Washington is one of the easiest U.S. cities to navigate. Only New York rivals its comprehensive transportation system; but even with their problems, Washington's clean, efficient subways put the Big Apple's underground nightmare to shame. An extensive bus system covers all major D.C. arteries as well, and it's easy to hail a taxi anywhere at any time. But because Washington is of manageable size and marvelous beauty, you may find yourself shunning transportation and choosing to walk.
By Metrorail -- If you travel by Metrorail during rush hour (Mon-Fri 5:30-9:30am and 3-7pm), you may not be so smitten with the system, since delays can be frequent, lines at fare-card machines long, trains overcrowded, and Washingtonians at their rudest. An increasing ridership is overloading the system, maintenance problems are cropping up, and the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA; www.wmata.com) is struggling just to keep pace, much less prevent future crises. Among the solutions are the addition of new trains and the installation of passenger information display boxes on station platforms reporting the number of minutes before the arrival of the next train and any delays or irregularities.
Though it's true that service has deteriorated, Washingtonians were spoiled to begin with. Stations are cool, clean, and attractive. Cars are air-conditioned and comfortable, fitted with upholstered seats; rides are quiet. You can expect to get a seat during off-peak hours (basically weekdays 10am-3pm, weeknights after 7pm, and all day weekends).
Metrorail's system of 83 stations and 103 miles of track includes locations at or near almost every sightseeing attraction and extends to suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. (Construction underway now will add 3 miles and 3 stations by late 2004.) There are five lines in operation -- Red, Blue, Orange, Yellow, and Green -- with extensions planned for the future. The lines connect at several points, making transfers easy. All but Yellow and Green Line trains stop at Metro Center; all except Red Line trains stop at L'Enfant Plaza; all but Blue and Orange Line trains stop at Gallery Place/Chinatown.
Metro stations are indicated by discreet brown columns bearing the station's name and topped by the letter M. Below the M is a colored stripe or stripes indicating the line or lines that stop there. When entering a Metro station for the first time, go to the kiosk and ask the station manager for a free Metro System Pocket Guide. It contains a map of the system, explains how it works, and lists the closest Metro stops to points of interest. The station manager can also answer questions about routing or purchase of fare cards.
To enter or exit a Metro station, you need a computerized fare card, available at vending machines near the entrance. Metro Authority increased fares in July 2003 so now, the minimum fare to enter the system is $1.20, which pays for rides to and from any point within 7 miles of boarding during nonpeak hours; during peak hours (Mon-Fri 5:30-9:30am and 3-7pm), $1.20 takes you only 3 miles. Still, the maximum you will pay to the furthest destination is $3.60. The machines take nickels, dimes, quarters, and bills from $1 to $20; they can return up to $4.95 in change (coins only). If you plan to take several Metrorail trips during your stay, put more value on the farecard to avoid having to purchase a new card each time you ride. Up to two children under 5 can ride free with a paying passenger. Senior citizens (65 and older) and people with disabilities (with valid proof) ride Metrorail and Metrobus for a reduced fare.
Discount passes, called "One-Day Rail passes," cost $5 per person and allow you unlimited passage for the day, after 9:30am weekdays, and all day on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays. You can buy them at most stations; at WMATA headquarters, 600 5th St. NW (tel. 202/637-7000; www.wmata.com), and at its sales office at Metro Center, 12th and G streets NW; or at retail stores, like Giant or Safeway grocery stores. Other passes are available -- check out the website or call the main number for further information.
When you insert your card in the entrance gate, the time and location are recorded on its magnetic tape, and your card is returned. Don't forget to snatch it up and keep it handy; you have to reinsert your fare card in the exit gate at your destination, where the fare will automatically be deducted. The card will be returned if there's any value left on it. If you arrive at a destination and your fare card doesn't have enough value, add what's necessary at the Exitfare machines near the exit gate.
Metrorail opens at 5:30am weekdays and 7am Saturday and Sunday, operating until midnight Sunday through Thursday, and until 3am Friday and Saturday. Call tel. 202/637-7000, or visit www.wmata.com, for holiday hours and for information on Metro routes.
Metro Etiquette 101--To avoid risking the ire of commuters, be sure to follow these guidelines: Stand to the right on the escalator so that people in a hurry can get past you on the left; and when you reach the train level, don't puddle at the bottom of the escalator blocking the path of those coming behind you, but move down the platform. Eating, drinking, and smoking are strictly prohibited on the Metro and in stations.
