12/20/2023 0 Comments Metro station touring![]() I am personally a fan of the way Metro uses their SmarTrip cards. To do that you will need a SmarTrip card, the plastic, rechargeable fare card required to ride the Metro (paper cards were phased out just this week). Now that we’re finally in the station, we have to get on the train. ![]() Here’s that sculpture, now look to the right of that red banner. Often they are just a gap in a building with escalators inside. While the Metro does a good job of marking their entrances with the ever-present brown post, the actual entrances are sometimes hard to see. Not only do they have the white M and station name, but also bands of color under the M to represent the lines found in the station. In cases like this, the Metro post can help. Make sure you know the exact name of the station you want and what line you’re looking for. Farragut West is one short block north and services the Red line. Farragut West is on the southwest corner of the square (with another entrance one block west) and services the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines. The best example is on Farragut Square, where there are two stations: Farragut West and Farragut North. The north side of the Mall has the most Metro stations, and there are some areas where there can be two or more stations all within close proximity. The WMATA stations list helpfully tells you all of the entrances to every station. While they all lead to the same station, you can save yourself a few extra blocks by knowing the entrances. There are also entrances on 11th and G and 12th and F Streets. On Google Maps, it shows Metro Center on the corner of 12th and G, the site of another entrance. Metro Center’s official address is 607 13th St NW, and there is an entrance near there (on the corner with G St). It is right downtown and acts as a transfer point between the Red, Orange, Blue, and Silver lines. For example, let’s look at Metro Center, one of the most popular stations. Here are the three ways in which Metro entrances can be cofusing Multiple Entrances It doesn’t sound that hard to simply find a station, but if you’ve ever used any subway system you know that the locations can be a little misleading. It is an invaluable means of getting around for tourists, but get familiar with the map and it will save you a surprise later. The point is: don’t assume the Metro goes where you want it to. There are, of course, other means of getting there including the affordable buses and services such as Uber and Lyft, but that is a discussion for another time. Each is just shy of a mile from the nearest Metro. What about the Lincoln Memorial or Jefferson Memorial surely these super-popular tourist sites are close to the subway! Nope. Want to visit Georgetown University? Well, its landmark Healy Hall is a solid mile-and-a-half away from the nearest Metro stop. Looking at the Metro map does make it look like its tendrils stretch into every conceivable neighborhood in D.C., Northern Virginia, and nearby Maryland counties, but on closer inspection there are massive gaps. I would love to say “EVERYWHERE” except that isn’t true. (Much to the derision of locals, by the way.) Current Metro Rail Map Where the Metro Covers cities’ public transportation and concluded that D.C.’s was the best. I’m not alone in this either, Smart Asset recently did a statistical analysis of major U.S. Luckily, as tourists to Washington, we do not have to deal with the Metro’s flaws every day so can take it for what it is, a very efficient way to move about a very congested city. Yes, all of the problems listed in the above paragraph are real, forever annoying, and–if you have to ride it every day–maddening. Even with all that, now that I am no longer a Metro-commuting local I can step back and compare it with other cities subway systems more easily. On top of that, the weekend track work and station entrance closures can make a well-designed plan meaningless. ![]() The system has frequent delays, occasional mechanical issues, and seemingly constant escalator and elevator outages. Metro gets a lot of grief from locals, and as a former local I certainly shared in that grief quite often. Once it gets out of the urban areas, it often pops its head out and begins to scamper above ground. Of course, the Metro isn’t always underground either. ![]() Okay, technically the Metro system is all bus and rail under the authority of WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority), but whenever someone says “the Metro,” they mean the subway. Fear not intrepid readers, the Metro is fairly easy to understand and, after reading this guide, you will surely be riding like a local. Using the Metro, however, can itself be intimidating, especially to visitors who do not have a mass public transportation option in their hometown. One of the ways to make it more manageable, though, is by utilizing the D.C. city, Washington can be a little overwhelming to new visitors. ![]()
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