Driving is the only way to get around Atlanta as public transportation is inconvenient for most. As a result, the traffic can get as bad as trying to get to NYC through the Holland Tunnel on a Friday night. Here are some tips to keep in mind while navigating the city:
OTP/ITP: Refers to Outside/inside the Perimeter, the Perimeter being 285 which encircles Atlanta the way 495 wraps around DC. Seems like some years it’s cool to be living in the OTP and other years it’s cool to be living ITP. I would liken it to the rivalry between living in Manhattan vs. Brooklyn, except it’s just always cool to live in Brooklyn than anywhere else in the world.
Perimeter: If people say they live by the Perimeter, they mean where 285 and 400 meet, or where the top of the Perimeter is.
Peachtree: Seems like every road is named Peachtree. I’ve been on Old Peachtree , Peachtree Dunwoody, Peachtree Road, and Peachtree Industrial. My only advice is: get used to it.
Exits and Entrances: The ramps for exits are often miles before the actual exit. So even though the ramp looks far away on your GPS, it’s best to start exiting way before your GPS tells you to exit. It’s the same with stores; by the time you see the store you’re looking for on the road, it’s too late because the entrance to the store is now 500 feet behind you.
Strip malls: There are so many strip malls here than Jersey. If you’re looking for a particular store but somehow don’t see it even though you’re sure you got the address right, drive around to the back of the strip mall. Who said a store needs a store front?
I-85: Main artery running North and South. (You knew that because 85 is an odd number!) THE MORNING COMMUTE CAN SUCK, especially with so many trucks on there as well. Here’s a fun story: I was driving in rush hour traffic and this car cut me off, which caused me to swerve into the other lane without enough time to check for oncoming traffic. It could have caused a massive pile up. I was so scared that I was shaking. I followed the driver for no reason in particular but I think he thought I probably wanted him to stop because he changed lanes three times to pullover on the shoulder. So moral of the day is to please look before you change lanes and don’t cut people off!
Tolls: The only toll here is on 400 and it’s $.50. I can’t complain about that coming from NY. Of course when you throw two quarters in the basket, the gate doesn’t always go up so you have to walk over to the toll booth collector in a different lane to ask her or him to get the gate up. They don’t always believe you.
Intersections: The same street will be given a different name after it crosses an intersection and sometimes there are perpendicular streets with the same name. Other times a street will “continue” on another street down the road. For example, if you want to continue on Old Norcross Road in the Duluth area, you have to actually make a turn onto Satellite Blvd. and then make another turn onto Old Norcross.
Traffic lights: A red light can be extremely long; you just have to get used to it.