Road Trip from Mount Rainier (MD) to Fairlington (VA)

We live in Mount Rainier, Maryland, that town you’ve never heard of that is not a mountain and is right next to DC. When we go to visit friends in Fairlington, we pass some curious sights and good food on the way…road trip!

1. Rita’s Ice Cones - Rhode Island and South Dakota

You can get soft serve ice cream, but why? Instead, go for the gelati. Tonight I had custard with pina colada and wild black cherry flavored shaved ice on top of more custard. Incredible. The choice for DC and Prince George’s County ambulances - five stopped by in the hour we were there.

2. Road Funds Sign - Rhode Island and 13th St NE

Rhode Island Avenue is in the process of being resurfaced from North Capital to 30th St NE. Love the construction. But in an amazing feat of accountancy, the project’s costs are known down to the penny…$1,495,597.23 for the Feds and $303,076.53 for DC.

3. Etete Ethiopian Restaurant - 1942 9th St NW

As you continue down Rhode Island, you might get hungry and swing off near the Shaw Howard University metro station to Etete Ethiopian near U-Street. Amazingly good Ethiopian that feels less commercialized than Dukem (it’s half-house, half restaurant after all). Plus, if you’re lucky, they’ll fire up the projector and play African music videos with pelvis thrusting women for your fine dining pleasure (even if you’re the only ones there)…

4. I-395 Speed Camera Slow-Down - south of the New York Avenue entrance

There is a speed camera just after the tunnel on I-395 at New York Avenue. Everyone local knows it and the speed limit is 45 mph. But everyone slows down to 35 mph. Why????

(Picture TBD)

5. Guy Camping on I-395 - under 7th Street SW

So you’re finally getting somewhere and are set to head over to Alexandria. But wait, there’s a guy camping, complete with a tent, BBQ, and lawn chairs in the grassy median underneath the 7th St NW overpass between the east and westbound I-395 traffic. He’s been there for at least a month, hanging out in broad daylight. The Washington City Paper did a story on him last week, “Median Man.”

6. Idiots Crossing Five Lanes of Traffic - Jefferson Davis Hwy exit

You’ve crossed the river and are in Virginia! Congratulations. But here’s an SUV going 25 mph, trying to cross five lanes of traffic after gawking at the Pentagon and throwing the bird because you didn’t let him in…Have a nice day.

(Picture TBD)

7. All These Condos Looks the Same - Fairlington

You’ve finally made it to Arlington, home of your friends. But every single one of these condos looks the same and now you’re lost…

Airports and Free Wireless

Airports generally suck. And they suck worse when you have to pay $10 for wireless that you’re only going to use for an hour (even less if all you want to do is download and send your email). Airports with free wireless understand they suck and try to make it a little more bearable. As I travel around the country, here’s the wireless status of some of them (and a note if they had a particularly good food option):

Albuquerque - hurray

Chicago (O’Hare) - sucks

Cleveland - sucks

Denver - sucks

Houston - sucks

Las Vegas - hurray (great sandwiches at “Flatbread”)

Minneapolis - sucks

Phoenix - hurray (California Pizza Kitchen)

San Francisco - sucks

PS - My other airport pet peeve is that the first-class passengers get to go through security in short-lines with a 1:1 TSA staff ratio, while the rest of us are at 20:1. I can understand that an airline can offer them privelage, but security seems like a public requirement that we should all suffer with together.

DC Airports Secrets

If you’re not from DC, you’re generally used to have one airport to choose from. Chicago, New York, LA, and San Francisco being obvious exceptions. But if you use the “search nearby” airports function, you’ll get three options, and if you’re not from here, how are you to know?

1. Reagan National (DCA) - south central

Always your first choice, even if it’s $50 more for the ticket. Why $50? A SuperShuttle from Dulles or Baltimore costs at least $26 each way ($52), without tip; a taxi is $60+ each way. Walk out of the gate, get your luggage, and hop on the Metro (yellow line) for a 10 minute ride downtown (not the blue; unless it’s cold/hot outside, then you can take it 1 stop to Crystal City’s underground station and wait for the yellow). Reagan’s weakpoint is international or non-stop cross country trips though. On your way to Reagan, get on the front of the Metro train, where the exit is located at Reagan.

