My Morning Commute

[dasgeh]

@mello yello 135863 wrote:

I haven’t yet explored the neighborhood… is District Taco a regular meetup?

Not in the way Java Shack is, just a very popular (and delicious) restaurant in the ‘hood.

[Steve O]

@dasgeh 135867 wrote:

Not in the way Java Shack is, just a very popular (and delicious) restaurant in the ‘hood.

Yes. And since you are already coming to Rosslyn, on Fridays just ride up the hill to Courthouse and join the crowd at Java Shack for Friday Coffee Club. It’ll be great to meet you.

[mello yello]

Cut across the city this morning because Strava. I am not sold, but I also did not follow the directions (Phone is in the rack trunk, relatively inaccessible). Pennsylvania from EOTR to Capitol Hill is pretty awful, as it is a major bus and car commuter corridor. The Pennsylvania Ave protected cycle track from Cap Hill to the White house is also not my favorite. This is where I deviated from Strava’s route and zigzagged toward Georgetown on sidewalks and through GW… avoid cycling through GW campus at 9:30 am, folks.

I may try the actual route on the way home and see if it’s any better. It’s going to be a lot of filtering through traffic.
https://www.strava.com/activities/506103894

I will think about Friday Coffee Club… but snow… so maybe, maybe not.

[Steve O]

@mello yello 135903 wrote:

I will think about Friday Coffee Club… but snow… so maybe, maybe not.

My invitation was for every Friday, not just this one. Whenever you can make it, we would love to meet you.
And since you are cutting across DC, you may find the Swing’s Coffee Club to be even more convenient.

Here’s the list of all the clubs:
http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?7078-Weekly-Coffee-Gatherings

[Steve O]

@mello yello 135903 wrote:

Cut across the city this morning because Strava. I am not sold, but I also did not follow the directions (Phone is in the rack trunk, relatively inaccessible). Pennsylvania from EOTR to Capitol Hill is pretty awful, as it is a major bus and car commuter corridor. The Pennsylvania Ave protected cycle track from Cap Hill to the White house is also not my favorite. This is where I deviated from Strava’s route and zigzagged toward Georgetown on sidewalks and through GW… avoid cycling through GW campus at 9:30 am, folks.

I see you went right by the Capitol.
Faster, and more direct, to Rosslyn from there would be to go straight across the mall (Madison St., or Independence if you want more traffic) to Abe to Memorial Bridge to the 110 trail to Iwo Jima to Meade straight in. Shorter than up to Key Bridge. No traffic on Madison in the morning (under 4 minutes from 3rd to 14th–try that on PA Ave!). Afternoons you will have to deal with tourists, but you will learn how to work around them if you go that way regularly.
Check out the last part of this ride where I went from the Grant statue at the reflecting pool to Rosslyn: https://www.strava.com/activities/109681329

[americancyclo]

@mello yello 135903 wrote:

Cut across the city this morning because Strava. I am not sold, but I also did not follow the directions (Phone is in the rack trunk, relatively inaccessible). Pennsylvania from EOTR to Capitol Hill is pretty awful, as it is a major bus and car commuter corridor. The Pennsylvania Ave protected cycle track from Cap Hill to the White house is also not my favorite. This is where I deviated from Strava’s route and zigzagged toward Georgetown on sidewalks and through GW… avoid cycling through GW campus at 9:30 am, folks.

I may try the actual route on the way home and see if it’s any better. It’s going to be a lot of filtering through traffic.
https://www.strava.com/activities/506103894

I will think about Friday Coffee Club… but snow… so maybe, maybe not.

If I were making that commute, I would not cut through the central core of DC. I’d go the route through SW and either the 14th st bridge, or up Ohio to the Lincoln and then across the Memorial Bridge. If you do go that way though, I’d take the 110 connector by Iwo Jima into Rosslyn, but that way you’re adding more GWMP crossings than you need to, so nevermind.

[Steve O]

@americancyclo 135908 wrote:

If I were making that commute, I would not cut through the central core of DC. I’d go the route through SW and either the 14th st bridge, or up Ohio to the Lincoln and then across the Memorial Bridge. If you do go that way though, I’d take the 110 connector by Iwo Jima into Rosslyn, but that way you’re adding more GWMP crossings than you need to, so nevermind.

I’m with americancyclo here. I think your previous route to the 14th St. Bridge works better than cutting through, and it’s easy enough to cut up to the Memorial Bridge if you want a change of scenery. You can also take the Case Bridge to get across the channel, which is how I’ve started going to and from Nationals games to avoid Maine Avenue.

