Do you know Marta? Atlantans do and they take Marta everywhere. It is the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and it is one of the most wonderful underground systems in the world. One of its wonders is that you can go anywhere for $1.75. If you fly into Atlanta, you go down the escalator below the terminal building and it whisks you downtown in minutes. But the special feature of Atlanta is that you can stay underground for as long as you want – and not just at downtown. But it is really not quite accurate to talk about one downtown, because Atlanta is made up of many downtowns – Buckhead, Midtown and more – and they all have subterranean mini-cities.
Underground Atlanta
At the height of summer, when the temperature can be 90 F in the middle of the day, many visitors from cooler climes spend half a day or more in air-conditioned comfort, without ever emerging above ground. All the underground centres have shops, restaurants, pubs and clubs and often live entertainment during the day.
The most remarkable is Underground Atlanta, at Alabama Street, which you can reach (needless to say) by underground at Marta’s Five Point station. Level three is actually partly above ground and until April 2007 had, among many other things, the World of Coca Cola, which has now migrated a bit further out. Level 2 is shops and restaurants and is the place where, some years ago, I first experienced a Christmas store, which operated 365 days a year – offering Christmas trees with artificial snow, fairy lights and Santa in June.
