall is a dandy way to get to the airport. Going back Sunday I found the Mall locked, so had to go around the outside of the building, but there is an exterior entrance to Marta there. The machines inside will be happy to take three one dollar bills and convert them to a Breeze ticket and fifty cents change. The concierge at the Hilton warned me not to use a large bill to pay, as the machine gives change in heavy coins. It was not obvious how to buy the $2.50 one way trip at first, but after pushing the first button, the one-way ticket option appeared. Once you have the ticket, you tap it on the pad at the gate, then step forward and through. Keep the ticket, as you use it to get out of the gate at the other end.

Both the red and yellow lines go to the airport. They also go north away from the airport, so make sure you get the train on the correct side of the platform. A sign on that side tells you how long it will be before the next train to the airport, and it was accurate. You can't miss the airport as it is the last stop. I finished checking out at the Hilton at 8 a.m., took the Marta, and was through airport security at Hartsfield Jackson airport by 9:15. Of course, your experience may vary.

If you are used to bus or subway travel, you will love it. Like any public transportation, there will be a good diversity of folks on board. The Marta site suggested walking purposefully as a safety measure. I am a generally nervous traveler, and felt comfortable the whole way. If strangers worry you, of if you have baggage of checkable proportions, you will want to spend the extra loot for the Airport Shuttle. But for a guy with a laptop and a duffle, Marta was a fine way to go. Thanks, Atlanta.

Acronyms

There is a rule in journalism that says the first time you use an uncommon acronym in a document, you must spell it out in full. After that, you get to use the acronym. This should not be a rule of journalism. It should be a federal law.