MINI GUIDE
Stopover Atlanta
COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AMY C BALFOUR. PHOTOGRAPHS: STEVE KELLEY/GETTY IMAGES, JEFF HERR PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF THE ARTMORE HOTEL, STEPHEN F SOMERSTEIN/GETTY IMAGESAtlanta essentials The know-how
FURTHER READING
Lonely Planet’s Eastern USA
(US$24.99) has a chapter
on the South, including
Georgia, which is also
available to download at
lonelyplanet.com (US$4.95).
For listings information see
atlantaperforms.com, and
atlantamusicguide.com
for live music. Margaret
Mitchell wrote the epic
Gone With the Wind in a
small ground-floor flat in
a house in Atlanta (Pan).
Much of the book and its
1939 film
adaptation
are set in the
city,
although
the film was
shot in
California.MARTIN LUTHER KING JR:
CIVIL RIGHTS GIANT
O The leading figure of the civil
rights movement, King was
born in 1929, the son of an
Atlanta preacher and choir
leader. He followed his father
to the pulpit and his political
speeches rang out with a
preacher’s inflections.
O In 1955, King led the
year-long bus boycott in
Montgomery, Alabama, which
resulted in the US Supreme
Court removing laws that
enforced segregated buses.
O In 1963 he gave the
legendary ‘I Have a Dream’
speech in Washington DC, and
the following year received the
Nobel Peace Prize. Over 10
years he led a movement that
ended a system of statutory
discrimination
in existence
since the
country’s
founding
in 1798.Highland Ave; from US$125).
This 1924 Spanish-Med-style
landmark was revamped in 2009
resulting in the artistic boutique
Artmore Hotel. Expect excellent
service, a courtyard with fire pit- an ideal spot for a glass of wine
- and a superb location (1302 West
Peachtree St; from US$190).
In the heart of the arts in
Midtown, Loews Atlanta Hotel is
a new, smart boutique place. Its
Exhale Spa will help you recover
from any jet lag, while the
contemporary art adds a bit of flair
(loewshotels.com; 1065 Peachtree
St NE; from US$335).
WHERE TO STAY
The Highland Inn, a European-
style hotel from 1927, has a great
location in Virginia-Highland. With
its own casual music venue, the
Ballroom Lounge, this traditional
place has a lyrical personality
(thehighlandinn.com; 644 NTRANSPORT
Atlanta’s huge Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport, nine miles
south of downtown, is the main
US hub for Delta. The airline flies
there from Singapore, as do
British Airways and United (from
US$1,484; ba.com). British
Airways also flies from Kuala
Lumpur. The Metropolitan
Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
(MARTA) rail line links the airport
with downtown. Buy a Breeze
card (card is US$2, US$2.50
one-way fare, US$9 day pass;
itsmarta.com), which can be
loaded and reloaded as necessary.
You can hire a car at the airport,
although driving through Atlanta
can be frustratingly slow.Sights Eating SleepingThe Artmore Hotel is minutes
from the High Museum of Art