Marta

Good MARTA station, although daily and long term parking isn’t as good as other locations, like North Springs, Sandy Springs, Lindbergh or Doraville.

Who was the genius that put up the sign at Brookhaven Marta long-​term parking that says «Airport Parking»?
$ 5/​day. And less than an hour from parking car to arriving at the gate at the airport. At the gate! (with TSA pre-​Check.) On return less than hour from walking off the plane to putting the keys in the ignition of my car.
It would take longer to drive to the airport, park the car and walk to the terminal.
Did I mention the cost is only $ 5/​day?

The Metroplitan Atlanta Rail Transit Authority= MARTA. actually last night it was more like MIRTA=Moving Itoxicated (patrons) Rapidly Thru Atlanta.
We were returning from the Hawks game at Phillps Arena. The Hawks Won against the Pacers! Many joyous fans seemed a bit intoxicated. This lead to the decible levels to rising four fold.
Now couple that with the influx of returning Braves fans (Braves Won), and it was one loud Post Game Show!
The Five Points Station is where the lines converge and provided a lot of room for the «staggering masses» to traverse. The crowds were well pickled and often unaware of how close they were to the persons they were talking (yelling) to. Yelling to one another from across the tracks. It was fun to watch. Myself and the many other (sober)patrons watched the the events as they unfolded around us.
The MARTA Police kept a watchful eye in the people around them.
Fear not… MARTA is not always so eventful. Most of the time it zips north to South an East to West without any difficulties. You can get a transfer ticket and use it to ride the bus all over town as well.
Parking in Atlanta can be an arduous task so, many from the ‘burbs” park and ride MARTA to work.
Taking the train the the airport is the best way to go.
⁷²⁄₁₀₀

If you’re traveling from the airport into the city, then Marta is a good alternative to the horn-​honking, bumper-​riding, road-​raging drivers of Atlanta. The ride is smooth, and the trains are clean. I wish there were more stations, but realize each one must add many millions to the construction and operating budgets. I’m taking away a star due to excessive panhandling. From the perspective of the «donor,» there are better ways to help those who are poor and need special services. From the perspective of the «donee,» many clearly know the practice is illegal, and are looking for easy marks. After a couple days, I was ready to ditch my sport coat, travel unshaven, and practice an especially icy stare.

Marta is fine for what it is — a cheap and easy way to get to the airport and useful so long as you live, and the destination you are going to, is directly along one of their three lines.
The fact that I can drive to work in 10 minutes, from Brookhaven to Buckhead, but it takes me almost an hour on Marta and includes two trains, is enough to steer me away unless the circumstances are dire (ie. too many beers at a Braves game)

I usually ride MARTA to the airport. It’s convenient, the overnight parking at the stations where they offer it is only $ 5 a night, much cheaper than airport lots. And you’re usually guaranteed an interesting experience. As in, crazy patrons. Cuckoo crazy.
I one time watched a man talking on his cell phone while pulling up his shirt and playing with his chest, seemingly oblivious to others around him who didn’t at all enjoy watching him pull lint from his navel. Or another time, listening to a man and his friend behind me argue about a girlfriend until one of them got up and exited at a stop, after which his friend continued to tell someone about how beautiful his girlfriend is, how she was a former Miss Texas, yada yada… when I received a tap on the shoulder and realized that the someone he was talking to was ME. He showed me her picture on his cell phone — she wasn’t all that.
Oh, MARTA… life would be so boring without you.

marta is smarta. what else can i say? unfortunately it doesnt go everywhere i want to go and a bus connection to my lawrenceville office from my local brookhaven marta station would likely take 3 days but overall i love marta for what i use it for… and that is to go to special events downtown — braves games, falcons games, hawks games, concerts, the occasional conference. its not convenient for me for every day use — but if it was — i would take advantage of that in a heartbeat.
if you have never ridden marta before — dont get too excited about it but the trains are generally clean-​ish and somewhat comfortable.
the brookhaven station has long-​term parking in the front and lots of day time parking in the back. the station is outdoors, which i guess most of them are but some are underground. from there you can walk to hudson grill, pub 71, mellow mushroom, and the restaurants on dresden.
sorry about my run-​on sentances.

Well, fiddle-​dee-​dee, Miss Scarlett. This leopard can at least kinda sorta change her spots, er, mind…
So recently, I found myself temporarily without my vehicle and while I live in walking distance to most of the things I want or need to do for fun and such, when I started working at the Library in Brookhaven a couple weeks ago, well, it just wasn’t close to feasible to walk to work from the apartment on Pharr Road unless I wanted to leave about two hours before work. .. or, really, three or more, and go to my parents’ house first since they live across the street from my new employer and I could take a shower and get properly cleaned up and attired to be fit for public consumption and serving food and drink to any of y’all who might patronize our cute little place!
So, while I was sans automobile, how was I going to get to work? Well, after 34 years of Atlanta-​living and — I admit, Marta snobbery — it was time for this chickadee to figure out the following simple equation, at the price of $ 2/​ride:
Check online for the schedule matching most closely to the time I needed to be at work and backtrack from there. Pack work shoes in my bag and wear flip-​flops (no, I’m not ever going to be Melanie Griffith a la «Working Girl» and YES, I often did just say «screw that» and wear my sassy heels anyway since it’s bad enough to have to wear flats, no matter how cute they are, for work anyway, but I digress.. .). Walk downstairs via the Grandview exit of the complex. Hit Peachtree, pick up a ride at any of my choice of, say, four stops the 110 Peach makes within about two blocks of home, ride a few minutes north to the Lenox train station, hop on the line headed north to Doraville and get off at the Brookhaven station. Swipe my little Breeze card (note: get one, it’s way better and easier than paying every time you ride! Just don’t lose it!) to exit the station and walk a couple blocks to the cute little strip that houses Library, Yoforia, Verde, etc. Even better?
helps you plan your travel route by time, number of stops, all kinds of variables, so whatever your main priorities are in traveling, you’ve got a handy tool. Pretty easy and not scary at all. Who knew?! Not me, till just recently. I even found out the bus drivers are pretty darn nice. Very cool.
Do I love public transportation and feel like forsaking the autonomy of my au-​to-​mo-​bile (imagine my Long Duck Dong voice in your head, here)?? Hell, no. But, when needed, Marta may not be totally smarta, but it ain’t the worst thing ever and in fact is pretty handy. It’s gotten me where I need to go recently, in a quite timely fashion, and it’s been clean and comfortable and the newer buses are totally AC’ed and pleasant. A-​OK, indeedy.

The Brookhaven MARTA station is convenient to the Brookhaven area, Oglethorpe University, and a variety of restaurants and shopping centers. The station is on the Doraville line. It has a ton of daily parking and a small long term parking lot (that I believe costs a small amount per day). The Brookhaven station is also a central hub for many bus routes so it is convenient for connections. A ride on MARTA will cost you $ 1.75 each way.