Point Me to the Miles

DC For 4 Days: Exploring DC, Part 1

Introduction, PSC-SLC, SLC-DTW, DTW-DCA, Ritz Carlton Pentagon City Review, Exploring Washington, DC-Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4; DCA-ATL, ATL-MSP, MSP-PSC, Conclusion

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

After arriving at the Ritz-Carlton and checking in, I headed out to the Smithsonian American Art Museum before it closed.  Once there, I had about 45 minutes to explore before it closed, then headed to get something to eat.  Usually I try to avoid chain restaurants in these situations but , I I don’t have the chance to eat at one very often, and it is just so good.  I decided to forgo the metro and get there via Capital BikeShare.

During my previous trip to DC I had an exhilarating adventure of a bide ride (moving faster than the traffic during rush hour) using a 1-day bike rental service. Hoping to replicate this experience, I did some research before my trip and discovered  Capital Bikeshare.  They feature 120 bicycle kiosks throughout DC and Arlington, and have very flexible payment plans depending on how long you’ll be there for. You insert your credit/debit card and are given a 4-digit key code to unlock a bike.  The first 30 minutes of every trip are free, then you are charged incrementally after that.

Four days of using Capital Bikeshare cost me a total of $35, which is actually what most rental places would charge you for a single day.

I thought the Capital Bikeshare would be a fun way to get to the Cheasecake Factory, but my creativity ended up costing me.  I used my phone to look up the address, and I knew exactly how to get to the street.  But my problem was I was clueless as to what part of the street it was on–I didn’t know I would end up biking clear to Maryland, literally.

After 30 minutes or so I made it to the street I was looking for (around Georgetown) and kept pedaling along.  Soon I realized the street numbers weren’t changing all that fast, and I was mostly biking uphill now, soI turned in my bike at another kiosk and gave up.  I snagged a taxi which took me the final 2 miles or so.

Exhausted after my long journey, I finally arrived at the Cheesecake Factory to re-fuel.  I felt real dumb when I asked my waitress where the nearest metro stop was, only to hear her say “right outside the door.”  I could have just taken the stinking metro!!  I guess the travel lesson learned is don’t just know the address of where you are going, but know specifically HOW to get there.

But half the fun of the trip is the journey right…?