> [WS:] DC Metro may not be the greatest thing in the world, but it is beyond
> doubt a far better alternative to driving in this utterly confusing maze of
> circles and streets crisscrossing at every imaginable angle. This city is a
> fucking nightmare. DC is the ONLY city in which I routinely get lost, even
> though I visit it quite regularly. Therefore, I simply refuse to drive into
> this mad hellhole. Riding MARC and Metro may not be perfect, but at least I
> know where I am going.
Oh, I totally agree about driving in D.C., based on the limited experiences I've had with driving around the city. During my visit last summer I dorve around town and was constantly infuriated by the experience. Bear in mind that I'm normally an extremely laid back driver.
Parking in D.C. is a nightmare. Try and find a space in Adams Morgan or downtown. It is easy to get lost and the layout of the streets in highways makes you think that insane city planners designed the city (actually much of the layout is based on historic roads that existed before automobiles). Even the lauded L'Enfant grid system causes confusion thanks to the diagonal avenues.
> As to the aesthetic aspect - I agree it has a sanitized, corporate and
> non-descript look, but it can be much, much worse - cf. Crystal City, which
> is hell. What I like about the Metro, though, is that it is a true melting
> pot - every imaginable kind of people occupying the same physical space,
> democratically, no limos, no first and business classes, no fatheads taking
> four seats for themselves, or sitting above others and farting exhaust fumes
> in other people's faces.
I don't miss it.
At this point I should provide a link to one of those pages with pictures of beautiful subway systems around the world.
The D.C. system is at least clean, which is something that can't be said about NYC or Philly. The Chicago system used to be pretty icky.
One thing I haven't complained about is Metro's problem with escalators. I'm a fit guy and I got around D.C. for years on my two feet and public transit, but Metro's broken escalator situation was just awful.
Chuck