atlanta information

Communications

Cell phones

If you can't rent a cell phone (not a “mobile” in American English) through your hotel, you can buy a pre-paid package, including telephone and line rental, at many electrical goods stores and even some supermarkets. RentCell and ICS are just two of the companies that will ship a rented phone to your hotel. They will charge a deposit and a per-minute rate. Cell phones generally charge the same per-minute rate within the United States as land lines, but more to call abroad.



Long-distance calling

Atlanta's area codes, which you must dial before the seven-digit local number, are 404, 770 and 678. All calls between these area codes are free from a regular phone (but not necessarily from your hotel phone); calling outside Atlanta will incur additional charges.

To call within the United States and outside Atlanta, dial 1, then the area code, then the phone number. To call abroad, dial 011, then the country code, then the phone number.

If you plan on making many international calls, consider using a prepaid service like Onesuite, in which international calls are routed through an American number, and thus incur much lower charges.



Operator and directory assistance

Dial 411 for information within Atlanta; dial 1 + (area code) + 555-1212 for everywhere else in the United States. These are fee services; typically your cell-phone provider will route you through its directory assistance, which will charge a flat rate. Competition has begun among directory-assistance lines, with companies like Infone offering lower fees.

Dial 0 to reach the operator; if you want to make an international call, ask for the international operator.



Post offices

Hours are generally 9am-5pm weekdays and 9am-12pm on Saturdays. Some of the downtown post offices are closed on weekends. Post offices are scattered throughout the city; to find the closest one, ask your concierge, call 1-800-275-8777 or visit the United States Postal Service's website.

Ordinary mail within the United States costs $.37 for a letter weighing up to an ounce. International mail rates vary by destination.



Public telephones

These can be found on many main streets and in MARTA stations. Expect to pay $.25-$.50 for a three-minute local call, and more for a long-distance call.



Time zone

Like New York and Washington, D.C., Atlanta operates on Eastern Standard Time (EST). At 9am in Atlanta, it's 6am in Los Angeles, 8am in Chicago, 2pm in London, 3pm in Paris, and 11pm in Tokyo.

It is 10:32 a.m. Saturday in Atlanta, 62°F/17°C
(Forecast)
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posted by none @ 7:31 AM