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Atlanta, Georgia
Never known for its manufacturing—with the exception of a few now-closed automobile facilities—Atlanta is a city whose economic engine relies on other business sectors. Going back to its post-Civil War recovery days, the city has been known for services and finance. Today, Atlanta hosts the headquarters
for myriad corporations, among them CNN and Coca-Cola.
Lockheed Martin and Home Depot call the area home, along
with about 1,200 international companies, including five
divisions of German-based Siemens. Business visitors may
find themselves heading to one of Atlanta’s ten
core counties depending on their operations. Software,
for example, is concentrated in south Gwinnett County,
while financial services and advertising are centered
in Buckhead, the city's most upscale zone. Business travelers
will find no shortage of well-appointed hotels, good dining
options and leisure pastimes to break up boardroom monotony. |
Facts
to Know Before You Go |
Transportation:
Rental Cars:
All major national automobile
rental companies are represented at Atlanta's
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, while
some less expensive ones do business off-airport,
but will pick up customers. Atlanta's interstates
and secondary roads jam at busy times, but they're
still the most efficient way to access far-flung
destinations. In addition, Flexcar now has locations around the metro Atlanta area, inside I-285 (the Perimeter), chiefly in Midtown and Decatur.
Public Transportation:
MARTA
(Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority) operates buses and trains throughout Fulton and DeKalb Counties. MARTA trains go directly to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. On Sundays and holidays train frequency is reduced, requiring additional time to reach the airport. Running Mon.-Sat., Cobb and Gwinnett Counties operate bus systems, tying into MARTA at specific points. Cobb County Transit operates between Cobb County and selected MARTA stations.
GCT (Gwinnett County Transit) operates two levels of service: local and express busses (express not on Sat.). Operating Mon.-Fri., the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) is a partnership with eleven regional counties. Its Xpress buses, which also tie in to selected MARTA stations, may also be useful for the business traveler, and cost $3 one way/$5 round-trip. Clayton County's C-TRAN operates daily except Christmas and New Year's, and serves the airport (North Terminal only), charging $1.50 per ride. As with MARTA, payment in cash is required to board a bus. In addition, a free bus service, "The Buc," runs every eight to fifteen minutes Mon.-Fri. from the Buckhead malls and the Lenox MARTA station to the Piedmont/Peachtree intersection.
You must have exact change for the $1.75 fare to board a MARTA bus, or a free transfer from a MARTA train station. To board a train, you must acquire a BREEZE card, either a temporary one for your trip, costing an additional $.50, or a permanent one that you can reload, costing $5. Machines located in the front of each station dispense the cards through a self-guided system, and you may charge fares to a credit card, obtaining any needed transfers at the same time. Have your BREEZE card available when you enter the train area and obtain access by tapping on the round disk at each gate with the back of your card. Tap again with the back of the card in the same spot to exit. Between these secondary metropolitan systems and MARTA, transfers are free. Other metro Atlanta counties, and some towns, are developing transportation systems, so check before arrival to see if one might serve your destination.
Taxis
and Shuttles:
The flat taxi rate for one person from the airport to Downtown is $30 and to Buckhead $38. In addition, numerous shuttle companies serve Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. While shuttle transportation may be arranged upon arrival, other companies can arrange transportation from the airport by prior reservation. Fees vary but typically cost $40 to Downtown and $45 to Midtown per person. |
Information:
The city's chief daily newspaper, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, covers business news, while the weekly The Atlanta Business Chronicle goes into depth in business matters. Monthly Georgia Trend covers the state in business news, but is focused on the state's capital. Atlanta magazine, a monthly glossy, delves into local topics. For after-business information, pick up a copy of Creative Loafing, a free publication available in kiosks at restaurants and entertainment venues. It also publishes articles on matters of local political and economic interest. |
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 A historic property built within the shell of the former Winecoff Hotel, which burned tragically in 1946, The Ellis Hotel provides moderately-priced but luxuriously-styled accommodation immediately adjacent to a MARTA subway stop (the Ellis Street exit, Peachtree Center Station). The tenth floor is reserved for female guests, who will find upgraded amenities and enhanced entrance security. The hotel is well attuned to the business traveler and provides a business center and workstations in each room. The restaurant and bar are comfortable and intimate places for after-work relaxation.
