Does anyone know how busy the Rosslyn Station is from 7:30-8:30 on a weekday morning? If we need to be at the Capitol by 8:30, what would be a reasonable amount of time to allow for travel from the Rosslyn Metro Station or from the Courthouse Station? Thanks in advance.

Hi Paula. Our usual place to stay in DC is at the Mariott Courtyard in Rosslyn. From the motel to the metro station is a few blocks so we have used the Rossyln station several times. At that time of day, the Rosslyn station is quite busy, so you may have to stand on your journey and ride in a packed car. I would allow a minimum of 40 minutes for the trip because you don't want to be racing up the steps or the escalator in a mild panic.
The Rosslyn station is on the blue line and the orange line, both of which go to the Capitol South station. I presume that is where you would exit. There is a web site that you can check. Be sure you have some dollar bills for the ticket vendor machine. You might want to allow an extra 5 to 10 minutes if yo are not familiar with the ticket gadget. You look up your fare on a chart, insert the money, poke in the value, and the machine spits out a ticket with a magnetic stripe on the back. The value of the ticket will be encoded in the magnetic stripe, which is then read at the gate when you enter and depart. If you ever arrive without sufficient fare, you can always do an "add fare" at the vending machine.

The Web site is at www.wmata.com. My first instinct was to go from Rosslyn to Metro Center, then transfer to the Red line and go to Union Station, whence the Capitol is but a quick walk. Either Capitol South or Union Station is less than 20 minutes away, although it may seem like more when you're crammed on a train during rush hour.
You will, however, gain a whole new appreciation of the phrase "My fellow Americans." Plus, DC Metro riders, unlike NYC straphangers, actually DO let people get off the train. We're bureaucrats, but we're civilzed.

Ouch, I take that as a personal swipe against my much beloved city. Funny I live in Washington, DC,now and ride the Metro, and be well prepared for that time in the morning. DC commuters are no more civilzed than anywhere else, maybe a little less so. 2nd worse rush-hour traffic in the US.

I will hasten to add that the civilized aspect of DC's commute does not extend to the roads, whre every driver's motto appears to be "My need to get somewhere is much greater than yours."

DC Metro riders are civilized? Give me a break. I ride the metro downtown everyday to work. I can count on one hand the times I was offered a seat when I was almost nine months pregnant. During my pregnancy, I had to fight to get a seat on the way home from work. One man even chewed me out for daring to ask to sit down. Civilized. Never. Paula, keep in mind that the Capitol South metro is closest to the House side, and Union Station is closest to the Senate.

I guess "civilized" is a relative term, which I define as "willing to move out of the way to let people off the train when their stop comes," which is more than I can say for New York.
I have yet to figure out why DC Metro riders refuse to stand up and hang onto a pole. What's with this leaning crap?

I take this route almost every day from Rosslyn. This is rush hour meaning that the fares are a little higher and the trains more crowded. I would allow a little more time if I were you and if you're unfamiliar with the metro system. 45 minutes just to be on the safe side. I would recommend taking the orange/blue to Capitol South rather than changing to the red line at metro center & getting off at Union Station. It's worth riding a little longer to avoid having to change trains. Plus the Capitol is a little closer to Capitol South than it is to Union Station. When you get off at Capitol South it's about a 5 minute walk to the Capitol. Just FYI, when the orange line trains pull into the station at Rosslyn, they tend to be a little fuller than the blue line trains. Sometimes if they are way too packed it is worth waiting for the next train which is usually a blue.

I can't tell you the number of times the very civilized individuals that ride the Metro have let me off at my stop. You have to fight your way out of the train during rush-hours. With people pushing, actually I think the DC metro is much worse than NY. In NYC, public transportation is the norm, in DC it is not. Good Luck, I'd add a couple extra minutes to be safe.

Folks, allow one hour, and don't sweat the small stuff. Riding Metro is easy, so ease back on the civilization analysis, and just get a ticket and enjoy the ride. Look at a map of Metro, and you'll see which stops to use. A subway trip over analyzed? Wow!!

Fred, you must be new here: if a topic is worth posting, it's worth analyzing to bits.
On the plus side, everyone's obsession with the forum let me know that a forecast for rain had been pushed from Wednesday to the weekend (not good news, but useful from my tomatoes perspective).