Atlanta Airport at Night (Savannah, Canton: rental car, rental, hotel)

[Lieneke]

What an amazing airport! Staff hand out red blankets to people who are sprawled out on the many stuffed chairs. The gate-to-gate transit system, and baggage system are so well organized, and signage is excellent. Being a complete foreigner, I had no difficulty figuring out that I needed to jump on that train before it left Gate F. At night, the cleaners and repair people come out, but there are dust bunnies in the corners that the cleaners miss. Shift change seemed to be at 3:30 or 4AM ... lots of people in blue uniforms leaving the building.

I met a most interesting man on the sidewalk outside the South Entrance of the Airport. The white haired man approached me with two other people. One person had received one of his cigarettes, and the other understood some Cantonese or Mandarin (not sure which language he spoke). He needed a light, and so did the man who was going to smoke one of his cigarettes. She was helping him find a lighter because he didn't speak English. She was young, he was elderly. He smoked Castor cigarettes.

After he smoked his cigarette, he asked me for another light. I knew I had two lighters, so after I lit his cigarette, I gifted him the lighter. It was such an interesting moment. He thanked me, paused, then pulled out his wallet and offered me a red 100 currency from China. I gestured that it was a gift. He offered me a cigarette, I initially declined but then I realized that accepting would even out the gift, so I did. He was unable to work the lighter, so as we cupped our hands over the anticipatory flame, I felt his hands against mine and they were so soft. He didn't work with his hands.

We connected in a very interesting way - no words, just kind gestures, like old friends.

[Lieneke]

I changed from silk pants to lululemon sleeping pants in front of the sink in the women's washroom. Two young women with dark hair and Middle East features nearly had a fit - not sure what their problem was. People were sleeping all over the place, what's wrong with changing in the bathroom.

I'm sure the woman on Alaska Airlines sitting next to me from Atlanta to Seattle thinks I'm completely nuts. I passed out cold as soon as I sat down in the airplane. I think I spasmed a couple of time - during take off, and four five hours into the flight I woke up with a start - throwing out my arms as I'm realizing, coming from a deep sleep, that I'm on an airplane.

She kept smiling at me, so I know she liked me ... if I was completely well rested sitting next to someone like me 32 hours into the day, I'd be amused too.

[Lieneke]

I was tired because I was a tourist in Savannah when evacuation orders were put in place. It was quite the experience.

Lesson Learned: don't believe American Airlines, and don't accept their hotel recommendations.

Sorry for spamming - but what a beautiful city - so majestic. Thursday morning, I was invited to join a gang of homeless people. I was approached for money and cigarettes. I heard a very sad story from a woman who had children, but had custody of none. Her oldest child, a girl, is autistic and she can never have custody of her. Another child, male, can chose when he is 12 or 14, and she can have custody when he turns 18. I met a schizophrenic man during Civic Center evacuation.

Tybee Island is meditation.

I love the rocking chairs at the airport, and the swings at the beach!

And, the funniest "prepare for disaster and buckle up" pilot/stewardess message I've ever heard - a comedian - and "we will be dimming the lights to make the stewardesses appear more attractive." Brilliant.

The crew change in Seattle was like loading up a bunch of insolent 20 something imbeciles. Seattle Special, I suppose.

[ATLTJL]

Always nice for people to appreciate the airport. So many people complain about it, but I also like it. Yes, it's big..but the signage is very good and if you follow the signs, it's hard to get lost. Unlike so many airports, where it's hard to find any direction on how to get anywhere.

Like anywhere else, the people who are there during off-peak hours tend to be a little friendlier because they aren't in such hurries.

[krogerDisco]

I always have a hard time figuring out how to get out of the airport terminal, and locating the Marta train.

[Atlwarrior]

Thank you! It amazing that the Atlanta Airport is so complex and yet so efficient.

[sedimenjerry]

I really find the airport to be large but logical. Never had any sort of issue even when it was my first time on my own. Contrast that with trying to find an odd addition at IAH through some long hallway that doesn't look it matches with anything. Throw in the complexity of getting from A to D and it's really not that well thought out. DFW is a little better and the train even splits the terminals into thirds (or seconds, can't remember). Problem is it's sooooo slow to get around.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by krogerDisco

I always have a hard time figuring out how to get out of the airport terminal, and locating the Marta train.

It's surprisingly easy. There are multiple large signs that look similar to this, complete with the directional arrows:

^ Ground Transportation

^ Rental Cars

^ Train to City

Honestly? And you actually lived here?

[ATLTJL]

The airport is actually amazingly simple.

[cqholt]

HJIA has a very efficient layout and can move millions of passengers a year. The midfield concourses have been replicated at many other airports (Denver, DTW)