Hip Has Its Downside

I usualt take the 5th or 6th street and avoisd all 7th street trafic.

honey why-ever were you trying to drive on 7th street? you need a motorcycle like my man! get around all those pesky cruising cars…

Tell me about it… 9th is always the way to go, if you are going south.

I could never live on 7th, between Mass and Penn Avenues.I live far aways on 5th that I am downtown without being in the epicenter of madness at 7th and H Sts. Honestly, I do not see the logic in developers in “piling things to do” in one area, thus creating gridlock. While this is happening, some areas of DC virtually have no traffic or congestion or development of any kind. I do not see the “hipness” in pushing my way through crowds of people and being stuck in traffic. In short I am a long time city dweller, somewhat jaded, and would much rather spend my time at a jazz concert at the Kennedy Center or some academic or artistic endeavor on the campus of AU.

Thanks for telling us what you like and dislike about other people’s preferences. Actually development around 7th and H is smart, aside from traffic, its part of a larger mixed use development with an emphasis on Transit Oriented Development (TOD) around Metro stations. Instead of driving, people should be taking the Metro or bus to Gallery Place.

Dump the car! Best decision I ever made when I moved to PQ almost 4 years ago. Zip when you need one, or get a scoot.

If you live downtown, work downtown, and party downtown, then why keep the car? Make the leap and ditch it! You’ll be amazed at the money you saved.

you COULD dump the car…or … you could just drive a realllly cool one ..so you at least look hip..while you are sitting in traffic..
just a thought..
xoxo

The car is worth it, especially when you want to get away on the weekend or run erands.

I’m with SB. Sometimes, we must sacrifice convenience for style.

I live in PQ as well and decided to dump the car. It sat in the parking garage for a $230 month fee. When I did decide to take the car out , I was just annoyed at the traffic.

It is easier to walk, take the Metro…. or Zip car/flexcar for those things that you absolutely need a car for.

Last night was a great example.. we met our friends at the zoo for Zoo Night..We hopped on the Metro at Judiciary Square as they were leaving Dupont Circle in their car..we got off at Cleveland Park Metro, leisurely walked across the bridge to the zoo…stood in line for our wrist band, and still beat them there. (the exercise doesn’t kill us either)

A scooter or motorcyle also sounds like a great alternative…I would love a little Vespa..but where to park it?

I’m glad I still have my car. Comes in handy for buying groceries. IF we EVER, EVER get a grocery store in PQ, I might reconsider.

if you miss poison ivy there’s a bucnch growing every spring on the 400 block of M street nw

omg where RR? i must know to avoid it!

I pretty much use my car for grocery shopping only as well. I hate driving down H St. Traffic is very annoying at most every time.

You have the right to keep your car, clearly but we have the right to tell you not to complain when you clearly could find ways around sitting in traffic on 7th street. Having lived there 3 years, you’d think you’d know better.

It seems no matter what the topic is, it always comes down to car versus no car and how do we get our groceries.

Some people don’t want to give up their car for whatever reason. I grew up in a serious car culture in California, but have managed to give up two cars here.

If you are going to keep a car here, you will have to deal with alot of inconveniences, such as sitting in traffic.

The rest of us (non-car owners) will reap the benefits from being more creative…using the metro, car sharing (ZIP and Flex), our own two feet and groceries deliverd to our door.

I love ordering my groceries from home any hour of the day and having them delivered to my kitchen. It is soooooo easy.

Several reason I don’t miss a car in DC: over priced gas,finding a place to get the car washed, finding that your bumper has been banged by some idiot who can’t parallel park, worrying if another idiot is going to steal it or destroy it in some way and the savings are tremendous.

I love living in PQ..everything is so close and pretty much within walking distance.

The money I save by not owning car, pays for a nice little trip out of the city each month….what a treat.

You all must have lots of time to sit around waiting for buses, walking, taking metro to catch other public transport and scheduling around zipcar availability. I wish I had that much free time.

Anonymous 6/28/2007 07:57:00 PM:

Sometimes, I have to wait for the metro so long, I read an entire article in the Washington Post. And when my favorite zipcar – the Honda element across the street – is already taken, I have to settle for the Volvo that is a whole 15 steps away. It’s absolutely horrible. When I’m waiting for the bus, all I can do is dream about commuting to Chantilly.

Off topic, but the Post has an article today about the Textile Museum on 7th… http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/28/AR2007062802353.html

ha. andy that was funny.

thanks for all your comments.

on ZipCar: I’ve tried this before and sometimes it can be a good way to go if your use requirements are light and irratic. grabbing a ZipCar at the last moment in a popular location is a non-starter so it definitely doesn’t equate to owning a car. but, it’s not supposed to.

on car type: I’m actually with Suicide Blond and GPLiving on this one. I had a two seat targa convertible for 12 years and loved it. then, I started doing house renovations. not so great for hauling 2 by 4s or hauling trash to the dump…thank goodness the rear window went down. I now have a boxy vehicle with great handling, snappy acceleration and a manual transmission.