Downtown Atlanta advice??
 

I have never been to Atlanta. My husband and I are planning a small trip there 4/30-5/4 to see a Braves game and the Pandas, my favorite, at the zoo. We will likely be staying at the Ritz. Our itinerary will likely be the zoo, CNN and coca cola tours and some museums. Do we need a car? Is it safe to walk around downtown at night?

Well, the museums are in Midtown - and I would prefer to stay there over Downtown. There's really not much to see in Downtown and I wouldn't walk around there a lot at night around the Ritz.

Midtown is undergoing a major resurgence. Condos, shops, restaurants, etc. Atlanta's version of a Miracle Mile is under development. Plenty to see and do and you can walk around at night.
Here's an article -
http://information.travel.aol.com/ar...26102509990001

The other Ritz is in Buckhead and is very nice. It is across the street from Lenox Mall with Phipps Plaza across the street. Most folks navigate Buckhead with a car.

All three (Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead) are on Peachtree and all are accessible via MARTA. So, you could stay in Midtown (my preference) or Buckhead (at that Ritz) and take MARTA to CNN, the new World of Coke (which is next to the new Aquarium). I'm guessing you'd want a car to go to the Zoo. Visit Atlantic Station too for more restaurants and shops.

My 2cents.

I would not walk around downtown at night.

During daytime, strolling in the area of Coca Cola, State Capitol and Martin Luther King Site is okay but I would not choose to stay in a hotel in this area.

The best area to stay is Buckhead. Lots of hotels and restaurants there and no problem to walk at night. From there to downtown it is ten minutes either by car or by public transport (MARTA - very convenient).

Agree with the others. Don't stay downtown. Personally I prefer Buckhead, but Midtown would be a little more convenient to downtown. Both areas are safe, lots of restaurants, shopping, etc.

Thank you all very much for the advice. We have decided to stay at the Hyatt on Peachtree in Buckhead and rent a car.

It's a nice hotel. You'll do better in Atlanta with a car.

If you aren't a member of the Hyatt program, consider joining. I was upgraded to the club level at that hotel and it was wonderful!

You should consider adding the aquarium to your itinerary. You are completely safe walking around Buckhead. If you can afford the Ritz in Buckhead over the Hyatt, it is worth the difference. You need a car. One more vote for not walking around downtown or midtown after dark.

Regarding walking -
You are safe walking in Buckhead around the Hyatt or Ritz - the streets are just busy - less pedestrian friendly. The bar section of Peachtree is not safe for walking IMO.

You are smart not to walk in downtown at night. During the day it is fine.

The area around Centennial Park/ Aquarium/ World of Coke is fine during the day. There's just not to "walk to" at night - and there are questionable areas between there and downtown at night.

If a person has not been in Midtown in the last 6 months or so, they have no idea how much it has changed in that time frame. If you go there today, you will be shocked at it in another 6 months. I've been there weekly for 2 years now and Midtown is going through a renaissance unlike anything I've seen in Atlanta.

Hello hbour, I stayed at the Hyatt in Buckhead and was very pleased with this hotel as well as the location. I found the hotel staff to be quite helpful also.

What Midtown needs now is an upscale hotel in a good location. I'd always recommend someone choose Midtown to stay in, but when they want something of the caliber of the Ritz, the Four Seasons is the only option, and it's in an OK, not great location. Someone should gut and renovate the Wyndam on 10th which is perfectly located and from what I hear, ghastly.

And I'd pull all my hair out before I'd stay in the center of traffic-clogged Buckhead for a leisure trip. When I go for business, I usually have to stay at the Ritz Buckhead (for various reasons) and I always fell trapped on an island surrounded by dangerous currents of traffic. Painful to walk anywhere.

Brian, the Sheraton is becoming a W as we speak. The block between the 4S and what will now be the W is more alive with pedestrian traffic. There are fabulous new restaurants on the side street between. There are fabulous restaurants popping up all over. My favorite sushi is at the corner of Ptree and 14th.

Midtown is different - a different universe than it was just 3 years ago. The new development is to make it into the WALKABLE CITY Atlanta has not been up to now.

So, if we get some rain so the grass in Piedmont Park is not under duress, we'll be all set :-)

So that's why I've had trouble getting into the Sheraton - that's good news. I just wish there were more central Midtown options. While there's lots going on around 14th street, that's about as far north as it goes and I'd want an easier walk to all the great places between there and Ponce.

Brian, Ponce to 14th is the part of Peachtree that is undergoing the multi-million dollar revitalization. It is being called Atlanta's Miracle Mile. It is truly amazing (there's that word again) to see what is different each week down there. LOTS of folks I know have sold their places elsewhere in the metro area and have bought condos in that stretch. Several high rise condo building are going up. When it is finished it will have elite shopping, it already has diverse restaurants, and of course there are theatre options there as well.

It' gonna be amazing. It already is.