Coming from Los Angeles, I’m used to dry roads and lots of traffic. I’m curious what the typical weather for Atlanta is during the time of the competition. Also, how bad is traffic? For example, if I wanted to drive 15 miles to get to the Georgia Dome, how long would it take?
I’m thinking of renting a car to save money on the hotel, but need this information to determine whether it’s worth it for me.
Thanks,
indieFan
The few times I have been there for Championships the weather has been cool (jackets required in the early hours and at night), delightfully warm during the day, or pouring rain with horrible thunderstorms!
I haven’t encountered snow/ice during Championships, if that’s what you meant. Coming from LA you might find it a little chilly, but coming from New England we find the weather is great!
Instead of renting a car, consider finding a hotel near the MARTA (public transportation). Just check the schedules online though. If you’re volunteering for a job that has to have you at the Dome early or staying late, it could be a potential problem. And don’t forget to register in VIMS now if you want to volunteer at any upcoming event, including Championships!
I’ve always stayed downtown but other people have said that parking can be really time consuming and costly.
The Weather usually depends on your area, but the past 2 years it has been in the mid 60’s for the most part. Everytime we leave here from Michigan, its usually storming, but as we pass through kentucky we get into the nice weather. But you never know so you should always be prepared for the worst.
Don’t even bother with a car in Atlanta for the Championships. The parking rates are horrendous, and for the most part it’s unnecessary. The MARTA subway system there connects the Airport to downtown, as well as many suburbs of the city, and at only 75 cents a ride it’s not that bad. And at rush hour, it’s probably much faster to take the train anyway.
If you ride it frequently, I’d suggest the “FIRST pass”, which gives you anywhere from 3-6 days worth of unlimited rides for only for only $10-$15. I’ve bought one of them the past two years when I was in Atlanta and it was well worth it, as you’d probably spend more than that to park for just one day at some of the garages in the city.
I’ll second that. Last year, I parked my car in the Georgia Dome on Wednesday night (as I couldn’t get to the hotel and make it in time for volunteer orientation). I paid $10 to park there, then went back to the car after orientation. I took my bags with me and walked to the hotel. Saturday after awards, I went back, threw my bags in the car, and headed back to Colatown.
Obviously, I’d recommend that you keep your wits about you in this arrangement (it is a big city, and there are less-than-great people out there), but the Dome has historically allowed it.
People that take a car end up apying more to park it and just use public transportation anyways. Everything is close enough that you can either walk or take the MARTA. I have volunteered before and haven’t had a problem getting late or early departures. As far as the weather goes, I carried a sweatshirt around with and was fine in the morning and at night. During the day, it is normally pretty sunny and warm enough for us WI people to wear shorts(60-70s).
One of the families involved with Team 330 lived in the Atlanta area for a few years, and gave us this information about the weather:
Spring weather in Atlanta is unpredictable. It can be warm, even balmy; it can be dry; it can pour. The Championship falls around the beginning of hurricane season; spectacular thunderstorms and tornadoes are also possible.
I have personally seen, in the 3 years I went there: balmy weather the whole weekend; rain blowing sideways in sheets while lightning played havoc with our TV reception; near-freezing record low temperatures (Saturday night in 2005); light rain.
So watch the weather reports, dress in layers, and be prepared. (I’ve always brought a poncho, but the only time I used it was in Arizona!!)
Everyone complains about how bad the traffic is in Atlanta, even though lately L.A. gets the worst ratings for length of commute. Unless you plan to run errands all over town, the best thing is to stay downtown, and to get there by taking MARTA from the airport. (There is usually at least one thread that discusses where teams are staying.)
You could also stay near the airport. You could get a cheaper room, take the hotel shuttle to the airport, then MARTA from the airport to the Georgia Dome. But this makes for about a one-hour commute each way (due to the hotel shuttle schedules), and the time lost in transit isn’t worth it unless you absolutely cannot afford to stay downtown. If you can afford a rental car plus parking, you can afford to stay downtown instead!