Photos from the Morning of the Inauguration

By 'morning,' I mean the early morn, say around 6am. Just a few frigid shots to follow, from the pedestrian bridge takeover towards the Capitol to the cool (filled to capacity) bike parking which we only discovered afterwards:

Lead-up to Inauguration.

There's a great deal of talk surrounding the upcoming Inauguration of President Barack Obama, but it cannot be denied that Washington, DC is going to feel like a changed city the morning of January 20th.

Well, just take a look at this breakdown of the traffic routes that day: WTOP Inauguration Traffic. They've even got a handy Google map that shows the road closings - basically overlaying the map of downtown DC with red lines. Bridges closed as well, essentially cutting off the city from Northern Virginia. Living within the city has its advantages. Hopefully walking will be less chaotic. I plan on a photo outing with a friend over the course of the Inauguration events, so those'll be posted around here soon.

12 Days Until Inauguration, the Presidential Inaugural Committee reports.

Still the season to be thankful?

Just to note in passing, Metrorail's got a few cars running now with the new cloth-covered seats and non-carpeted floors. It's clean-looking, and probably much easier to clean... a few nights ago the car I was riding in had a pile of vomit under one of the seats and I'm sure it's no fun for Metro employees to clean that from the carpeted floor.

Also, I was discussing the Metro system with a couple classmates who all hail from other locations (and have traveled somewhat extensively). We pretty much agreed that although we love to complain about Metro's failures - which, okay, have recently been quite glaring - overall it's a very well-maintained and easy to navigate system compared to others worldwide. Yeah, we're not the best, but sometimes we need to show more respect for the DC Metro system. And yes, I did hear that story about the Metro elevator that suddenly went into reverse...

Car-Free Day DC!

Happy Car-Free Day, folks! Take those legs for a spin today.

It's also the first day of autumn, the best season ever...

Reason # 302 to ride a bike (waba style)

The comfort of knowing that the blaring at 1am on your block is not your car alarm going off.

And another: being able to park safely in your living room at night. Parking here can be horrendous, especially for those less experienced with parallel parking.

It's already looking brighter in DC...

Within a couple weeks of the DC SmartBike program starting up, there's already talk of expanding - adding more locations, and of course more bikes. More bikes in the city! Currently there are 120 SmartBikes total, and with 450 people signed up already, they'll need to move to catch up. It's been hailed as a hugely successful start to a program that'll put more people in the saddle, help speed up the process of making DC more bike-friendly, and promote courtesy among drivers and cyclists. At least I hope.

They're talking plans for Capitol Hill as one of the crucial stops in expansion. It'd also be neat to see DC SmartBike come to Columbia Heights, maybe as part of the whole DC USA growth at the Metro. I've seen the stations full of bikes around the city, but have yet to spot a person renting one out or riding one.

Beijing Olympic Preparation

Amongst the many actions Beijing is taking to prepare for the Olympics is the removal of dog meat from restaurant menus. Yeah, because eating dog meat is so much different than eating, say, cow or pig meat.
I'm also interested in seeing how effective the car ban during the Olympics will be in bringing down pollution levels. The Beijing government has posted a notice stating that beginning July 20th (and lasting for two months), cars with odd- or even-numbered plates will not be allowed on the roads on alternate days.
Haile Gebrselassie, an Ethiopian distance runner with asthma, has already announced he will not be traveling to Beijing for this year's Games. Other athletes have plans to fly in solely for their competition because they do not want to submit their bodies to the poor air quality any more than is necessary, rather than staying for the duration of the Olympics. I really don't blame them. When I visited Beijing this past winter, nothing was more clear than how unprepared they are to host this year's Olympic Games. The city always looked like it was under a dense layer of fog (really smoke - it was depressing), and breathing was difficult even for day-to-day activities. That level of air pollution isn't something you can solve in a few months.

Oh, to get around.

With gas prices as they are these days, people are discussing how to sell their SUVs - or alternatively, what to do with the SUVs they can't get rid of. The second link's just for fun, but gas prices are undeniably steep, and rising. The national average at the moment is $4.108/gallon, an all-time high. Who can afford to fill up anymore?

All the more reason to ride a bike if you can.
The SmartBike program in DC couldn't come at a better time. Yeah, I know, it's Clear Channel... but this leads to a veritable slew of improvements to cycling in the city. Hopefully it will speed up the addition of more bike lanes, and create greater visibility for those riding bikes, forcing drivers to keep an eye out for cyclists. When there are dedicated lanes for bikes to use, our actions while riding become more predictable, resulting in fewer collisions and better harmony between motorized commuters and pedal-powered ones. We're all trying to get to work!
And maybe, just maybe, fewer people will park in the bike lanes (ugh, frustration!).

From discussion with friends living in the city but taking public transport to work rather than their bike, I've found that it's often intimidating for them with all the accidents they'll read on the news. And yeah, it's impossible to be completely protected. Yesterday morning, Alice Swanson, a 22-year old cyclist, was struck and killed while riding to work near Dupont Circle. It's really tragic.

14th street bus!

Oh man, the buses that run along 14th street are so full of character.

Tonight, I was riding it back north from U street and it was PACKED. I was standing by the front door (three of us were ahead of the yellow line, but the driver let it slide). This was at a little past 11pm.
An elderly woman got on the bus a little later, sat down, then immediately started yelling at someone across from her to stop talking on his cell phone. It heated up into a loud argument in Spanish, but I gathered that she was annoyed at young people always "yakyak"-ing on the bus. She started reaching for him with her cane, smacking the guy with it as he got off at the next stop. He was still making obscene gestures at her as the bus pulled away. Everyone else was just laughing.

Ranking enviro-friendliness of transport.

So, I've not got much time, but let's start this off anyway.
What's the most environmentally sound method of travel in DC?

Obviously holding top position is walking or cycling. Both are zero-emissions and you can go anywhere you need to if it isn't too far, or if you have the endurance for it.

Riding a bicycle is much faster than walking, and though the current condition of roads is far from perfect for cyclists, DC's working on improving the situation. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association announced not too long ago that DC was named by Bicycling Magazine as most improved bicycling city in America. There are many exciting improvements planned, and surely more as others pick up some human-powered wheels!
It's a good idea to ride the bike lanes when possible, even if it puts you a bit out of your way. Some roads are just not fun to ride - potholes, dense traffic, poor visibility... fortunately, the DC Department of Transportation puts out a map that charts which roads have been rated in terms of bikeability (yes, probably made that word up). It's a good resource, check it out.

However, there's the added benefit of being able to take in one's surroundings when you walk. You can't exactly take photos when you're riding, and stopping someplace for a drink means dismounting and finding a place to lock up your bike. But it's fun! And it's great exercise!
Yes, and there are others which you may prefer: skateboarding, rollerblading, street luging - is this legal in DC? even possible in flat downtown? I take pause here.

So, use your head and use your legs.