Marta and parking.

[fritzlang1927.livejournal.com]

Hello all,
I have stayed at the Marriott and Sheraton for the last two years but the need to save some money has made me decide to try something different. I am thinking about staying at a hotel on the perimeter near the medical center Marta station. I thought about driving in and parking every day but reading through the older posts makes me think this is not such a good idea. The catch is that I like to stay late at night but the thought of a late night ride on a public transit system over the weekend just doesn't sound very appealing or safe. I have been on rapid  transit systems in many other cities and countries but never ATL so I defer to your opinions. Is there anyone out there who thinks driving in and parking daily is a viable option? Has anyone used Marta late at night. How is the Medical Center Station? I am not too familiar with Atlanta so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

Comments

[nyreak.livejournal.com]

For the MARTA 'late night' isn't all that late. It stops running at 10 on Saturday, Sunday, and Labor Day, and only runs until 11 on Friday. If you plan to be around any later than that, it isn't ideal.

I have done it before, and I didn't really enjoy having to leave early to be able to get back to my car.

Schedule: http://www.itsmarta.com/rail-schedules-or-route.aspx

[fritzlang1927.livejournal.com]

thanks so much for the link and comment, yeah that is my problem I want to stay later because I really enjoy the late night scene but that would mean driving in and parking my car every day or coming in via Marta and then taking a cab back. I am leaning towards the cab option I suppose, probably about as expensive as parking but less of a headache as it removes the need to park every morning. The only other option I see is to go ahead and win the powerball lottery and shell out the 300+ dollars per room ;)

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

Actually, here's the Medical Center station schedule:

click here (http://www.itsmarta.com/ns-med.aspx).

[nyreak.livejournal.com]

I was just linking to the entire schedule/map in general, and the running times are the same.

Hmm, my bad, I'm looking at the times listed on the left of the map, maybe that's for the customer service line. *scratches her head*

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

That's OK. It just so happens that I live in Atlanta and not only used to use MARTA to commute to work about 750' from the Dragon*Con hotels (until my office moved - the office used to be in the Peachtree Center complex - sound familiar?), but I actually used MARTA once to go to Dragon*Con and stay all night (though I was in no condition to drive home once I got back to my car in the morning).

[fritzlang1927.livejournal.com]

thanks so much, looks like the trains run til around 1 am. I could go for that possibly if safe. Maybe if lots of Dragon con peeps are using the Marta it would be fun. Anyone have experiences?

[noelleleithe.livejournal.com]

Not sure where those times came from. MARTA runs until after 1AM all the time. Specific times depend on the station, but I don't think any of them shut down that early.

[nyreak.livejournal.com]

See, I was thinking that the time I used the MARTA to go in and out it was running until midnight, and those hours seemed early for closing, but that's what was listed next to the map on the page I linked to. After looking at it more, it looks like it must've been the customer info line, but it seemed silly to say 'maps and schedules' and not give general times.

However... I do know that we arrived at just after midnight on Amtrak a few years ago and MARTA wasn't running when we got there. :(

[noelleleithe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, transit schedules always have to be done by stop, because they vary so much. There's really no way to give a general start/stop time as anything more than an estimate. :)

[taliesinmerlin.livejournal.com]

Wow. I guess that's a result of the budget cuts, but a couple of years ago the trains ran until about 12:30 or 1 on the weekends.

Even when I used public transit at that time, it was perfectly safe. Just not fun having to leave early.

[nyreak.livejournal.com]

Nah, someone corrected me, I should edit my comment!

[miri-d.livejournal.com]

As far as taking the MARTA to a station "late" at night, there are some good routes and some more sketchy routes, as with any public transportation system. However, I can tell you that I took the MARTA to/from my lodging last year and fell asleep on the train home one night...and was totally fine.

On the other hand, it was a complete buzzkill to have to leave so early every night. And it seems like you've already gotten some good advice.

[ladytalker13.livejournal.com]

We used to stay out at the Perimeter and took the last MARTA out - never had a problem either with the ride or the parking.

Friends that came with us would stay all night at the con then take the first train - 5 a.m. or so I think - back out to the hotel for a few hours' sleep...

[noelleleithe.livejournal.com]

Not sure how late you mean, but MARTA only runs until around 1:30 AM.

As a note, the schedules listed on the MARTA website can be misleading because two different lines run north from downtown. After 9:30ish, you'd have to take the Gold (Doraville) Line north and change trains at Lindbergh to continue on the Red (North Springs) Line to get to the Medical Center station.

[nightwing22dg.livejournal.com]

Yes, this a big thing to consider. I've been here 13 years and rely on MARTA as my only means of transit. Atlanta certainly isn't as safe overall as it used to be, but MARTA is pretty safe. It is a highly visible, public place with cameras inside too. But, the biggest problem you would have is getting to Perimeter at night because of the transfer. All trains going north at night go only to Doraville. This means you would have to get out at Lindbergh and wait for another train to take you the rest of the way north. It can be another whole half hour wait. I go out of my way to avoid that at night if I can. They do have a parking garage right at the Lindbergh station. I read an article that said they charge $5 to park there because of the nearby nightclubs. Don't know if there is a time limit to park there, but it might be worth checking out.

[neovenom.livejournal.com]

Driving and parking each day will be too much work, in terms of effort, time, and money. As for the MARTA stations, I've done the leave at late night thing one year. I left around 11pm each night, and I've ridden on the train for other events at slightly later times. I was never concerned for my safety. You can probably leave later if you want, because I just looked at the schedules and the rail system will run through 1am.

I've never been to the Medical Center Station, but it seems to be in the right part of town. I've parked over at Dunwoody for several days, and my car was just fine.

[philstar22.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm in the same boat. We ended up reserving a hotel three stops from Dragon*con to save money. I don't usually do much late night stuff, though. I think last year I went to one party, but it isn't a big deal for me to not do that this year. I'm really not keen on riding the subway alone at night.