Chastain is in a residential area, so no hotels within walking distance to my knowledge. If it's a splurge weekend, try the 4- and 5-star hotels in Buckhead. I would count the Ritz, Grand Hyatt, and JW Marriott in that list. I would imagine MARTA has buses that can get you to Chastain, but I don't know off the top of my head.

"Near the ampitheatre" is the controlling phrase here. I'm very familiar with the Atlanta area and to put it simply, there are no hotels or restaurants "near" Chastain. It sits in what is a residential area which has actually be an issue for the noise from concerts.

I would suggest that the closest place you want to stay for a "no expense spared" experience would be in Buckhead/Lenox, which is not too far from Chastain. If you're trying to get by without a car, you could take the MARTA (rapid transit) train from the airport.. more on that later. There are two branches of the train and you need to take the one for "North Springs," and exit at the N7-Buckhead station. That will put you in walking distance of several very nice hotels and restaurants. Google "3300 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA" which is the approximate address of the MARTA station and you can see what hotels are nearby and make a choice. There are plenty of good to excellent restaurants in the area depending on the fare that you like.

And you can go to www.itsmarta.com and I'm pretty sure you should be able to get a bus up to Chastain, or if not, it is not a long cab ride. The hotel concierge may actually be able to assist you with this.

As far as MARTA, it is like any big city rapid transit. You would be best served to sit in the first car, near the driver, and place your luggage and purse in such a way that it cannot be snatched at a station by someone who will then run out the door. There are places to put luggage but I don't use them when I travel that way by the train. The ride from the airport to Buckhead is probably about 40 minutes. You can purchase two two-way train passes at the airport and there is usually someone there able to help you buy the paper tickets (which are the ones you want for temporary use). You don't buy individual trip tickets on MARTA. They scam you for either a rechargable paper ticket or card and you swipe it and it discharges the fee for that ride.

So you can land, retrieve your luggage, take the train on the North Springs Line to the Buckhead station, get off and walk to your hotel. From there you can walk to eat (remember this is a major metropolitan city and be alert but this is not a high crime area), take a bus to and from Chastain (there may even be direct bus service on the night of the event from the Buckhead station).

Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Restaurant recommendation: if you like good steak or particularly Louisiana fare, try McKinnon's Louisienne at Peachtree and Maple, which will be near where you are. One of my favorite places in Buckhead.

"'Near the ampitheatre'" is the controlling phrase here. I'm very familiar with the Atlanta area and to put it simply, there are no hotels or restaurants "near" Chastain."

This is not quite true. Horseradish Grill is extremely close to Chastain Park. http://www.horseradishgrill.com/index.html

Also in that area are Blue Ridge Grill and Hal's on Old Ivy. Not too far away are Home and Nava. For your non-concert night, I would recommend dinner at Shaun's, Rathbun's, Home, FAB or Aria. You should also look into Restaurant Eugene, which I haven't tried but gets fantastic reviews.

I agree with the recommendation to stay in Buckhead. For top of the line there, you should stay at The Mansion of Peachtree. www.mansiononpeachtree.com After that, I would probably pick the Intercontinental, as it is much newer than the Ritz, Grand Hyatt or JW Marriott.

I see that you mentioned renting a car. You're going to have to rent a car to take a taxi. You do not want to take a bus to your upscale dining and Chastain experiences. The buses are infrequent and, unfortunately, mainly used by those who cannot afford cars. If you do take a taxi, be aware that taxis aren't as easy to hail from the street as, say, NY or Chicago. Of course your hotel can arrange for a taxi or a limo from the hotel, but be sure to take the driver's number with you to make sure you can get a taxi back.

Another idea is that the Midtown W Hotel has a car service that's free for guests. The hotel has good MARTA access, and the car is a luxury SUV that's available on a first-come first-serve basis. That might be an idea as well.

Also wanted to add you can get a great deal on Buckhead 4star hotels through "priceline." The money you save in lodging can be used to cover cab fare, which is easily accessible from all the 4star properties. Marta is the easiest route for transportation from the airport. North Springs (Buckhead) stop is a bit tricky to navigate with luggage, so you may be better off using one of the Midtown stops and taking a cab the balance of the trip.

Good luck!

Just to clarify, you do not need to get off at the North Springs station to go to a Buckhead hotel. You will just take the North Springs line to the Buckhead station, which station is not at all confusing.