My Ode to DC… or ‘DC- I Love You Even Though’

May 4, 2011 by Nicole
Filed under: Around DC

It’s the beginning of May. Memorial Day is around the corner, and that means seeing Rolling Thunder around the beltway traffic, coming into town…  and remembering what Memorial Day is all about.

But the thousands of motorcycles (which are very cool, especially to my 7-year-old) that come into town every Memorial Day weekend also make me think of  vehicles, driving … and traffic.

So here it goes –

My Ode to DC and the Traffic, or rather,

DC– I Love You Even Though:

I love DC even though it isn’t really a grid. Numbered streets run north-south and lettered streets run east-west. This starts at the Capitol building… but there are exceptions. And you have to pay close attention to the endings on street signs- NW, SW, NE, SE or you will not end up where you wanted to be… and everyone that you’ve made late will be annoyed (another long story).

Avenues run at diagonals across the city and are named after states. They are supposed to be fast cross-city short-cuts, but I’ve lived here my whole life,

and the thought of using Wisconsin Avenue as a ‘short-cut’ is laughable.

Have you ever been on an ‘avenue’ with so many lights?

Streets start and stop… and then start up again.

And then there are the circles.

There are at least 10 major DC intersections with circles. Just one of the problems with these ‘circle intersections’ is that the street you entered the circle on- may not continue on the opposite side of the circle or may jettison off at some weird angle that you weren’t expecting… and pass.

I love DC even though some streets, and I mean major streets, change from two-way to one-way, depending on the time of day.

This is CRAZY!

I used to work on 15th street, which changes to one-way for evening rush hour… and see people driving the wrong way. What was really crazy was that it didn’t phase us after a while, my co-workers and I would just shake our heads and say something like, ‘yikes, somebody didn’t read the street signs.’

I love DC even though Metro Center has about 15 different exits and if you choose the wrong one you seem to be half-a-mile from where you meant to be (another long story).

But I love that when I walk down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol,  I still catch my breath.

I love that there are SO MANY museums, and activities and sights to see and do with my son… most of which are free.

Growing up here, I’ve always thought of DC as a very small city, with a Very Big Name.

The DC area is a place where you can run into people and old neighbors, and old friends, and schoolmates… walking down the street.

And you know what?

I really like that.