It isn’t New York or London or some other city where traveling on public transit is a given, but it is what we got.
The good thing about Truxton Circle is that there are several metro options around. The Shaw/Howard University stop is over on 7th and S and R Streets, about a 10 minute walk for some. A little ways over is the new New York Avenue (NYAFAGU) station over on the 200 block of Florida Avenue NE. From these stations the rest of the DC metro area opens up. I use it to get to College Park for work, or to Friendship Heights for fun or British food at Rodman’s. Quick jumps to Chinatown, just 2 stops away from Shaw or rare long hauls out to Vienna (bring a book). Switching over at Mt. Vernon Square, to the yellow line from the green I can go to the Pentagon City mall or the airport. BWI, the airport I can use, is a good bet because I go from Shaw to Greenbelt and catch the B30.
Then there are all the buses that pass through and by. The 96 to Ellington Bridge takes me through U Street and Adams Morgan and stops on the other side of the bridge from Woodley Park. In the other direction the 96 to Stadium Armory or Capitol Heights, takes me to Union Station, and the Library of Congress. I haven’t bothered taking it past those points. The G2 is only good in one direction, west. The westward G2 to Georgetown University, starting somewhere near Howard University, goes along P Street, past the Giant, past the Whole Foods, through Dupont, and eventually up at the gates of Georgetown University in about 20 minutes. The G8 to Farragut Square goes past the rear of the Giant, past the Convention Center, and by McPherson Square. In the other direction to Avondale, it goes by the National Wholesalers Warehouse whatchamacallit on 4th and RI NE, up to Catholic University metro, through Brookland, and ends at the DC MD border. Over on North Capitol, you can catch the 80 to Ft. Totten or the scenic route to Kennedy Center and the P6 to Rhode Island (Home Depot & Giant) or Anacostia Station.
Then there are the 90 buses (90, 92, 93 & X3). Good lord I hate the 90 buses. I step on a 90 bus I know there’s a good chance I’m going to get harassed. No matter what I’m wearing, and typically I dress conservatively, no matter, some old dirty man wants to hit on me. Or there will be some seriously disturbed person on the bus. It can also get crowded. I hate the 90 bus. But I love where it goes. Like the 96 going west, it goes through U Street, past Cake Love, and through the main drag of Adams Morgan. Unlike the 96, the 90s go over Ellington Bridge to Woodley Park, then over by the National Cathedral and stops at the Giant on Wisconsin in McLean Gardens. In the other direction heading south east, the 90 buses go past the New York Avenue station, past Gallaudet University, down 8th St NE, by Eastern Market in Capitol Hill and stops somewhere south of that.
You can check what comes close your home by clicking here.
I keep track of the buses and trains with my beloved Palm by copying and pasting the bus schedules from the Ride Guide, or downloading the Palm files. The 90, 92, 93 route has a PDA schedule. So I can tell when the next bus is coming and I can get where I need to go.
Next time: Living in Shaw with no car: Car Sharing