Tag Archives: subway

Washington, DC is rolling out the red carpet for the perennial July 4th invasion.

This morning began like any other. After hitting the snooze button for 45 minutes I raced to get dressed and out the door in time to catch the Red Line metro down to Union Station and then walk a few blocks to my office. Like most days I joined a steady stream of pedestrians heading for the Metro descalators like ants marching into an ant hole. As usual I managed to find myself stuck behind some slow walker, but a quick sidestep before the main descalator allowed me to walk at a pace faster than standing. As I approached the final short descalator to the platform I noticed an unusual number of people milling about waiting for the train downtown. It’s not unusual for a lot of people to ride the Metro, especially considering gas prices, but this number of people at that hour meant something was amiss. I sallied up to my usual waiting spot: the rail near the tunnel (out of which a train usually sends a rush of cooling air).

During peak commuting hours you can depend on trains (going into the city) arriving every couple of minutes. I’m talking about a two or three minute wait, tops. Today I must have waited about five minutes, and I bet it was another three or four for the people who were waiting before me. Now whenever you have to wait for a train that long you know a couple of things: 1) Everybody up the line had to wait for that train 2) That train is packed 3) The next four trains will be just as packed. I resign myself to wait, and let the assholes try and sardine themselves into this huge aluminum tube.

As I’m watching this poor saps try and cram themselves in, and the clueless people already on the train trying to make space where none exists I notice a few things have changed. Firstly, the train is polished to a sheen. At first I figure that it must have been left out in the rain, that’s how I clean my car. Then I realize that in anticipation of the thousands of additional riders, including many out-of-city tourists, they must have cleaned up the trains. That’s understandable, why should the trains be clean for the people who ride the Metro everyday?

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