Ok, I had the exact same experience last weekend (driving from Orlando to Atlanta). I went 30 miles in an hour, and there was NO ACCIDENT!

It was horrible, and I still haven't figured out why the traffic is so bad down there.

Marta isn't only trashy, its flat out inconvenient. Atlanta isn't exactly a walkable city unless you like getting mugged, so few people are generally willing to use it to commute.

I live in Newnan and HATE the road construction on I-85. DOT put up the concrete barriers on the right side and there is no shoulder for a few miles at a time. It is going to be going on for years.

C - coming from your house, I'd take I-285 and avoid d-town!

Oh wait..I was thinking you wanted 85, lol.

I work at the corner of I-20/285 east side. Heading west Exiting on I-75 South isn't that bad on my side but the other side is always bumper to bumper .

I'd put this link to the Ga DOT/Navigator site on your PDA or cell phone
http://www.georgia-navigator.com/ look on the left had side MyGaNAV

Plus the city was not laid out well for walking. Atlanta city blocks aren't like New York city blocks. Blocks in Atlanta are much longer and the sidewalks are very narrow and close to the road. I once walked from 13th Street to 5th Street thinking that it wouldn't be that bad. I've walked further than that in NYC and London and it wasn't a problem. It ended up taking an hour to get to 5th Street and I thought I was going to get killed by the crazy drivers who were zooming by me on Peachtree.

Spring break doesn't help, but that stretch is awful most anytime. We were stuck there on the way back from Savannah one time for hours. And I have a friend whose daughter actually missed her own bridal shower in her future husband's hometown because they could not get through there.

If we were anywhere else in the world there would be a high speed train to take us through there down to Savannah, St. Simon's or Florida.

I've lived here for 25 years and I've only been on MARTA twice.

That is so funny, last year my son was a page at the legislature and I went down to pick him up. By the time I had to get him, there was no parking left at the underground lot, so I had to find a lot a few blocks away. On our way back, we walked down two blocks of Peachtree that were downright scary. I pushed through like walking in NYC/Paris/Rome, etc. where you have people walking up to you trying to sell you crap, but my son didn't say a word until we got out of there and he said....."well, that was interesting".

Midtown....I don't mind walking around. Downtown...not so much.

I've walked all over downtown at one time or another (usually drunk), and although I've come through unscathed, I wouldn't recommend it.

When I was 23 I went downtown for a job interview. I had no money on me, no ATM card, no way to get my car out of the parking lot....no cell phones back in the olden days....and no way to get in touch with my fiance and roommate, who were both out of town.

When I think back on that, I just have to wonder what I was thinking. I wasn't even drunk.

The DC Metro is very good if you can use it. My D took Metro trains as a high schooler and I never worried about her using it during commuter hours. GEN Alum also took the Metro as do many Pentagon employees. Of course, not all jobs are Metro-accessible. Even worse, Dulles Airport does not have direct public transportation (although the powers-that-be are working on that).

I have to drive to various points of DC/Northern VA and plan my travel around the HOV times. Luckily I have the flexibility in my schedule.

Same here, there are just times you don't get on the road if you don't have to drive.

Luckily, we moved to a close in suburb that was practically built out 10 years ago, we bought an office building 1/2 mile from our house, and all the schools are on our side of town, so the worst of it is picking up kids after sports practice at 5:30 via neighborhood streets and back roads.

We spent 10 days in DC a couple of years ago and my daughter said that she could get anywhere in DC as long as we stayed at that hotel again!

Yeah, I when I was in DC for a summer I took GW to Cap south everyday, and it was really convenient (of course, i lived like a block away in foggy bottom). But another summer I was there i drove and parked at Pentagon City and took it in, and that was pretty good as well. I haven't used the NY subways as much, but I was pretty impressed overall with the metro.

LOL Consider myself a spoiled kid, live and work in Buckhead :D A proud owner of a Jeep.

But seriously, MARTA is only good if you need to go to the airport to catch a flight. Other than that, I don't think it's very convinient.