It is ironic that in my last week as a regular metro rider, I had the single worst delay I’ve experienced since I began riding Metro almost 6 years ago. I left the office just after 5 PM yesterday (I had a training session I had to attend all afternoon) and headed down to the…
Up at 4:20 AM. Since I had Kelly’s car (from the weekend), I drove into work this morning and got there right at 5 AM. I was still tired, but I started working right away, and except for an abbreviated lunch break, I worked straight through. I actually felt pretty good about what I managed…
This afternoon, for the first time since I’ve been living out here (5 years now), I screwed up and got on the wrong train coming home from work. For those not familiar with the area and who can’t understand how this can happen, let me explain. There are two trains that come through my station…
While people were getting off the train at L’Enfant Plaza this evening, I caught a glimpse of a guy about my size and my build. There were two specific things I noticed about him. (1) He was wearing a Yankees jacket, just like the one I was wearing; and (2) he was carrying in his…
The Potomac has really looked pretty the last couple of mornings, what with the full moon descending in the western sky and the moonlight shimmering off the water. Yet another reason I love my commute into work, even after four years; and another reason I don’t think I could go back to living in L.A.…
I was reading Humans on the train ride home this evening. I take the Yellow line to Mt. Vernon Square and then switch the Green line. It is so routine for me that I can do it with my eyes closed. I have an internal sensor that tells me when I’m at my switching point,…
Waiting for the train home after work, I noted the sign indicating the arrival of the next three trains had the minutes listed as 2, 4, and 8 minutes, respectively. I smiled to myself because I recognized the pattern immediately and had never seen it line up on the platform like that before: 21, 22,…
It was light out crossing the Potomac on the train this morning and so I guess that means we really did “fall back” an hour this weekend. I’m not sure however. My phone still says it’s 8:40 AM, even though the time on it is sync’d with my local T-Mobile network. Perhaps T-Mobile decided to…
A mildy interesting commute this morning for two reasons: The green line was running 8-car trains, which is pretty unusual on that line in the DC Metro. The train car in which I rode was a new “6000-series” metro car. About the only big differences I noticed (aside from it being in pristine condition) were:…
My favorite part of my commute is when I cross the Potomac River. I cross it twice a day, once in the morning on the way into work and once in the late afternoon, on my way home. When I cross the river, I usually stop what I am doing (usually reading) to stare out…
With the extreme heat, the D.C. Metro is running less frequent trains, at slower speeds. During rush hour today, after I left work, this was pretty obvious. The platform at Pentagon City was packed. The Yellow line train that came was pretty full, too, and not only that but one of the cars (the one…
After the gym tonight, I climbed onboard the Yellow Line as usual for the quick trip to Mount Vernon Square where I waited to transfer to the Green Line. And then something strange happened: Not one, but three Green Line trains came through the station and they were all packed solid. There was no chance…