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

[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.