By Alexandra Savage
I don’t often realize how lucky we are to have the metro system until I visit my hometown in New Jersey, which requires me to drive everywhere. As someone who barely passed my driver’s test because I can’t parallel park, hearing the words “we’re meeting downtown” is enough to send chills down my spine. I start to think of full parking lots and people screaming at me for holding up three lanes of traffic trying to parallel park, which shouldn’t even be possible, but it just goes to show how bad I am at parking. Don’t even get me started on those brave commuters who drive into Manhattan every day. I’ll stick to New Jersey Transit, thank you very much.
Before I move back home in May, I’m determined to take advantage of my U-Pass, which is not only available to DC college students, but students at the Universities of California, Colorado, and Wisconsin. This doesn’t make much sense to me because the Metro doesn’t reach those places. To each their own, I suppose. In my quest to visit every stop on the metro, I’ve compiled some of my favorite observations about several stops, including things to do in the area.
Wheaton: The Escalator
Some of you may already know that the Wheaton metro stop (Red Line) has the longest single-span escalator in the Western Hemisphere. For years, my life’s ambition was to go to Wheaton and experience this escalator for myself. As a young child, I constantly asked my parents when we could drive down to Wheaton, Maryland and ride the escalator, to the point where they banned any talk of the DMV region until I turned eighteen. I had no idea Virginia even existed until I moved here for college. Anyways, it took me a few years, but this past January I finally managed to visit the escalator for myself. Here’s photographic evidence so you know I’m not just telling tall tales:
Yes I still use Snapchat. Moving on, I think everybody should visit this escalator to gain some perspective of how small we are in the grand scheme of things. Very humbling.
Dupont Circle: The Festivities
Whenever I’m at the Dupont Circle metro stop, I know I’m about to have a good time. First, the escalators into the station are surrounded by granite walls emblazoned with Walt Whitman’s poem “The Dresser,” so you have reading material as you ascend out of the metro stop. Then, I typically go to the yarn store (Looped!) to stock up on crochet materials. However, you can still visit the store if you don’t knit or crochet. They don’t check at the door or anything. Then, you can buy a spiced hot chocolate from Dolcezza, or a spiked hot chocolate from Board Room. Finally, you can admire the exterior of the Dupont Circle metro station as you walk past it because it’s actually faster to walk back to Foggy Bottom than to take the metro.
Metro Center: The Conspiracy
Alright listen up. During my past few trips to Metro Center, I’ve noticed something strange. On the electronic sign listing when the trains are going to arrive, there will typically be three trains listed with a time next to them (e.g. ‘Shady Grove’, 5 minutes). If you look for long enough, you’ll see that the bottom two trains will get closer, but the next closest train will be stuck at ‘7 minutes’ for at least three minutes. Again, I’m not trying to get anybody in trouble here, but I just thought it was strange and misleading.
Union Station: Wait, where am I going?
Lastly, we have the labyrinth of Union Station. Every time I get off at this stop, I try to remember which exit takes you into Union Station. I’ve spent hours just standing there, suitcase in hand, trying to figure out the answer to this puzzle. Then I remember that they both take you into Union Station and it doesn’t matter which exit you choose! Save yourself the time and choose whichever exit is easier for you. Even better, you can get off at Judiciary Square and walk over to Union Station so you know you’re on the right path. No stress!
Hopefully, these tips will make your journey on the Red Line even more exciting than usual (if that’s even possible). Now, I need to go get my car out of a ditch. Serves me right for trying to parallel park during rush hour!
