Sorry it took me so long, but its time to report back. I ended up with a route like Brendan’s which ended up looking like this: http://g.co/maps/7q6ww Keep in mind that I am a non-bike person. I am a guy in reasonable shape that got fed up with the metro and decided to give it a go. I started out with a cheapie Giant mountain bike that a co-worker sold to me for a “gift” price of $50. I put on an inexpensive front light, got a helmet, and a rear blinkey, and went for it. I know I must have spent hours researching and figuring before I finally did it, but I did. At first, I was literally re-learning how to ride a bike. It was kind of like being tossed into the deep end of the pool and being told to figure it out. The trip in was totally easy, mostly down hill. Like one of the above poster said, on the way back, I have to earn it. There is still one hill that I have to walk the bike up because I am so zapped from the previous continuous serise of hills starting from Iwo Jima all the way to Rhodes street. Ironically, after the short walk up that hill, I am able to tackle just fine a hill that is even steeper right at the end of my ride. Since my first bike, I have already upgraded to a Cannondale quick 3. Its my first bike every with skinny tires. Its a revelation on how much easier it rolls. It is also 1000x’s more maneurverable.
Now my big problem is tourists actually. I never expected them to be so bad, but now my afternoon ride home is plagued with them. I honestly dont know how to get away from them. I think I will try riding on the north side of Constitution on the side walk. The obvious answer would be to ride in traffic, but I am not confident enough of a bike rider, and my feelings on DC/Arlington drivers are pretty dim.
Thank you all once again for all your help. Riding in is much better for me and my body, and I get to avoid the metro! Now I just have to find a way to solve for tourists.
on the other hand, I did ride all the way home from DC 