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 Located in Midtown, the Four Seasons Hotel is as popular with the business set as it is with celebrities. Its entrance is a study in sweeping vistas and well-worked marble and stone surfaces. A grand staircase leads to Park 75 (the hotel's fine dining room), a terrace and bar, perfect for post-business gatherings. Suites feature fax machines, and the 24-hour business center is staffed during business hours. After-hours, enjoy the chlorine-free sea-salt pool. Near the fitness center, the pool terrace has its own sun deck. Trainers are available, and should you forget your gear, the hotel offers disposable swimsuits and stocks workout attire. A spa offers massage and other treatments. Complimentary health-focused refreshments are offered in the fitness club and in the spa. The full-menu room service is available 24 hours. Leisure services include a complimentary town car to nearby Atlantic Station, with numerous retail outlets. The Four Seasons is walking distance from the Woodruff Arts Center (with performances on most nights), the 14th Street Playhouse, and a host of popular restaurants.
Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center
800 Spring St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-347-9440
www.gatechhotel.com
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 The Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center offers a multiplex of 252 rooms, meeting spaces, a 7,260-sq.-ft. ballroom, and state-of-the-art technology for its Technology Square property. Located in Midtown, Atlanta's arts district, the hotel is conveniently close to restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. A 24-hour business center, wireless and hard-wired Internet capabilities and superb audio-visual gear make this hotel a standout for business purposes. A cardio fitness center and swimming pool help de-stress after hours.
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 Business and celebrity travelers to Atlanta make this luxury hotel their home away from home. The wood-paneled, art-filled public and private spaces are refined and elegant, yet, thanks to warm but correct service, never seem stiff or formal. Small, informal business gatherings around glasses of wine or tea in the afternoon are commonplace in the hotel's lobby bar. Two dining rooms serve outstanding food: The Café, located on the same level as the lobby bar, and upstairs on the mezzanine level, The Dining Room, the hotel's deluxe restaurant and the city's showcase temple of fine cuisine. The staff represents 69 nationalities, providing translation talent, and if you opt for the "Key to Luxury" package you book a room a night and get a Mercedes to drive with it. Secretarial services, international currency exchange, courier services, and a seamstress on duty appeal to the business traveler as does the 24-hour Technology Butler for guests who forgot to bring their adapters, batteries or cell phones. For relaxation, the hotel offers a fitness center, indoor pool, steam room and whirlpool. Nearby shopping at three malls is accessible on foot.
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 Floors seven to sixteen of this magnificent modern hotel house 102 one- and two-bedroom suites, many with dramatic views of the city's skyline. All suites come with complete kitchens equipped with full-sized appliances. The business traveler also has an in-room computer and work surface, flat-screen televisions, and complimentary Wi-Fi in addition to a business center. Luxury finishes, a steak-focused restaurant (ROOM) and a small, competently run bar de-stress the business traveler. The restaurant also has two private spaces for small business dinner meetings, as well as well-equipped meeting rooms.
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Atlanta Grill
The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta
101 Peachtree St., NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-659-0400
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13/20
$$$$$ |
 The fine dining room at Atlanta's downtown Ritz-Carlton is an ideal location for business dining, with its club-like, well-tempered ambiance. Plush but not stuffy, quiet but still lively, the restaurant is a well-regarded steak operation that also does good fish and an excellent veal chop. The wine list is first class, and the service is excellent. |
Bacchanalia
1198 Howell Mill Rd., NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
404-365-0410
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17/20
$$$$$ |
 With James Beard award-winning chefs Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison at the helm, Bacchanalia remains at the top of Atlanta's fine dining scene. From the foie gras to the Valrhona chocolate cake, dishes are the zenith of luxury, while also remaining classically simple and elegant. While the dining room itself can become fairly high energy, a small private dining space makes private parties for a dozen or so guests much more intimate. For larger affairs, the 75-seat Quinones Room at Bacchanalia specializes in multi-course, fixed-price dining. The wine list is one of the city's most interesting.
