The Metro
So lately, the most travelling I've been doing is from my house in Ballston to Metro Center on the ever frustrating DC Metro which at least (and this is the very least you can say about the metro) is mostly clean. Mostly.
I've been riding the metro since high school when I used to drive to Franconia from Fairfax, get on the blue line, transfer to Metro Center to the Red and take it to Van Ness/UDC where my high school was. At least then I was guaranteed a seat, and I'll admit my consistent tardiness was split 50/50 between my own resistence to alarm clocks and Metro's resistence to scheduling.
So, now, I'm so much closer but yet still so far. 7 minutes walking from my house to the metro certainly beats 25 minutes of driving to then park at the metro but unless I'm out the door by 8 there is no way I will make what should be a 20 min ride to Metro Center on time. What should be half an hour door to desk is really more like 45-50 minutes. And yes, its infuriating. Much like when I got on the metro this morning at Courthouse (a whole three stops closer than Ballston) only to see that the next train was 6 minutes away- in Ballston. 15 minutes later the train arrived, stuffed to the gills with no room for more passengers.
Which brings me to another note- ladies- PLEASE if everyone is crammed into the damn train, please take your humungous oversized, unncessary tote bag/knock-off Birkin/LV/Kate Spade WHATEVER off your shoulder and hold it at your legs, I swear your taste in oversized accessories is half the reason for overcrowding on Metro. (Oh yea and the inability for Metro to run a train on schedule but that does become a chicken and the egg kind of question see as earlier in the morning trains DO run on time (hence my 8am departure from my house means I arrive on time) and maybe, god forbid, we admit that overcrowding also has to do with too many people trying to sleep an extra five minutes each morning, thereby rushing into the station and cramming into the cars, the doors don't close etc etc "please stand clear of the doors" = you are delaying this train get out of the way fool. Not to say Metro shouldn't run more trains but...c'mon people its not entirely their fault.
I'm not going to even touch fare increases with this, but lets just suffice it to say that I'm not so satisfied with my new means of travel. In a way you could actually make the comparison of the denizens of DC crowding into already overcrowded trains with passengers swarming into line at the gate to board a plane- which is even more pointless for those passengets because at least they all have a seat!
But, the good news is, as of February 28th I get to abandon the DC metro system for awhile and take up my other hobby- international travel, this time 24 hours of flying to Palau followed by an insane 48 hours in Tokyo! Woo hoo!
I've been riding the metro since high school when I used to drive to Franconia from Fairfax, get on the blue line, transfer to Metro Center to the Red and take it to Van Ness/UDC where my high school was. At least then I was guaranteed a seat, and I'll admit my consistent tardiness was split 50/50 between my own resistence to alarm clocks and Metro's resistence to scheduling.
So, now, I'm so much closer but yet still so far. 7 minutes walking from my house to the metro certainly beats 25 minutes of driving to then park at the metro but unless I'm out the door by 8 there is no way I will make what should be a 20 min ride to Metro Center on time. What should be half an hour door to desk is really more like 45-50 minutes. And yes, its infuriating. Much like when I got on the metro this morning at Courthouse (a whole three stops closer than Ballston) only to see that the next train was 6 minutes away- in Ballston. 15 minutes later the train arrived, stuffed to the gills with no room for more passengers.
Which brings me to another note- ladies- PLEASE if everyone is crammed into the damn train, please take your humungous oversized, unncessary tote bag/knock-off Birkin/LV/Kate Spade WHATEVER off your shoulder and hold it at your legs, I swear your taste in oversized accessories is half the reason for overcrowding on Metro. (Oh yea and the inability for Metro to run a train on schedule but that does become a chicken and the egg kind of question see as earlier in the morning trains DO run on time (hence my 8am departure from my house means I arrive on time) and maybe, god forbid, we admit that overcrowding also has to do with too many people trying to sleep an extra five minutes each morning, thereby rushing into the station and cramming into the cars, the doors don't close etc etc "please stand clear of the doors" = you are delaying this train get out of the way fool. Not to say Metro shouldn't run more trains but...c'mon people its not entirely their fault.
I'm not going to even touch fare increases with this, but lets just suffice it to say that I'm not so satisfied with my new means of travel. In a way you could actually make the comparison of the denizens of DC crowding into already overcrowded trains with passengers swarming into line at the gate to board a plane- which is even more pointless for those passengets because at least they all have a seat!
But, the good news is, as of February 28th I get to abandon the DC metro system for awhile and take up my other hobby- international travel, this time 24 hours of flying to Palau followed by an insane 48 hours in Tokyo! Woo hoo!
posted by WanderLust at 1/25/2007 09:12:00 AM
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