Atlanta driving question
 

I will be visiting Atlanta soon, and have some questions:

1. Approximately how long does it take to drive from the airport to Buckhead on a weekday morning?

2. About how long does the drive take late at night, at about midnight?

I will be arriving in Atlanta late at night, and am debating which of these two paths to take:

1. Stay overnight in an airport hotel, and go to Buckhead the following morning, dealing with rush hour traffic; or:

2. From the airport, at about midnight take a taxi from the airport directly to a Buckhead hotel.

I do not particularly like the idea of a long taxi ride late at night, but also do not want to deal with rush-hour traffic the next morning.

Buckhead is not a walking area and you'll need a car.

At midnight I'd rent a car and drive to Buckhead.

It's a pretty easy drive, just take I-85 North and I think it is less than 20 miles. At midnight, it should not take more than 30 minutes.

It would be a short ride (< 30 minutes) at midnight, but a long one in AM rush hour. Never underestimate Atlanta's traffic.

Thank you for the information.

About how long do you think the ride would take from the airport during the morning rush hour?

I am planning to rent a car, but maybe not until I reach Buckhead, using a car agency office located in Buckhead. I would definitely not drive from the airport if going at midnight. Driving a strange freeway in a strange city in the middle of the night when I am half-asleep is not something I would ever do willingly.

I've been considering using an airport hotel and then driving myself the next morning. But if Atlanta's rush hour is really bad, it may be worth it to just take a taxi the previous night, especially if the ride at night is only 30 minutes. This is why I am asking how long the trip would be if I do it in the morning.

Is MARTA a possibilty?

Take a taxi that night. It takes 30 minutes when there's no traffic (and there shouldn't be any around midnight), and an hour in morning rush hour. Get your rental car in Buckhead. Hope you enjoy your stay!

Not Marta at Midnight. Absolutely not.

If you don't want to drive at midnight, take a cab to Buckhead and rent a car the next day.

Atlanta's traffic is always bad.

Given the quality of Atlanta's cabs and the situation of late night Marta, I am not sure what to suggest. Trying to find Buckhead at night is not easy. I think it all depends on what it is you are trying to find.

Buckhead anymore is not a dot on a map; it is a somewhat prestige location and many places which claim to be "in Buckhead" are really pushing the boundaries.

I might add that I 85 North does not go through what I consider to be Buckhead.

The main part is reached off of Georgia 400 from I 85. Exit 2 off of Ga. 400 will put you close to the intersection of Peachtree Rd. and Piedmont Rd.

I think just how you approach it depends on exactly where it is you want to go.

An estimate of a driving time of 1 hour from the airport area to Buckhead on a business day morning at the usual rush hour times is optimistic.

It can take longer!!

I go with the car rental, provided you study a map well before setting out from the airport.

Or hire a limosine service to take you.
Hate to sound pessimistic on that score, but late night cab drivers from the airport give me the creeps. I have ridden in one too many rattle trap cabs with a driver who barely spoke English.

Thank you for all the responses. You've given me a lot to think about.

I'm now thinking of maybe using an airport hotel, and taking Marta in the morning. This would be a lot quicker (and probably also less stressful) than driving through rush-hour traffic.

Does anyone know if there is a taxi stand next to the Buckhead Marta station? I will need a taxi to take me to the Buckhead car rental agency.

I live in Buckhead and here are some suggestions for you.
1. Its only a 20 minute drive from the airport to Buckhead in non-rush hour traffic. The cabs charge a flat fee from the airport to Buckhead.
2. Using MARTA, it takes about one hour to get from airport to the Lindbergh Marta Station in Buckhead.
3. I'm not sure about the cab situation from lindbergh, but if you plan on using enterprise for a rental car company, they will pick you up at the marta station and get you into a rental car. You just need to call in advance and arrange to be picked up.
4. I WOULD NOT try to drive in rush hour traffic. At the quickest, it would take you an hour and if there is a wreck or construction, then it will take alot longer.
5. If you decide to take a cab service, use checker cab or buckhead safety cab.

Thank you. On reading everyone's advice, I've decided to go directly from the airport to Buckhead, taking advantage of the quicker ride at night. I'll take a taxi that night, and rent a car the next morning.

This leads to another question:

Someone mentioned unreliable taxi drivers. Is there any cab company I should avoid at the airport? Or would I even have a choice?

Enterprise may offer a "delivery" service, but I doubt if they will be out in the middle of the night.

The Piedmont Road Enterprise office closest to Peachtree has weekday office hours of 7:30 AM to 6 PM, and shorter hours on weekends, closing at 2 PM on both Saturday and Sunday.

The cab fare to a location in Buckhead is $38.00. (Said to be a flat fee.)

The shuttle service I priced to a Buckhead address from the airport is $45.00.

I have no idea which is best.

Perhaps someone out there has taken a taxi at night from the Atlanta airport within the last 6 months that will comment on their impressions of the quality of taxi service.

Given the costs of renting a car for a day and paying the taxi fare, the rental car is about the same. If you do that, you are assured of the driver, but finding your way might be difficult depending on how good you are with navigating in a big city.

I would be hesitant to try it alone, but not with a map reader as a companion.