MARTA: Downtown --> Grant Park
One of the things I want to do with this blog is feature various MARTA bus routes specifically by describing where they can take you. I’m always running into people who are surprised when I explain to them how easy it is for me to get to, say, East Atlanta or Lenox Square or my work at Emory, when in fact it’s quite easy. Sometimes even people who live next to a bus stop have no idea. So why not share bus routes I know?
This first post is about a trip I’ve made many, many times the past three years or so: Taking the Route 32 Bouldercrest bus from Five Points Station south and then west over to Grant Park, where I enjoy the weekly Grant Park Farmers Market. (I’ve also taken the 32 to destinations past Grant Park, but this post is just about going to the market.) It’s an extremely convenient trip for me that allows me to get on down to the market in about 10 minutes and get back in the same amount of time. It’s also a trip that provides a real contrast in environments, as you start out in a really gritty, even kind of gross, city bus stop and wind up at a bucolic city park. And I’ve got pictures to show it. Look below the cut for that and more.
Today’s a Sunday. After checking out travel times using Googe Maps, I walked over to Five Points to catch the 32 that was supposed to leave at 10:41. The driver was I think 4 minutes later, which was annoying but soon we took off and were on our way.
There weren’t nearly as many passengers on this trip as there usually are on Sunday mornings, not sure why. But this woman at the front was there and super dressed up. As I was getting off, I told her how much I loved her skirt.
The 32 basically leave Downtown by going past the Capitol and down over to what was Ted Turner Stadium, then heading east down Georgia Avenue, which terminates at Cherokee Avenue and Grant Park. That’s where I hop off, while the bus keeps going and going. The picture above is taken front just inside the park along Cherokee.
The Grant Park Farmers Market is a wonderful weekly market that runs every Sunday from 9 am to 1 pm. It used to be April-December but I learned today that it’s going to be year-round starting in January. This is welcome news because I always go into withdrawal the months it’s closed. As far as goods sold, there are tons of stands offering food (lots of produce, as well as meat, sausage, dairy, eggs, yogurt, coffee, bread, doughnuts), prepared food (soup, crepes, hot dogs, pizza), preserves, crafts, granola, and more. There’s often live music, chef demos, and more. It’s very family-friendly as well as dog-friendly. I’ve also seen pigs and goats there.
The park is a lovely spot for a walk, so if there’s time between the end of my shopping and when I have to catch the bus, I wander around a little.
I catch the bus back at a stop on Georgia Ave. by the corner with Cherokee Ave. Here’s a picture from this morning showing my three bags. I went home with: fresh eggs, half a dozen apples, 2 bottles of fresh cider, fresh mushroom, 4 pastries, and 2 big bags of granola. Plus a big pretzel in my belly.
Today I caught a bus back at around 11:50. There were lots of people on this one, including this woman who stood out with her colorful outfit. I used selective color on her picture to make it “pop.”
