With record-breaking high ridership, the Metro has been packed recently.  While jammed in like a sardine on the way to and from work each day (Columbia Heights to Gallery Place), I've noticed an increase in the number of tourists riding the rails during the very peak of rush hour. I understand gas prices are high, and you don't want to drive your SUV in to the city from the suburbs, but please stay off the Metro during rush hour! 

This morning, a family of four was heading downtown at 8:30 AM, taking up valuable space in the train while I struggled to reach the overhead bar. The other evening, a group with a large stroller planted themselves right in front of the doors of the railcar. Not only were they traveling during peak hours once again, the stroller is an unofficial no-no when trains are crowded. The more savvy city parents using the Metro will use those "Snuggli" front-or-backpack things to carry their baby, and some of the cutting-edge parents use a sling, both of which take up far less valuable real estate on the train at rush hour. 

Fanny-packers and daytrippers, while you're enjoying the city, why not grab dinner downtown, and head for home after 7:30 PM? Do you really need to head downtown at 8:00 AM, to be first in line at "the Smithsonian"? I cannot determine my own schedule - you can. Start doing it NOW. 

WMATA seems a bit behind the curve on this one. Metro daypasses can't be used until after 9:30 AM, which makes sense, but they can be used during the evening rush, which doesn't. Metro needs to plug that loophole, and also find a way to reach out to tourists, and strongly suggest they avoid riding Metro during peak periods. Bikes are banned on trains during peak periods; they need to do the same for non-foldable strollers and large carry-on bags as well. Either that, or add more fucking trains, dammit!

Washington Post Express, June 27, 2008.

Is it just me, or are the new DDOT traffic officers (photo: IntangibleArts) posted around the DCUSA retail complex doing slightly more harm than good? The crossing guards, in their yellow high-visibility uniforms, tooting loud whistles, appeared in the neighborhood when the Target opened earlier this month. They are posted in the middle of the intersections at 14th and Irving, 14th and Kenyon/Park, and 14th and Monroe, and are on duty 7 days a week during daylight hours, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure if it's a temporary measure, until shoppers and residents grow accustomed to the increase in traffic volume, or a permanent one.

In one sense, their deployment is a remarkable show of efficiency and planning by the DC government. In addition, the city repaved a bumpy stretch of 14th just north of Target, and laid down new crosswalk striping at some of the key intersections in the vicinity. Someone must have actually planned things to work out smoothly and to keep traffic moving. Clearly, the Williams and Fenty administrations have made great strides here. And I acknowledge their hard work, in fair weather and foul, breathing in exhaust fumes all day. They do work hard.

However, it seems to me the crossing guards are actually slowing things down for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The mere presence of people in the middle of the road, wearing bright yellow, waving arms, and blowing whistles is causing some hesitation, especially when they contradict the traffic lights. For pedestrians, they are slowing everyone down by insisting on strict but unrealistic compliance with the walk/don't walk signals. The signals for pedestrians at 14th and Kenyon-Park have always been extremely conservative, and those of us who have lived here for years have figured out the pattern and know when it's safe to cross. Even when there are no cars coming, the crossing guards won't let you scoot across. Maybe it various from officer to officer?

On one occasion, I asked if they had the power to write jaywalking tickets for pedestrians, and they said yes, so do watch out. I suppose as DDOT employees they're trained to be more car-oriented, but in this pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, they need to accomodate us walkers a little better. 

Everyone I know is aware I've been a fan of The Simpsons since the very beginning 18 years ago. I must have seen every episode ten times by now, so it was a sure thing that I'd go see The Simpsons Movie. Last night, J and I saw it with G and M at Mazza Galerie in Friendship Heights, where it cost us $20 per person including tickets, soda and popcorn. The movie was worth it, though there were some things I didn't like about it.
First of all the good news: I was worried it would be dumbed down with more physical comedy and pratfalls at the expense of political humor and satire. I didn't think that was the case after seeing the movie. The main characters were pretty much true to form, and not somehow different on the big screen. There were a few genuinely touching moments between Homer and Marge, and some points where the usually reserved Mr. T did laugh out loud (the entering the church scene, "boob lady", and others). If you're a Simpsons fan at all, you need to see this movie. 

