Metro question for Wash DC
Dec 13th, 2001, 10:50 AM
#2
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Jan, In a word No. I think your best bet from Pentagon City is a rental car. The metro will get you only so far, but not near Annapolis really. You could connect to the Marc train, but that would only get you to BWI and you'd still have to rent a car to get to Annapolis. Unless the Marc goes to Annapolis, which I'm pretty sure it doesn't.
Dec 13th, 2001, 11:39 AM
#3
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Jan, Stella is right on the money, and before you make the trek or rent a vehicle to go, I would make sure that they are still offering tours. At one time I heard they stopped because of the terroist activity, so you may want to call first or check their website.
Dec 13th, 2001, 11:42 AM
#4
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Hi Jan---
I don't think there's much public transport option to get to Annapolis at this time. MARC goes at closest a good 10 miles away. There MAY be a commuter bus on weekdays from DC, and there is one from Baltimore with very limited hours on weekdays. Greyhound does go to Annapolis from DC.
Otherwise, renting a car or taxiing from BWI are your options.
I don't think there's much public transport option to get to Annapolis at this time. MARC goes at closest a good 10 miles away. There MAY be a commuter bus on weekdays from DC, and there is one from Baltimore with very limited hours on weekdays. Greyhound does go to Annapolis from DC.
Otherwise, renting a car or taxiing from BWI are your options.
Dec 13th, 2001, 05:29 PM
#6
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Thanks for the sincere replies. I'm from California where the public transportation stinks, and thought the East Coast was pretty connected by rail. I will probably get a limo for 4 hours and enjoy the ride, as suggested by a previous poster on another question. Again, thanks for the nice replies.
Dec 13th, 2001, 05:51 PM
#7
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I AM trying to be snide, but not where Jan's question is concerned.
The DC Metro is fairly limited in scope.
Yet, DC traffic is an abomination. Every time I go back there I am glad I don't have to do what I did for 6 years.
When I think about how far into the suburbs the RER and banlieu trains around Paris reach out, or when I think about the extensive Munich S and U Bahn system, we have a lot of catching up to do. In Atlanta, near where I live, people had rather sit in a two hour morass of traffic than to vote for tax dollars to create a rapid rail system.
The traffic situation is like the weather; everybody talks about it but nothing does anything about it, except to refuse to do anything about it. So, from 4:30 to 6:30, traffic in much of Atlanta is a crawl. And there is no plan in sight to remedy the situation.
So if you are traveling in the South along I 20, I 75 or I 85, get through Atlanta during the working week before 6:30 AM, or after 9 AM, and also try to avoid it between 4 and 7 PM.
That north section of I 285 is frequently a parking lot!!
The DC Metro is fairly limited in scope.
Yet, DC traffic is an abomination. Every time I go back there I am glad I don't have to do what I did for 6 years.
When I think about how far into the suburbs the RER and banlieu trains around Paris reach out, or when I think about the extensive Munich S and U Bahn system, we have a lot of catching up to do. In Atlanta, near where I live, people had rather sit in a two hour morass of traffic than to vote for tax dollars to create a rapid rail system.
The traffic situation is like the weather; everybody talks about it but nothing does anything about it, except to refuse to do anything about it. So, from 4:30 to 6:30, traffic in much of Atlanta is a crawl. And there is no plan in sight to remedy the situation.
So if you are traveling in the South along I 20, I 75 or I 85, get through Atlanta during the working week before 6:30 AM, or after 9 AM, and also try to avoid it between 4 and 7 PM.
That north section of I 285 is frequently a parking lot!!
Dec 14th, 2001, 03:55 AM
#8
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Just back from DC, and a big DITTO to Bob Brown's post. If you look at the Metro map, you'll see some huge areas that are just not covered, including a large part of Arlington, VA. I drove through an area between "7 corners" and "Bailey's Crossroads" and thought it was Armageddon-level Gridlock. Within DC itself, huge areas are very poorly covered, including Georgetown and Adams Morgan.
Of course it would be disruptive to add to the lightrail system, but part of the reason it's so limited now is that they started the whole process so late in the city's history (first leg open in 1976). Better late than never?
It would also help, of course, if the corporate and special interest lobbying sector hadn't exploded in the last few decades, making the density of unmonitored growth almost overwhelming for the area.
And finally, I'd say that since I lived there in the 70s and early 80s, the drivers have become beastly carnivores, making the whole thing a cauldron of roadrage misery.
Of course it would be disruptive to add to the lightrail system, but part of the reason it's so limited now is that they started the whole process so late in the city's history (first leg open in 1976). Better late than never?
It would also help, of course, if the corporate and special interest lobbying sector hadn't exploded in the last few decades, making the density of unmonitored growth almost overwhelming for the area.
And finally, I'd say that since I lived there in the 70s and early 80s, the drivers have become beastly carnivores, making the whole thing a cauldron of roadrage misery.
Dec 14th, 2001, 04:13 AM
#9
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Agree that traffic in DC sucks and Metro coverage could be a lot better, but it's still a pretty darn good system. It's clean, it's safe, and it's reliable. Most people I know ride it to and from work every day (including myself). There are very few DC tourist attractions which aren't Metro accessible. Bottom line: I'll take DC and its Metro system over a smaller city with no subway any day of the week. While others are fighting traffic, I read the paper on the way to work.
In any case, enjoy your trip Jan!
In any case, enjoy your trip Jan!
Dec 14th, 2001, 11:31 AM
#10
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South Arlington is woefully underserved by Metro. The powers that be claim it's not densely populated enough to warrant a metro stop. Anyone who's driven along Columbia Pike and Route 7 knows that's simply not true.
The reason there's no Metro there? Many of the people who live in South Arlington are Hispanic, and therefore very underrepresented among elected officials. Simple as that.
But in defense of Metro, remember that's it's only 25 years old. These things take time. There are plans to expand the metro out to Dulles Airport, and several new stops have been added in the past few years. It's a work in progress, and the original plans were only just completed last year (or was it two years ago?).
The reason there's no Metro there? Many of the people who live in South Arlington are Hispanic, and therefore very underrepresented among elected officials. Simple as that.
But in defense of Metro, remember that's it's only 25 years old. These things take time. There are plans to expand the metro out to Dulles Airport, and several new stops have been added in the past few years. It's a work in progress, and the original plans were only just completed last year (or was it two years ago?).
