Atlanta - Leave it!
Written: Aug 22 '00 (Updated Jul 22 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pretty, clean and warm
Cons: Few cabs, airport too big and unmanageable, not much to do inside the city
The Bottom Line: Atlanta is a big sprawling unmanageable city. It badly needs transportation for its many citizens and tourists.
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| lli_wright's Full Review: Atlanta |
Atlanta may be the capital of the New South, but it's got a long way to catch up with its northern cousins like Chicago and New York. I have relatives in Atlanta and it pains me everytime I think of traveling through Hartsfield Airport. The Airport is humongous and unmanageable. Many times I have gotten lost in Hartsfield and once I had to connect to a flight, it took me 20 minutes to walk from one terminal to the connecting terminal. I was 5 minutes away from the flight departure. The monorail train was packed each time I attempted to get on.
Delta monopolizes Hartsfield and that is part of the problem. Hartsfield is the gateway hub through all the southern cities and therefore, is over capacity. I know this seems like a critique of the airport, but most likely you will go through Hartsfield to get to the city. I can only tell you to beware and if possible, find an alternative smaller airport. The most interesting feature about Hartsfield is you do see a cross-section of people from all over the world.
As for Atlanta, my relatives live inside the city. The bus system runs very well, but you see very few cabs, unlike New York and Chicago. When I want to travel, I have to depend on someone with a car and make appointments with cab services. In New York or Chicago you can stand on the corner and cabs swarm around you. Transportation is not one of Atlanta's strong points, even with the MARTA subway system. However, I will say that MARTA is clean, fast and efficient. The problem is the limitations where it travels.
Atlanta is divided into sections. And each section has a name, like Buckhead. You won't see an abundance of historical museums or lavish art institutes. You have the Public Library, the Met Opera, theatres galore in both Chicago and New York. You can spend a whole month in New York and Chicago and never see all of the city, but after a few days in Atlanta you will want to leave because it is so lackluster.
The city has become a big convention center, but that is because it has a lock on southern tourism. I am sure that if New Orleans or Birmingham AL had pumped as much money into becoming big tourist havens, they too may be called the Capital of the South.
I much prefer the charm and warmth of Savannah or New Orleans compared to Atlanta.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
lli_wright
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Location: Chicago, IL, US
Reviews written: 242
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
Working stiff who loves to give opinions to anybody who will listen.
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