h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thurdl01, you beat me to this by about one day....I was in the process of writing an entry on the D.C. Metro when this thing popped up. GRRR!!!! ;-P

I grew up in D.C. and only left it three years ago. (*Sigh* What was I thinking?) The one thing that stands out in my mind the most about the Metro is the hordes of baffled tourists standing before the farecard machines. So, as a service to any non-local standing baffled before a farecard machine, this is how you use one:

1) Put your money in the machine. That's the really easy part.
2) Check the sign on the information kiosk to determine your fare. (Remember to take rush-hour fares into consideration, as travelling at rush hour is a hassle and not really worth the extra money.) On the front of the farecard machine, you'll see some buttons with + and - signs on them. Toggle these buttons until the red LED shows your desired fare.
3) Punch the farecard button, and wait for your card to spit out.

NOTE: Those orange turnstiles can be vicious. Get through them as quickly as humanly possible, or you could wind up with a bruise in an unpleasant place.

TOURISTS: If you're planning to spend a fair amount of time travelling by Metro, just plop $5 or $10 into the machine. This will save you from having to buy a new card at every stop. However, fare cards can't be cashed in (e.g., if you have 50 cents left on the card and you're leaving town today, you're stuck with a worthless wad of paper), so don't go overboard.

Incidentally, the rich snots in Georgetown are already stuck with drunk, belligerent college students, crusty street punks, and clubbers. Few venture off M Street, except to the waterfront or up Wisconsin a bit, and all bring wads of money into the area. From the amount of business Georgetown does, it's pretty clear that it's quite accessible as it is. Georgetown Park Mall has good, safe, round-the-clock parking in a central-ish location (just don't park on the back streets, or the Meter Maids of Doom will get you). Alternatively, you can take the Red Line to Rosslyn, and walk across the Key Bridge. It places you right on M, and if you don't choose a rainy, chilly, and/or blustery day, it's quite a pleasant walk.

Nonetheless, I hope a manhole cover explodes directly underneath the richest, snottiest, most anit-Metro Georgetown resident there is.

You should write an entry on How to Use a Farecard.

Btw.. why has no one written an entry on DC? It's only the capital of the U.S. I'm not too fond of it, personally, but damnit, an entry needs to be done! I'll do it, if I must, but I'd rather not.. I live inbetween DC and Baltimore City, and frankly, my hearts always been more inclined towards Charm City..(regardless of the fact that it's not too terribly charming..)

Actually, that's a good idea. It should probably collaterative effort, though, since I know bits of D.C. other people won't and vice versa. And what's wrong with throwing a little Baltimore into the mix? Baltimore's a great city (I used to spend a fair amount of time there, too), and it's only an hour-ish away, so I personally think it would be worth including in a D.C. entry. Thoughts, anyone?

I'd love to help. I wouldn't be able to say much about DC though..most of my trips there were for field trip purposes.. (the Mall, the Smithsonian, etc.).. that, and the ease of getting lost in DC is all I really know about. Baltimore on the other hand.. I lived in Northwest (by Reistertown) for awhile, as well as downtown Baltimore..

I've been pondering doing a piece on either the National Mall (the only mall in America without a Gap), or on the odd museums in the DC area (anyone ever been to the museum of cartoon and charactiture art?) so I'd love to help out on one article, or if this thing spreads out into several articles (something tells me that one article might not be enough for a city like DC).

There's an idea.. we could split DC up into many articles.. i.e. Political areas (White House, Capitol Hill, etc), Tourist spots (The Mall, various monuments, non-smithsonian museuems), the Smithsonian museums (there's a rediculous amount), maybe one on colleges, maybe on on various areas (i.e.-Georgetown, the rest of downtown, Chinatown..any other neighborhoods that are noteworthy...)..

What would be really interesting is to do something on it's politcal status. I'm not a Washingtonian, but I've heard things about a proposition that concerns home rule, etc.. I mean, DC has a unique political entity, as far as I know..

A thought:

I never expected so many people to want to jump into this, but the more the merrier, as they say! (I just hope we aren't stepping on the toes of the poor guy who started this with the Metro entry....)

Since the rest of the planet seems to think D.C. is only for museums and politics, and since we could collectively write a killer piece that would prove those ignorant folk wrong, why don't we? Is there somewhere in the Guide where we could figure out who can write about what and how to combine it into one big entry (with, of course, a link to the original Metro post)? If not, can anyone come up with a way to do this?

*Sigh* Looking forward to the weeks of homesickness this will bring....

I like your idea of a piece on the odd museums no one ever goes to. (How come no one ever told me about the cartoon/character museum? Grumble.) Incidentally, I hear there's a menstruation museum somewhere in Maryland. Include?
Um, a piece on the Mall would also be nice, just 'cuz that's what people are expecting to see, I guess. (Incidentally, does it count if there's a Gap within walking distance of it?) That one should include how to avoid Smithsonian/street vendor food, IMHO.
Also, I was thinking about doing something on the places people just don't think about, like Rock Creek Park, the Rock Creek Cemetary, and the Uptown Theater. And maybe mention some of the good stuff in the 'burbs (like Old Town Alexandria or Harper's Ferry).

I'm going to go sit quietly in the corner now and wait for someone to reply. ;-P

Oooh! Yeah! nearby suburbs.. Takoma Park, etc. I actually saw somehting ont he news about a birth control museum.... I think those things could stand as separate articles, atcually. They'd get that kind of attention, I bet...

Maybe we could organize it like this.. where you can go from each metro station.. i.e. Foggy Bottom- GWU, etc.
The metro system is pretty exptenxive... so I think we'd be able to mention Old Town Alexandria, etc..

I don't feel my toes stepped on at all. I think we're over thinking this though. If someone wants to write about a specific small aspect of DC, they should go ahead in the esprite de corps of the guide. We just have to agree among ourselves not to pick TOO broad a topic, such as "Washington DC" or "Washington DC museums" or anything like that. Stick to single museums, or chains of museums, and single aspects.

Fair?

That's not a bad idea..

I know this is an ancient thread, but just a note for the unwary. You cannot take the red line to Rosslyn -- it doesn't go to Virginia. Use the orange or the blue lines.

Or you can just get a SmartPass and end the hassle.