Safe to walk from Georgia Tech to Georgia Aquarium? (Atlanta: crime, hotels)

[hom_tanks]

Hi all

We'll be visiting and staying near Georgia Tech in one of the hotels (Courtyard). We were wondering if it would be safe to walk to/from Georgia aquarium area. We have kids. We might be returning around dusk time (not necessarily night).

I found out after booking the hotel that the area around Georgia Tech is not so safe. Is it that bad? Ofcourse we have a vehicle and if necessary would just use it but I was imagining a bustling urban area full of people aka NYC Midtown etc and hence a walk would be much more enjoyable experience. Am I off base?

Thanks for your tips.

[gtcorndog]

The area around GT is not bad. Occasionally a kid walking home at 2AM will get his/her laptop stolen, but that is about it. The local media has really picked up on this "crime spree" and has built a boogeyman scenario that doesn't exist.

As far as that walk, during the day yes you could, but the area between GT and the aquarium isn't the best part of town. It isn't the worst, but it walks by a big homeless shelter which leads to panhandlers. Does the hotel have a shuttle that you can catch a ride on? That would be my recommendation.

[cqholt]

You'll be fine. If you do walk after dark, remember to be aware of your surroundings and don't have your electronics out.

[spacelord75]

I'm not sure where the Courtyard is, but if I were you I would try to walk to the Aquarium via Luckie St., as you walk by an elementary school, Coke headquarters and a bank, and it's a 4 lane road with decent traffic, so it's unlikely anyone would try anything. Where ppl get in trouble (and as mentioned above, usually when it's dark) is when you cut through side streets. I would agree that it's not a crazy bad area, but it's definitely not good.

[hom_tanks]

Courtyard is on Techwood Dr. Thanks everyone for your responses. In the evening, I'll probably go with the hotel shuttle suggestion if they are available. Lucke St might be worth looking into in the morning. Per the map, going via Luckie St slightly increases the walk but will try depending on how willing everyone is.

[PeteATL41]

its a cheap cab ride if the hotel donesn't have a shuttle. as others have said its not the best part of town especially if your not familiar with it.

[cqholt]

You'd be better to walk to Arts Center MARTA Station and take the train to Peachtree Center or Dome\GWCC\Philips Arena\CNN Center stations. The hotel is on 14th Street, that's 2 miles to Centennial Olympic Park.

[jpatlanta]

The real problem is the traffic, bad pavements and wide roads. Makes walking unpleasant on many of the main streets.

[ATLTJL]

I was imagining a bustling urban area full of people aka NYC Midtown etc and hence a walk would be much more enjoyable experience. Am I off base?

Pretty off base.

What you're looking for does exist in Atlanta, but it's mostly up in midtown, not downtown. Maybe the area around Georgia State would be an exception when school is in session.

[bryantm3]

i wouldn't walk down marietta, maybe not luckie, especially at night. maybe during the day. your best bet if you want to walk is probably going over the 14th street bridge and going through midtown.

it's not that the area is dangerous, but there's not a lot of foot traffic which can equal someone being able to mug you easier.