TRAVEL TIPS
Car Travel
The city is encircled by Interstate 285. Three interstates also crisscross Atlanta: Interstate 85, running northeast–southwest from Virginia to Alabama; Interstate 75, running north–south from Michigan to Florida; and Interstate 20, running east–west from South Carolina to Texas.
Some refer to Atlanta as the "Los Angeles of the South," because driving is virtually the only way to get around. Atlantans have grown accustomed to frequent delays at rush hour—the morning and late-afternoon commuting periods seem to get longer every year. The South as a whole may be laid-back, but Atlanta drivers are not; they tend to drive faster and more aggressively than drivers in other Southern cities, and they rarely slow down at a yellow light.
If you plan to venture beyond the neighborhoods served by MARTA, you will want to rent a car or use a car-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft. Many national agencies have branch offices all over the city, as well as at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
