Metro Chaos

While it's definitely nice to live across the street from a Metro station to avoid the traffic congestion around the DC area, taking the Metro is certainly not always a walk in the park itself. Yesterday, after a very long day at work, I got on the Metro to head back home and immediately heard something to the effect of "we are experience delays in all directions" that pertained to me. Sure enough, the normal ride of 50 minutes turned into over an hour and a half. The main benefit of the Metro having a generally stable schedule compared to driving was lost, not to mention the fact that it was uncomfortably warm (and I'm wearing a suit) due to the 90+ degree weather.

Then today, on my way to the Nationals game, more chaos unfolded. Luckily, I had a seat and was minimally affected this time. Nevertheless, about 4 stops before the stadium the car I was on was essentially full. Of course, many others over the next 4 stops were very anxious to try to fit in to the train and make it to the game in time as well. Each stop resulted in additional pushing for space and plenty of shouting. "Move out of the way" and "Let me on" followed by "Can't you see there isn't any room" and "I don't think so...you're waiting for the next train." At one point, I heard someone say "You can't do that to a baby." Not sure who was doing what, but I was content with my seat and pre-game snacks. Finally, there was the good samaritan who tried to organize everything and asked if anyone was getting off at each stop. "We have 6 people getting off at this stop," she would yell...like that helped.