I have learned alot lately about the dos and don'ts of being a metro rider: (most of the following things have been learned from experience) lol ;o)
If you are a daily rider you should buy a metro Smart Trip card. SmarTrip cards are fast to use in turnstyles, refillable, you get free bus-to-bus transfers, and discounts on rail-to-bus transfers.
2. Once at the station grab the "Express" newspaper. It is free and there saying is read, ride, recycle! These are the friendly men who hand it out every weekday.
3. When entering the station be organized and know where you are going before hand. People will be moving fast and get irritated when you stop in front of them to look at signs/maps.
4. The direction of the trains are based on the very end stops of each line
5. When the train stops move to the side of the doors to let the people get off and get on very quickly. There isn't much time and the doors will close on you and your personal items.
6. Headphones with mp3 players are very popular and hang on tight to them if they are in clear view of other passengers
7. When the train slows down at your stop stand to signal that you need people out of your way to get off in time.
8. On a crowded train take your bag, purse, or satchel off (if it's bulging) if you are standing to make room for more people
9. When using an esclator the right side is for riding and the left is for moving up the steps (most of these are very steep and make for a good workout)
10. Snow storms cause major delays even on subways (3 hours to get to work last Friday)
Have a Great Week!!! XOXO
Thursday night Mike's best friend James invited us to the Nationals game. I didn't know I would be sitting on the field (lol). His seats were on the first row right behind the dugout. This was my first game in there new stadium. It was lots of fun even though they lost. I got a baseball from the NY Mets coach. Locals here say that DC sports teams are suffering from the DC curse because most of them have not been good for some time. The picture below is from the Presidents' Race. They were really funny running around the field with those giant heads. The contestants were George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt.
M and I are finally settled into our charming little home. We had a super bowl party and were able to fit 8 people in our home nicely. Since being here I have learned to navigate the metro, how to get to Lebanese Taverna, shovel snow, the difference in a blizzard and snow showers, how to drive in the snow, and how to live without a microwave. My job is going good and I love the area of DC I work in. Little did I know I was moving to a winter wonderland. It has snowed so much since I have been here. I am at home today because of an additional foot of snow to the 2 feet we got this weekend. I am the only one in the area that is still loving it considering until this I had only seen maybe 6 inches in my lifetime. My girlfriend from Boston here said she had to shovel snow before going to school most days. Here are some of my favorite pictures we took last weekend! Oh and the difference between a blizzard and snow showers is the high winds and poor visibility. XOXO
Washington Redskins football team (I will always be a Titan though ;o)), Arlington Cemetary, National zoo, Nation's capital, Mount Vernon, and I could go on for days. There are also lots of cool things to see in the surrounding cities. One of my favorite places is Annapolis, MD. It is one of the oldest cities in MD and it sits on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay "yummy Maryland Blue Crab". There are so many more things than I have mentioned above. So even though I have seen alot over the last couple of years I do not believe I will ever run out of new things to do.
