New Transit System

I have been riding MARTA every day for quite a while now, parking at the Avondale station and riding into work. But this week, something happened to the Avondale station. The “MARTA” signs now read “METRO” and our very simple transit map became more complicated with additional lines and stations I’ve never heard of. Yesterday signs went up over the escalators for the green and blue lines even though there is only one line that goes through Avondale (a blue line). Here is the system map posted in the station:

The map above is from a picture I took with my iPod Touch, which has an awful camera. So I took additional pictures of parts of the map so that you can actually read the names of the stations (click on parts of the map above to zoom in). This doesn’t seem to be a map of any real world transit system. At the center, where the green and blue lines cross, is the Ashland station. So, since Avondale now has entrances to both the green and blue lines, Avondale must be the Ashland station. The map above is just outside the main gates, but down on the platform the new maps were in place as well. At the gates where a circle usually says to tap your Breeze card, it had a METRO logo (Breeze card still worked).

Also, the parking lot where I usually park is now closed and is filled with trailers, trucks, cars, and tents. They are filming a movie. A little research led me to an article saying the movie is Solace, starring Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell, due to be released in 2014. A press release from the city of Decatur says

“The movie is a thriller, and there is a chance bystanders may see or hear police, SWAT teams, flashing lights, and possible special effect sounds during the filming on Marta property. Please keep in mind this is all simulated and both Marta police and the Decatur Police Department are aware of the ongoing project.”

This is part of the wave of movies being filmed in Georgia now that Georgia gives a rebate of 30% of any money being spent here filming a movie or TV show. This is not the first movie filmed at the Avondale station. There was one last year (or maybe the year before and it could have been a TV show) where they were using the train.

Looking at the map, a lot of the station names look like people’s names (you have to click the map to make out the text). One is Collinwood, which may be a reference to one of the stars, Colin Farrell. Another is called Bookhardt which has to be after the art director of the movie (according to IMDB), Laurie Bookhardt.