[VA2DC]

@americancyclo 135908 wrote:

If I were making that commute, I would not cut through the central core of DC. I’d go the route through SW and either the 14th st bridge, or up Ohio to the Lincoln and then across the Memorial Bridge. If you do go that way though, I’d take the 110 connector by Iwo Jima into Rosslyn, but that way you’re adding more GWMP crossings than you need to, so nevermind.

I take the evening commute along the Mall and over Memorial Bridge. If you stay on the south side of the Mall, you can take the path that skirts the Korean War Memorial and avoid most of the tourists on the paths near the Reflecting Pool and the sidewalk along Independence. For the most part, cars seem to be respectful of the crosswalks around Lincoln Memorial Circle and coming off of Memorial Bridge. From the downstream side of Memorial Bridge, crossing Washington Blvd hasn’t been a problem for me, as cars are slowing down approaching Memorial Circle. Usually, the car in the nearby lane will stop, and then the car in the 2nd lane will stop too. IMHO, the diciest crossing is the ramp feeding onto Memorial Dr from GWMP and 110. The cars on the ramp heading eastbound toward the District look to the left for vehicular traffic and often take off without looking to the right for westbound pedestrians or cyclists entering the well-marked crosswalk. Then it’s across Memorial Dr at the crosswalk at the Metro entrance onto the path at the 110 ramp to Iwo Jima.

[mello yello]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It looks like there is a panolpy of scenic and relatively straightforward routes that I can take. I like some of the options over Memorial bridge vs. Key Bridge because, honestly, the Mt Vernon between those two has some serious issues. Especially at night. I may try Ohio Drive to Jefferson and Maine / M Street from there. I also have not tried the MLK bridge, which is new and nice and not scary damaged like S. Capitol Street bridge. There must have been a serious wreck there a few weeks ago. The trade would be M Street for Anacostia Riverwalk trail, though, which is really quite nice. On the other hand, I could fill a growler at Bluejacket.

Maybe this morning’s route will turn into a Friday thing to include Coffee Club. Maybe it’ll be a good way to bypass the cherry blossom crowds at the tidal basin.

[huskerdont]

@mello yello 135924 wrote:

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It looks like there is a panolpy of scenic and relatively straightforward routes that I can take. I like some of the options over Memorial bridge vs. Key Bridge because, honestly, the Mt Vernon between those two has some serious issues. Especially at night. I may try Ohio Drive to Jefferson and Maine / M Street from there. I also have not tried the MLK bridge, which is new and nice and not scary damaged like S. Capitol Street bridge. There must have been a serious wreck there a few weeks ago. The trade would be M Street for Anacostia Riverwalk trail, though, which is really quite nice. On the other hand, I could fill a growler at Bluejacket.

Maybe this morning’s route will turn into a Friday thing to include Coffee Club. Maybe it’ll be a good way to bypass the cherry blossom crowds at the tidal basin.

You can do all of those over time for variety. Going the same way every day is *boring.* Might as well drive a car to work.

[dasgeh]

@mello yello 135924 wrote:

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It looks like there is a panolpy of scenic and relatively straightforward routes that I can take.

Did anyone mention routes to the TR? I mean, going over the bridge kinda sucks, but it’s not so bad. From the Washington, take Virginia Ave to the Kennedy Center, then jump on the Bridge. Continue straight through the TR Island parking lot and you get to enjoy the Intersection of Doom.

[Steve O]

@dasgeh 135936 wrote:

Did anyone mention routes to the TR? I mean, going over the bridge kinda sucks, but it’s not so bad. From the Washington, take Virginia Ave to the Kennedy Center, then jump on the Bridge. Continue straight through the TR Island parking lot and you get to enjoy the Intersection of Doom.

Of course, mello will be reverse commuting, so he will have to deal with oncoming traffic, making the already less than pleasant TR bridge experience even less so. Particularly if he has to pass some cargo bike going the other way.

[huskerdont]

I don’t much like wind. I’d trade the wind for a 10% climb for the entire ride if I could.

That is all.

[mello yello]

Windy. Rode the Bus/Metro. Took an hour. Biking saves time but last night’s commute was a little blustery and my deep V’s felt like sails. The wind this morning was much stronger and I felt like not riding home in the cold wind after a happy hour.

I am testing a riide bike next week. any electrified commuters on here?

[bentbike33]

@huskerdont 135968 wrote:

I’d trade the wind for a 10% climb for the entire ride if I could.

Have you actually ridden a long 10% grade? Try this segment if you ever get to that part of the world: https://www.strava.com/activities/504517466/segments/12175737638. Strava rates the whole segment at 9%, but most of the climb is right around 10%.

Generally speaking, I’ll take the wind.

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