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 Quiet, elegant and formal but not stuffy, The Dining Room makes you feel like you're in your own friendly personal clubroom. Polished and professional, the staff is nonetheless warm and attentive. Executive Chef Arnaud Berthelier is a master technician, capable of creating a first-class dining adventure. Adjacent private dining spaces create the feeling that one's guests are the sole focus of the staff at that moment, and the cuisine, also guided by Bertheliler, may offer specially-created dishes not on the evening's Dining Room menu. The wine list is magnificent, and the staff professional.
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F abrice Vergez' famed Brasserie Le Coze has morphed into a Downtown establishment that is more business friendly than ever, with several private dining spaces. The atmosphere in the dining room is most conducive to business dining, and the food is of such a caliber that it will impress and please the most fastidious client. A raft of fish and seafood dishes accompanies a generous selection of steaks and chops, and the wine list assembles excellent values and impressive choices. Service is amiable but totally professional.
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Joël
3290 Northside Pkwy., NW
The Borghese, the Piazza at Paces
Atlanta, GA 30327
404-233 3500
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17/20
$$$$$ |
Joël Antunes' contemporary enclave in a Buckhead high-rise building has been substantially reduced in size following a recent renovation, but remains a visual treat. The nearby private dining room is equipped with audio-visual gear, making it ideal for a business meeting-cum-fine dining-session. Make sure your post-meeting buffet has the lump crab cakes, perhaps the city's best in a swarm of mediocre versions. Deadly serious about his craft, Antunes nonetheless has a playful manner both in his persona and his cooking. Embellishments to his daily changing fare consist largely of reductions or jus, and dishes blend traditional cooking methods and materials. Under the direction of sommelier Perine Prieur, the wine list ranges from fine Champagnes to excellent Burgundies, Bordeaux and top-flight Napa Cabernets. For the value-conscious, there are numerous excellent selections at good prices. Wine service is world-class.
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Blind Willie's
828 N. Highland Ave., NE
404-873-2583
www.blindwilliesblues.com
Named
for Blind Willie McTell, whose "Statesboro Blues"
became an Allman Brothers Band standard, this club has
been a stalwart in the Atlanta music scene for decades.
National and local acts are the draws, and while there
is bar food available, it's a good idea to dine somewhere
beforehand. Most acts start around 10 p.m., but show
up around 9 p.m. to get one of the scarce tables. Performances
are held every night except Sunday.
Eddie's Attic
515-B N. McDonough St.
Decatur, GA 30030
404-377-4976
www.eddiesattic.com
 Grab MARTA east to the Decatur station and walk a few blocks to one of the metro area's most worthwhile music venues, founded in a former department store. The place has nurtured many a rising star, among them Decatur's own Indigo Girls. The 21-and-over club showcases a wide variety of contemporary music. Food service offers some tasty morsels, sandwiches and salads.
Sambuca
3102 Piedmont Rd., NE
404-237-5299
www.sambucarestaurant.com
One of the city's most sophisticated dining/entertainment venues, Sambuca is a jazz supper club that offers reasonably good food and very good music. Reservations are essential, especially on weekends, and most patrons dress rather nicely. The club is non-smoking.
Tabernacle
152 Luckie St NW
404-659-9022
tabernacleatl.com
Formerly a church, Tabernacle was built in 1910 and lay vacant from the mid 1980s until 1996, when the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta saw it brought back to life as a performance venue known as the House of Blues Club. Today, music fills is rafters once more, and the place is popular as a corporate event site. The entire club is non-smoking.
Virginia Highland Shopping Area
Corner of Virginia and N. Highland Avenues
This intersection is the heart of a vibrant neighborhood whose early 20th-century residential architecture has been upgraded and updated by waves of in-town pioneers. Visitors will find numerous good restaurants and interesting shopping, making a day spent in the area a worthwhile adventure. In addition to art galleries and antique shops, a vintage-style hardware store is a prime address for woodworking devotees. Having a rental car notwithstanding, it's advisable to take a taxi to the district and back to your hotel as parking is very difficult.
Whole World Theatre
1216 Spring St. NW
404-817-PLAY (7529)
www.wholeworldtheatre.com
Improvisational theater is the main stage focus. Another smaller stage features scripted plays throughout the year, some of them original material. Whole World Theatre also hosts visiting and small local companies in performance. The normal schedule is Tues. and Thurs.-Sat., with start times at 8 p.m. on most days. |
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| P100505 |
(Updated: 05/14/08 HC) |
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