Getting to Georgetown -- Metrorail doesn't go to Georgetown but a special shuttle bus, called the Georgetown Metro Connection, links three Metro stations, Rosslyn, Foggy Bottom, and Dupont Circle, to Georgetown. The shuttle travels between the 3 stations and Georgetown every 10 minutes from 7am to midnight Monday through Thursday, 7am to 2am Friday, 8am to 2am Saturday, and 8am to midnight Sunday. One-way fares cost 50¢, or 25¢ with a Metrorail transfer.
By Bus -- The Metrobus system encompasses 12,490 stops on its 1,489-square-mile route (it operates on all major D.C. arteries as well as in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs). You'll know the stops by their red, white, and blue signs. However, the signs tell you only what buses pull into a given stop, not where they go. Furthermore, the bus schedules posted at bus stops are often way out of date, so don't rely on them. Instead, for routing information, call tel. 202/637-7000. Calls are taken Monday through Friday from 6am to 10:30pm, weekends and holidays from 8am to 10:30pm. This is the same number you call to request a free map and time schedule, information about parking in Metrobus fringe lots, and for locations and hours of the places where you can purchase bus tokens.
Base fare in the District is $1.20; bus transfers are free and valid for 2 hours from boarding. There may be additional charges for travel into the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Bus drivers are not equipped to make change, so be sure to carry exact change or tokens. If you'll be in Washington for a while and plan to use the buses a lot, consider buying a 1-week pass ($10), also available at the Metro Center station and other outlets.
Most buses operate daily almost around the clock. Service is quite frequent on weekdays, especially during peak hours. On weekends and late at night, service is less frequent.
Up to two children under 5 ride free with a paying passenger on Metrobus, and there are reduced fares for senior citizens (tel. 202/637-7000) and people with disabilities (tel. 202/962-1245 or 202/962-1100; see "Tips for Travelers with Special Needs," in chapter 2 for transit information for travelers with disabilities). If you should leave something on a bus, a train, or in a station, call Lost and Found at tel. 202/962-1195.
Transit Tip -- If you're on the subway and plan to continue your travel via Metrobus, pick up a free transfer at the station when you enter the system (not your destination station). Transfer machines are on the mezzanine levels of most stations. With the transfer, you pay 35¢ to board a bus upon exiting your Metrorail station. There are no bus-to-subway transfers.
By Car -- More than half of all visitors to the District arrive by car; but once you get here, my advice is to park your car and either walk or use Metrorail for getting around. If you must drive, be aware that traffic is always thick during the week, parking spaces are often hard to find, and parking lots are ruinously expensive.
Watch out for traffic circles. The law states that traffic already in the circle has the right of way. No one pays any attention to this rule, however, which can be frightening (cars zoom into the circle without a glance at the cars already there). The other thing you will notice is that while some circles are easy to figure out (Dupont Circle, for example), others are nerve-wrackingly confusing (Thomas Circle, where 14th St. NW, Vermont Ave. NW, and Massachusetts Ave. NW come together, is to be avoided at all costs).
Sections of certain streets in Washington become one-way during rush hour: Rock Creek Parkway, Canal Road, and 17th Street NW are three examples. Other streets during rush hour change the direction of some of their traffic lanes: Connecticut Avenue NW is the main one. In the morning, traffic in four of its six lanes travels south to downtown, and in late afternoon/early evening, downtown traffic in four of its six lanes heads north; between the hours of 9am and 3:30pm, traffic in either direction keeps to the normally correct side of the yellow line. Lit-up traffic signs alert you to what's going on, but pay attention. Unless a sign is posted prohibiting it, a right-on-red law is in effect.
To keep up with street closings and construction information, grab the day's Washington Post, pull out the Metro section, and turn to page 3, where the column "Metro, In Brief" tells you about potential traffic and routing problems in the District and suburban Maryland and Virginia. The paper also publishes a regular column in the Metro section called "Dr. Gridlock," which addresses traffic questions.
