One of the many reasons people like to live in urban areas is the ease of getting around. And the first choice is to ditch the car in your parking garage and walk! Midtown Atlanta is one of those urban areas!
MARTA and Midtown Atlanta
Once upon a time, there were grand plans for retail shopping along Peachtree Street. Well, not so much. True shopping is going to require you to step out of Midtown Atlanta and venture out. But, with no stores like Target, Macy’s, Apple, The Gap or Abercrombie and Fitch, where are you going to shop? Well, yes, there IS Amazon but… So, how can you GET to these kinds of stores, and still ditch the car? You might consider MARTA in Midtown Atlanta!
MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) operates the bus and the rail system you find in Atlanta. I’ll focus on the use of the MARTA train here. Midtown Atlanta is serviced by two of the four MARTA lines, the Red and Gold Lines. And we are also fortunate to have 3 stations that service the area, North Avenue, Midtown and Arts Center. Here is a System Map of the MARTA rail line:
There are two commercial areas for shopping for Midtown Atlanta residents. The closest is Atlantic Station, which features Dillard’s, H & M and other stores such as West Elm and several restaurants. If you live on the Peachtree Street corridor, you could walk to the Arts Center Station where Atlantic Station provides a free shuttle. The “true urban” thing to do would be catch MARTA at Midtown, exit at Arts Center and catch the bus. Sadly, it’s about as much trouble as it sounds…and most WILL bring the car out of the parking garage for these kinds of trips. BUT, if you did not own a car, it is possible to get access to places like Atlantic Station. With the introduction of ride services like Uber and Lyft, this is probably your quickest way to get to Atlantic Station from Midtown.
For Lenox Mall, you would take the Northbound Gold Line train, and exit at Lenox. From there, you cross East Paces Ferry Road and enter the Mall. Here’s a map showing the location of the MARTA station in relation to Lenox Square.
Unfortunately, MARTA is not a cheap transportation system. A one-way trip is $2.50! There are cost saving options such as a 7-day pass for $23.75 that give you unlimited rides for 7 consecutive days, or a 30-day Pass for $95.00 giving you unlimited rides for a 30 day consecutive period. All MARTA fares must be purchased with a Breeze card or Breeze ticket. Breeze cards are $2 and may be reloaded for up to 3 years, whereas Breeze tickets are $1 for single-use only. MARTA fare is $2.50 for a one-way trip — but your options don’t stop there. We have passes and special fare programs designed to fit everyone’s needs.
But, if you happen to be without a car for a few days, or, want to consider living in Midtown Atlanta without a car, you do have options to get where you need to go. Of course, your place of employment will also dictate if you can use MARTA and not have a car.
Visit the MARTA website for more information about MARTA, including fares, schedules and other programs such as Visitor and University passes.
