Getting Around

I’ve just succeeded in convincing myself that public transportation to and from my neighborhood really sucks. Given we were down to one working car today and we both had appointments at the same time, I opted to find a combination of ways to get home from downtown. Over two hours later I walked in the door.

My appointment was not far from the Foggy Bottom Metro stop, so the first leg of my trip was easy. I bought a $2 fare card, the minimum purchase even though the non-rush-hour fare at 1:00 was $1.65.

I decided to get off at the Pentagon because I thought there were lots of bus connections from there. I asked in the information kiosk and the attendant told me either a 16F or a 25 bus would do.

When I realized I needed $1.35 for the bus, I managed to sound pathetic enough that a nice woman gave me the $.35. But then I came to realize that neither of the buses the man had suggested went to my neighborhood.

After walking up and down and looking at the little maps that showed the routes, I figured out that a 28F or 28G would probably work. I called the number listed to find out when the next would be arriving. “They only run at rush hour,” the woman said. She proceeded to tell me I needed to get back on the Metro and go to King Street to get the correct bus. Knowing that was more money and time and way out of my way, I asked what the best bus leaving from the Pentagon would be. “7A,” she said. I found the place to wait for a 7A and learned that it ran hourly. The next one was coming in a few minutes.

It was a very circuitous route from the Pentagon that dumped me off on Beauregard Street, probably a half mile from my house. So I walked, and walked, and walked, going through unfamiliar townhouses and finally spotting the neighborhood tennis courts. By the time I walked through my door, a full two hours had elapsed. The same trip takes between 15 and 20 minutes by car.

The good news was I got some exercise, I had a chance to catch up with my neighbor who was outside picking up debris from yesterday’s storm, and when I did finally get home, I was greeted with the fact that the electricity, which had been off for almost 24 hours, was back on again.

So I return to the fact that I really would like to have the option of using public transportation for trips into the city, but 2 hours each way is entirely unacceptable.

On a more positive note, we did take a Metrobus from Dulles Airport to Roslyn on Sunday night. The cost was $3.10 each, as compared to probably $75 for a taxi. The 5A runs hourly and stops only twice. It's a great bargain!