There I was at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, pondering how best to get to my downtown Atlanta hotel. I could take a cab for $32, a shuttle for $16.50, or the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority for $2.
No contest. I rode a clean, safe MARTA train to within two blocks of my hotel and, since I had only a carry-on bag, easily walked the rest of the way. I had saved enough for a down payment on an extravagant meal, complete with mint julep, at Pittypat's Porch.
Atlanta isn't alone in offering economical public transportation, via subway or light rail, from its airport. "I always take the El from O'Hare," a Chicagoan told me. "Not only is it cheaper, it's a lot faster during rush hour." Public transit may not be for those weighted down with luggage, but it is available at several city airports from Boston to Philadelphia to Minneapolis/St. Paul to San Francisco.
Go to the website of the airport or public transit system to find out if such travel is available, and where at the airport the transit station is. (Atlanta, itsmarta.com. and atlanta-airport.com; Chicago, transitchicago.com and ohare.com; Boston, massport.com/logan and mbta.com; Philadelphia, septa.com and phl.org; Minneapolis/St. Paul, metrotransit.org/rail and mspairport.com.)
Pack a snack
Never travel without a sandwich or snack in your carry-on. After my 10:50 a.m. American Airlines flight sat on the runway for more than two hours, I figured I could stave off hunger by buying a sandwich on the plane. But everyone was ravenous by then and anything resembling food sold out before the flight attendants reached my row. There was no time to eat at the airport, either, as I scurried to make my connecting flight. I was finally able to buy food on my second flight, but it had been 11 hours between bites.
Michigan by train
The Mystic Valley Railway Society wants to take you from Massachusetts to Michigan Oct. 18-26 aboard Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited, with several Bay State boarding locations and a choice of accommodations. Participants will tour Michigan from shore to shore, along the way visiting Henry Ford's Greenfield Village, the Christmas town of Frankenmuth, the capital, Lansing, and the city of Holland. The starting cost of $1,300 per person includes coach class, lodging, many meals, touring, and transfers.
Visit mysticvalleyrs.org and click on Trips or call 617-361-4445.
Bites in Britain