Rapid Travel Chai

Flying to Atlanta this morning on Delta’s withering 5:25 am flight from Minneapolis, The Rapid Traveler was seated next to a lighting architect and road warrior stopping in Atlanta to see his work progressing for the Legoland Discovery Center in Buckhead’s Phipps Plaza. Buckhead is north of downtown Atlanta within the I-285 perimeter loop, a popular business and shopping district with great dining. Boarding Area blogger Marshall Jackson frequently visits on business.

Atlanta’s MARTA subway reaches Lenox Square next door from downtown and the airport.

The Rapid Traveler confesses to having not previously visited a Legoland Discovery Center but is no stranger to Legos, so presumably these are fun, but readers are welcome to share their first-hand impressions of the other locations in Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Kansas City, Manchester, Duisburg, Berlin and Tokyo.

The Atlanta website does not share a firm opening date but claims to sell discount advance tickets until the next line says that tickets are coming soon, so it is  a work in progress and less organized than might be supposed.

Photo by DavidGuthrie

This expands Atlanta’s collection of brands that consumers pay to be marketed to. The World of Coca-Cola and CNN are downtown, near the exemplary Georgia Aquarium. CityPASS for Altanta is a good deal at $69 and skips the lines (Georgia Aquarium is notorious for huge crowds), including those three and there two either/or choices among museums and the zoo. The Rapid Traveler votes for the stately Atlanta History Center, enjoyable as much for the drive, near Buckhead, among mint-julep dropping mansions.

Atlanta works well for families and Legoland will be a good way to park children and slip in some shopping or dining.