Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Driving in Circles: My Beef with DC
Before the residents of the DMV (that's my new tri-state area, not the Department of Motor Vehicles) start twisting their mouths, I'd like to begin by stating that I like the District of Columbia a whole lot. In a future blog, I will do a top five list of all of the things about DC that kick the Beantown's tush. In the meantime, I've included a happy photo of my mom and stepdad enjoying my new neighborhood. However, I do take umbrage at some of the city's smaller details, all of which have to do with transportation:
1) Roundabouts - Coming from Boston, a town that's had a long love affair with the rotary, I thought that I'd immediately master the art of the DC circle. However, rotaries in Massachusetts don't have traffic lights in them. They also don't have inner and outer sections that can cause you to miss your exit if you're in the wrong lane. Last week, I drove Dupont Circle for 940 degrees before I could exit at Massachusetts Ave (of all streets). Absolutely ridiculous.
2) Gas stations - The price of fuel here is insane. I saw one place in a very touristy area that listed its cheapest gas at $4.19 a gallon. Now there are some stations that are more reasonable, but the problem with those is that you have to transport yourself back to 1989 in order to patronize those establishments. They don't take credit cards at the pump. You actually have to go inside, estimate how much gas you're going to need, and pay in advance. Seriously?
3) L'Enfant Plaza - I'm a fan of the Metro. I love that they tell you how much longer you have to wait for your train. It's organized by color (like Boston) and it's quite user-friendly. But I had to raise an eyebrow the first time the conductor approached L'Enfant Plaza. Why does no one in this town pronounce the first "N," inexplicably calling it "Lafant?" It's like everyone took a course in bad French. Very odd.
Any Washingtonians, DC squatters, or frequent visitors want to add on (or bite off my head)?
Comments:
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As a fellow Bean to DMV transplant, I think your complaints are all hilarious and so very true! Though I don't drive in DC very often and try my best not to have to (that's what husbands are for), I believe you will get the hang of the rotaries with lights in the middle and bogarting your way out. As for the price of gas...Pray. I definitely gas up before heading into the city. And, yes, the only people I believe I ever hear/heard pronounce L'Enfant correctly are my sisters and I...
# posted by 
: 12/28/10, 11:57 AM
: 12/28/10, 11:57 AM
1 and 3 are related: when you base your city layout on the designs and inspiration of a parisian, but you only do it halfway and with a DC flair, this is what happens. roundabouts with their own special bureaucracy.
as for 2, go to the station on U and 15th. it's where the cabbies go, so i guess it's the cheapest?
and you obviously haven't tried to find a decent slice of pizza or fish other than crab cakes yet....
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as for 2, go to the station on U and 15th. it's where the cabbies go, so i guess it's the cheapest?
and you obviously haven't tried to find a decent slice of pizza or fish other than crab cakes yet....
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