Car Rentals -- Outside of the city, you'll want a car to get to most attractions in Virginia and Maryland. All the major car-rental companies are represented here, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty. Consult appendix B at the back of this book for each rental company's toll-free number and website, and refer to the information about area airports at the beginning of this chapter for phone numbers for each of these companies' airport locations. Within the District, car-rental locations include Avis, 1722 M St. NW (tel. 202/467-6585) and 4400 Connecticut Ave. NW (tel. 202/686-5149); Budget, Union Station (tel. 202/289-5374); Enterprise, 3307 M St. NW (tel. 202/338-0015); Hertz, 901 11th St. NW (tel. 202/628-6174); National, Union Station (tel. 202/842-7454); and Thrifty, 12th and K streets NW (tel. 202/371-0485).
Car-rental rates can vary even more than airfares. Taking the time to shop around and asking a few key questions could save you hundreds of dollars:
Are weekend rates lower than weekday rates? Ask if the rate is the same for pickup Friday morning, for instance, as it is for Thursday night.
Is the weekly rate cheaper than the daily rate? Even if you need the car for only 4 days, it may be cheaper to keep it for 5.
Does the agency assess a drop-off charge if you don't return the car to the same location where you picked it up? Is it cheaper to pick up the car at the airport or at a downtown location?
Are special promotional rates available? If you see an advertised price in your local newspaper, be sure to ask for that specific rate; otherwise, you may be charged the standard cost. Terms change constantly.
Are discounts available for members of AARP, AAA, frequent-flyer programs, or trade unions?
How much tax will be added to the rental bill? Local tax? State use tax? Local taxes and surcharges can vary from location to location, even within the same car company, which can add quite a bit to your costs.
What is the cost of adding an additional driver's name to the contract?
How many free miles are included in the price? Free mileage is often negotiable, depending on the length of your rental.
Some companies offer "refueling packages," in which you pay for an entire tank of gas up front. The price is usually fairly competitive with local gas prices, but you don't get credit for any gas remaining in the tank. If a stop at a gas station on the way to the airport will make you miss your plane, then by all means take advantage of the fuel purchase option. Otherwise, skip it.
By Taxi -- At the time of this writing, District cabs continue to operate on a zone system instead of using meters, and the cabbies hope to keep it that way. By law, basic rates are posted in each cab. If you take a trip from one point to another within the same zone, you pay just $5 (during non-rush hour) regardless of the distance traveled. So it would cost you $5 to travel a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol to the National Museum of American History, but the same $5 could take you from the Capitol all the way to Dupont Circle. They're both in Zone 1, as are most other tourist attractions: the White House, most of the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument, the FBI, the National Archives, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Old Post Office, and Ford's Theatre. If your trip takes you into a second zone, the price is $8.40, $9.60 for a third zone, $10.10 for a fourth, and so on. These rates are based on the assumption that you are hailing a cab. If you telephone for a cab, you will be charged an additional $1.50. During rush hour, between 7 and 9:30am and 4 and 6:30pm weekdays, you pay a surcharge of $1 per trip, plus a surcharge of $1 when you telephone for a cab, which brings that surcharge to $2.50.
Other charges might apply, as well: There's a $1.50 charge for each additional passenger after the first, so a $5 Zone 1 fare can become $10.50 for a family of four (though 1 child under 5 can ride free). Surcharges are also added for luggage (from 50¢ to $2 per piece, depending on size). Try Diamond Cab Company (tel. 202/387-6200), Yellow Cab (tel. 202/544-1212), or Capitol Cab (tel. 202/546-2400).
The zone system is not used when your destination is an out-of-District address (such as an airport); in that case, the fare is based on mileage -- $2.65 for the first half-mile or part thereof and 80¢ for each additional half-mile or part. You can call tel. 202/331-1671 to find out the rate between any point in D.C. and an address in Virginia or Maryland. Call tel. 202/645-6018 to inquire about fares within the District. For more information about DC taxicabs than you could ever even guess was available, check out the DC Taxicab Commission's website, www.dctaxi.dc.gov.
It's generally easy to hail a taxi, although even taxis driven by black cabbies often ignore African Americans to pick up white passengers. Unique to the city is the practice of allowing drivers to pick up as many passengers as they can comfortably fit, so expect to share (unrelated parties pay the same as they would if they were not sharing). To register a complaint, note the cab driver's name and cab number and call tel. 202/645-6010. You will be asked to file a written complaint either by fax (tel. 202/889-3604) or mail (Commendations/Complaints, District of Columbia Taxicab Commission, 2041 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, Room 204, Washington, DC 20020).
