On fall break and public transportation - Vikrum Sheorey

This fall break I took a trip back to Maryland to spend some time with my family. While this was a simple trip for most, it was a little more confusing at first for myself. This was my first time at Atlanta's airport and my first time flying on a plane by myself.



The trip to the airport was uncannily easy and throughout the whole experience I kept thinking I was missing some important information because everything seemed too simple. My journey began with a trip to the MARTA station by the AT&T building. Taking the MARTA to the airport was extremely easy. I am used to the Metro of DC, having grown up in the DC area. The metro is infinitely more complicated to navigate compared to the MARTA. In the metro the fares must be calculated based on the destination one wishes to go to. This creates longer lines at the ticket stations because people must scan a list of destinations and match them with prices. On the MARTA, there is a simple fare for one way or round trip tickets. Furthermore getting to the airport on the MARTA is as simple as boarding a train that says "Airport". This train goes directly to the airport and one does not need to change trains at junctions as is true with the metro. All in all I was very impressed with the ease and simplicity of MARTA.

Airports tend to be confusing places with so many destinations to choose from, however Atlanta International Airport followed in MARTA's footsteps in terms of ease of use. Security took fewer than 10 minutes to pass through and from there one has many options. There is a food court to eat or places to shop, much like a typical mall. To actually get to the gates, there is a very cleverly designed system of trams. The trams are quick and precise. To get to gate C (which was my gate) all one has to do is check a screen that details where the next tram will be going. The trams usually come within one minute of the last one and a ride will take about 2-5 minutes to reach the desired gate.

This trip really demonstrated the wonderful use of public transportation in Atlanta. The Olympics really helped streamline the MARTA to go to important places in Atlanta like the Airport. I did not require a car or even a bus to go to the airport at all, whereas when my parents picked me up it was about an hour drive to our house. I immensely enjoyed my fall break and the ease of use of Atlanta's public transportation certainly helped.

- Vikrum