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MARTA doesn’t mind if you call her easy. In fact, it’s what she’s aiming for.

MARTA, or the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, is Atlanta, Georgia’s rail and bus system, and locals do indeed refer to the system in the female sense (as in: ‘Here she comes!’ when the train speeds around a corner toward the station).

But this lady is also a gracious host. She gets you where you want to go, and places you hadn’t considered, with both speed and style.

MARTA is one of the most economical ways to see the city long referred to as the Gateway to the South, and more recently, ‘Hotlanta.’ Indeed, Atlanta has risen in recent years to become one of the most culturally diverse and architecturally vibrant cities in the U.S., complete with stellar cuisine, sights to be seen, and a pulsating nightlife. 

So Much to See…

I arrived in Atlanta for a long weekend by plane in the early afternoon, and took a taxi from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to the Omni Hotel at CNN Center (about a $30 ride). What I didn’t know at the time was that I could have taken the MARTA directly to CNN Center from the airport, for under $2; but the cab trip did afford me the chance to see the city’s skyline and take in its modern, unique design – seen as much in street lamps as it is in skyscrapers. READ MORE