There were some things I didn't like about The Simpsons Movie though. I didn't like the was the EPA was demonized, even if in jest. i kept thinking "if only the EPA really did have those resources!" - their own police, helicopters, HumVees, etc. If true, they could easily take out Japanese whaling vessels... Also, the Albert Brooks character didn't do much for me. I'd rather they have given the screen time to the classic Simpsons characters. You can never have too much Apu, Krusty or Mr. Burns. And what happened to the pig? It just dropped out of the story at some point and its ultimate fate was unexplained. Did it meet the same end as Mr. Pinchy, Homer's pet lobster in episode AABF03 in the 7th season? Another thing; I didn't think Marge and Homer had a wedding video, which I thought was a quickee Las Vegas wedding with only a very pregnant Marge and Homer in attendance? 

The biggest nit to pick is why the trapped residents of Springfield didn't just tunnel under the dome to escape? The sinkhole should have given a clue to even the most dense of Springfield dwellers, and there were many previous occasions where they dug or drilled into the ground (Burn's slant drilling, Timmy in the well, etc) so they would have had the knowledge and equipment. OK, maybe that's beside the point, but they could have explained the failure to tunnel with a throwaway line about the edge of the dome extending to bedrock, or the groundwater being toxic or something. 

Despite a few flaws, it's really a must-see film for any casual or hardcore Simpsons fan. I'd give it 3 stars out of 4.

Thanks to The Express for the mention in Monday's Blog Log (page 36).

 

For 140 years, residents of Georgetown have been compiling a rare trove of data on their past: oil paintings, leather-bound maps, photos and files on nearly every property in the neighborhood -- all kept in the stately, two-story library on R Street NW. In just a few hours yesterday, a three-alarm fire devoured much of it. Onlookers gasped as D.C. firefighters carried out item after historical item. Most were severely damaged: a warped 1840 oil painting of a freed slave, a soot-covered copy of a D.C. atlas from a century ago, a photo left unrecognizable by flames. All afternoon flames could be seen. They ate through the precious Peabody Room, the key source for original historic materials about Georgetown. The second-floor room was named after the financier who in 1867 provided seed money for a library for Georgetown. "The second floor is gone," said branch manager Mary Hernandez.

It seems to me that as a general rule, libraries and archives do not have sprinkler systems because of the fear of leaks and water damage. However, as the head of the DCPL system, Ginnie Cooper, said in an interview today, "wet is better than ashes." Something creative needs to be done to safeguard our fragile paper cultural heritage in libraries and archives: inert-gas fire suppression systems, scanned electronic backups, acid-free paper copies kept offsite, unique items locked in fireproof/waterproof safes, whatever it takes. As usual, extra precautions will be taken after the fact, we seem to be good at closing the barn door after losing the cow these days. I hope they do something with the Washingtonia collection at the main MLK Library downtown. This is heartbreaking stuff to a librarian and history buff.

[Thank you to The Express, DC Blogs, and Wonkette for the mentions today.]

The Green Line has been terrible in the morning this week. I was late for work two days in a row. They seem to be experimenting with the length of the trains and the intervals between trains. Usually, WMATA runs 6-car trains on the Green Line approximately every 6 minutes during the morning rush. However, both yesterday and today I just missed a train (@ 8:30ish) and the next one didn't come for 11 minutes! It doesn't sound like a big deal, but with the number of passengers streaming into the Columbia Heights station, the platform quickly became crowded. The next train that arrived this morning was one of the new 8-car trains, but it was still jam-packed with passengers as the total capacity was lower than usual (one 8-car train compared to 2x 6-car trains = 4 fewer cars).

Unlike with the Orange/Blue lines, there's no theoretical advantage to reducing the frequency of trains, while partly compensating by increasing their length. There's no Potomac River tunnel bottleneck, so why not continue to run 6-car trains every 6 minutes as usual? Maybe they're trying to cut back on labor costs by reducing the number of drivers needed? Hopefully this is just a temporary thing, otherwise I'm going to have to get up even earlier and try to catch the train I keep missing by just a couple of minutes.

Here's some bad news:

"WASHINGTON (AP) - There's been a setback in the rapid development of Washington's Penn Quarter neighborhood near the Verizon Center.Gourmet supermarket chain Balducci's is pulling out of a deal to build the area's first grocery store. The company had signed a lease to open a store by early summer on the ground floor of a complex with 400 condominium units and the Woolly Mammoth Theatre. The company now says it wants to focus on bolstering its existing locations instead."

I was so looking forward to this opening. I'm sure something else will take the space, but a small gourmet grocery store would have been a perfect fit.