SmartTrip trips up...but smartly?

Hey you guys,

So todays blog is going to be about a DC tradition that brings joy and sorrow to many. Yes, I'm talking about the Metro. If you have ever lived, or even traveled, in DC you've probably ridden on these orangey brown wonders and though to yourself...I paid 10 bucks roundtrip for THIS?

Now, to be fair, DC Metro is amazing in many respects. For anxious drivers like me, it allows me to get in and out of the city with my sanity in tact. Also, it is way cleaner and in better condition than the New York subway, which has recently been a marketing point of the Metrorail system.

Still, there is no denying that Metro has seen better days. The screeching of metal upon metal and the faded seat covers are a constant reminder of the 1970s and the groovy dreams that accompanied Metro's introduction to the DC area.

However, that's not what I really want to talk about today. I'd like to talk, briefly, about the more subtle aspects of the metrorail system.

1) Escalators- did you know that there's an unspoken creed that those who want to stand while the escalator goes up will move to the right, and those who want to walk up/down will move to the left? I've seen many an unsuspecting tourist get caught in this trap, only to have icy cold stares and rolling eyes shot their way.

2) "Doors Closing"- for many people that's a suggestion. I've seen some ninja tactics used to try and squeeze onto the car at the last minute. Seriously, if you taped people leaping into the subway during the final bell toll, and cut that all together, I bet you'd have an awesome movie. Hmm...perhaps a blog idea?

3) Silence- another kind of eerie thing about the Metro, that I always pick up on, is how quiet it is. For a car packed with 100 people at times, you'd think that there would be conversations going left and right. However, it seems in many ways that the Metro car is a neutral space, a place for the urbanite to reflect upon the day. And, while there may be a few scattered conversations, they are rarely a racous or joyful event. Usually just co-workers complaining about the day.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, are a few observations about the Metro. It certainly is a strange place, and I'm sure it will be a major theme for me once I start work. Now- off to enjoy another great DC Saturday!