2. Dulles (IAD) - west

Your default choice for international or non-stop West Coast trips if nothing reasonable pops up at Reagan (unless you fly United or Southwest out of Baltimore), otherwise avoid it (unless you live out there of course). The winter cancellation debacle not-withstanding, Jet Blue’s non-stops to California are the best (more legroom, your own TV, and free snacks). But Dulles is about 200 miles west of DC and you can’t walk to the C or D terminals (ride the Star Wars transporters, which usually involve a wait; just walk to the A and B terminals)…Seriously, it’s 45 minutes without traffic and the metro won’t get there until 2015. They advertise the private “Washington Flyer” bus from Great Falls Metro stop on the orange line, which is no bargain ($9 one-way, $16 round-trip) and still leaves you 10 stops to downtown - what a deal. SuperShuttle is a minimum of $50. But here’s a secret - take the 5A metro bus to/from Le’Enfant Plaza. Cheap, with only 2 stops, all the way to downtown. Another idea if you’re from DC and only taking a weekend trip? Drive and park for $9/day - 3 days is still cheaper (and more convenient) than SuperShuttle.

3. Baltimore (BWI) - northeast

United and Southwest fly here but unless you’re going to the northeast side of the metro (it’s closer than Dulles for me), not your first choice. SuperShuttle is $25 to the northeast side, and more to downtown (1+ hour without traffic). The MARC train schedule to DC is spotty outside of weekday rushhours, so take the B30 bus to Greenbelt on the DC green line instead (which actually runs more frequently and is cheaper than the Dulles Washington Flyer).

And in general, if there is a trace or a threat or the thought of snow, it all shuts down. I’m nearly certain that the Minneapolis airport has fewer cancelled flights. Get on the phone and reschedule, and when they tell you that they don’t have anything, insist that they check other airlines - they’ll rebook you for free (but will never suggest it to you directly).

Other ideas/thoughts?

Red Line, Yellow Line, Blue Line, Delayed Line Too

What the heck was going on this morning on the Metro? One track between Pentagon City and Reagan for the blue and yellow? Standing 20 deep on the red line at Chinatown?

Um. Yes, it’s snowing and there’s maybe 0.01 inch on the ground but let’s get it together Metro.

And riders, walking into the doors and stopping IS NOT A VALID OPTION with 1000 people on the platform. Get yourself all the way in there and pretend your a canned fish (and smile)! Pulling your arms into your body in front of the first pole by the door and pretending to be small does not actually make you smaller…

But for those who chuckle at the ridiculousness of it all and patiently wait in lines at the doors and escalators, thank you. I’m proud to travel with 99% of you…

And a special treat for those of you that didn’t know that Metro deployed a special de-icing contraption on the last car of some trains during snow storms:

It takes up the back quarter of the last car. A guy sits to the right of the silver pumping machine and turns it on when they are above ground or just entering a tunnel and off when they are underground. The orange thing in the back is a big plastic container of de-icing liquid and a tube runs out the side door and back under the train to a sprayer of some kind…

Sesame Street Terror Alert

 

Current Terror Alert Level:

 

Courtesy: GeekandProud.net

EPA revising fuel efficiency ratings method

The New York Times and NPR are reporting on the EPA’s proposed revisions to the vehicle mileage rating methodology that populates the sticker on new cars with city and highway miles-per-gallon (mpg) numbers. The main changes? Faster driving, acceleration, and air conditioning.

USAToday is reporting that the new mileage ratings don’t affect CAFE standards, which require manufacturers to maintain a minimum fleet standard for cars and trucks (separately).

But it’s not clear that this will do anything to change consumer demand.  Do consumers care? The Consumer Federation is convinced they do…so is the Sierra Club…as is Jesus. But the Star Tribune reported earlier in November that fuel economy ranked 18th out of 56 things in considering a new car, behind cupholders and the sound system.

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Click on the picture to vote for me…maybe someday it will end up on a bottle…

If nothing else, check out the Turkey-Gravy soda you can buy…

Minnesota Fall Colors

Virtual Minnesota

I kind of miss Minnesota…these should all refresh regularly (and sometimes the view changes as the cameras are moved so the description isn’t always exact):

I-35W northbound looking at downtown Minneapolis (MNDOT):

Downtown Saint Paul from Dayton’s Bluff:

Duluth Harbor / Lake Superior:

Moose Lake near Ely:

Are Americans really this stupid?

According to the Washington Post, the percentage of Americans that…