cooker

Are you serious?

tulip

Hi Koffee,
DC is quite simple once you know the basics:

Quadrants: DC is divided into quadrants (NW, NE, SW, SE), and the axis is the Capitol. The various Capitol Streets (North Capitol (North Cap for short), South Cap, East Capitol...there is no West Capitol because that is where the Mall is). Easy enough.

State Avenues: varying lengths, almost always diagonal and leading to a circle or confusing intersection.

Numbered Streets: Run North-South, starting at the aforementioned Capitol. So you work at Union Station, that is just northeast of the Capitol. First Street NW runs alongside the west side of Union Station, and is one-way going south. It has a bike lane, but cars are usually parked in it.

Alphabetical Streets: Streets that run East-West are organized alphabetically AND by number of syllables. Again, the Capitol is the starting point (keep in mind the quadrants). The streets closest to the Capitol are simply letters: D Street NE, C Street SE...Then you get into the names alphabetical by syllable. After the letters, you get two-syllable streets in alphabetical order...such as Macomb, Newton, and Quebec. Then you get three-syllable streets alphabetically...such as Fessenden, Kennedy, Quackenbos.

So if someone tells you to meet them at 1409 Quincy NE, it's easy to find! NE, okay. 14th NE...go up to Quincy (two syllable, alphabetical)...see you at the Franciscan Monestery (they have great gardens).

The exceptions will drive you crazy, but knowing the rules will go along way in getting you where you need to go. And never forget the quadrant!

tokolosh

yeah, but your towel is filthy

about gloves - i'm experimenting with that too, in my first winter commuting season here where it rains some ridiculous number of days in the year, with hands that turn unusable once they get cold. so far i've had no trouble in snowboarder's gloves at feels-like temperatures between 0C and 10C. They're light and flexible enough that i can still feel the gears, and have room inside them for extra layers if it gets any colder than this. don't know how cold it gets in dc though.

Ritehsedad

I was gonna try those oversized "food service" gloves you see them wear behind the counter at Subway for water/wind resistance. Couldn't find any. I'm gonna try your basic plastic food storage bags. Very elegant.

Guest

Nope. Sorry. Someone already sat down and pulled out the "just remember the quadrants" speech. That is not going to get me to visualize the layout of the city. My best bet so far is just memorizing maps. Perhaps in the next year or so, I'll have ridden around the city enough to pick up where things are. But that does nothing.

Thanks for trying anyway.


Koffee

Marylandnewbie

Koffee -- you'll definitely need to prepare for rain since that is the most common winter precip around here. Of course once you've prepared for rain then it freezes and all bets are off. In much of downtown you can use the Washington Monument as a landmark. Also since you are coming in from Arlington the numbered streets will be counting down as you head towards the Capitol. Lettered streets work up from the Mall. If you give us starting and ending points chances are very good someone can steer you through a very efficient route since there are many DC areas commuters on here.

I'm pretty sure you don't ride sidewalks but if you think about it, remember it is prohibited in most of the downtown area. Everything from 24th St NW east to the Capitol and from the Mall north to Mass Ave. The only place I have ever been hassled was up by the Capitol, otherwise it is only enforced in occasional crackdowns or if you have an altercation with a ped.

As for maps you should definitely check out the ADC bike route maps which can be found in most LBS. And in general any of the ADC road maps will give you very detailed maps of city streets -- even DPW carries these maps to find their way around. Also the Washington Area Bike Assoc. site has some good maps. I think you'll find DC is pretty practical on a bike if not always bike friendly.

cc_rider

The ADC (Alexandria Drafting Company) maps are the best for this area. The ADC bike map is ok, but they don't keep it updated quick enough.
Most of the maps put out by other companies are not nearly as good as ADC.

As you say, not much snow here. Usually only 2 to 5 good snow storms a year. There is usually not too much rain in the winter either. That'll happen in the spring.
Since our area is not warm enough to avoid freezing, and not cold enough to stay frozen, the big problem is ice. A lot of our winter storms happen around 30 degrees.

Best way to learn DC streets is to ride them, then look at the map and see where you've been. Then ride them again, trying alternate routes. You'll figure it out.

Trek930

Posted above in cold fingertips in cold weather. You may want to look at that thread too.

balto charlie

Welcome to DC commuting Rain will get you wet regardless of what you wear especially if the ride lasts 1 hour. After many years of commuting I find that 'serious' downpours do not last a long time. Well timed rides can really reduce riding in the heavy rains. If the rains are significant wait a little while, then haul ass.
Pants: I wear Sporthill brand of XC ski pants in the winter. Very wind and water resistant. Also dries quickly for the return ride. They will not keep you dry in heavy rain. I only use them in the winter when rains are infrequent. For cool rains I wear the waterproof performance jacket/pants. You will not get wet with the rain but will sweat like a pig. Basically you must decide cold rain or warm sweat. I also concur with oknups(hey Steve) to ride a bike friday and METRO(in bad weather). I bike and ride MARC. For route finding touch base with bikewashington yahoo group. Lots of local road knowledge. Enjoy DC, Charlie

Eggplant Jeff

Hi, welcome. I don't really have anything to add, this is my first winter commuting too. Except that this morning was DEFINITELY NOT cold enough for windproof pants!

jyossarian

It is not filthy! It's soaked in nutrients! You can't even find your towel!

StanSeven

HA. I work near there. Wait until Summer and see tourists all over the place confused looking for roads that disappear near Union Station, the Capitol, Supreme Court,a nd all the diaganol roads with State names like Mass and NY. Homeless people make a living giving directions for a dollar or two.

Paul L.

My towel is upstairs. At least until the ravenous bugblatter beast of traal shows up again.



Welcome to the Forum Koffee! As time goes on you will get to have the wonderful time of trying new routes and slowly dialing in your most efficient/safest route. I do about an hour and 15 minutes a morning myself. Perfect training for centuries.

PaulH

In Arlington, you will also be initiated into the mysteries of Glebe Road. It appears all over the county in various forms. There is even an intersection of Glebe and Glebe.

Paul

timmhaan

i've still never sucessfully commutted to work. however i commute back and forth between my GF's apartment and my own all the time - often the morning before work or afterward with a change of clothes. so, i still consider that commuting. am i cheating??

Jarery

Best rain jacket I've encountered.

www.showerspass.com

Their century elite jacket.
Made with event mtl which breezes a lot more than gortex. Pearl izumi makes one out of it also, except they have zero ventalation, not even pit zips.

The showers pass jacket has lots of venting.

cc_rider

Would that be North Glebe, South Glebe, East Glebe, West Glebe or Old Glebe?

StanSeven

Let's not forget route 123 as it moves out to Fairfax country - Chain Bridge Road, Dolly Madision, Maple Avenue, back to Chain Bridge, Ox Road and Monroe Drive. It's so easy for out of towners to find their way araound.

tulip

I'm fine in DC, but get me in NOVA and I'm lost.

Tree Trunk

Sorry to lose you from the Chicago area. A rough winter is predicted, so you probably won't miss Chicago (at least the weather).

DCCommuter

You forgot Glebe Glebe and Glebe Glebe Glebe.

The explanation I've heard is that the Glebe is the part of a parish dedicated to the support of the priest. When Arlington was founded, the Church of England was running the show, there was a church at every intersection, every church had a glebe, and every glebe had a glebe road. Most of the other colonies were formed by separatists who were seeking religious freedom, so they didn't have glebes.
Right, and in-between where it stops being Chain Bridge Road and starts being Chain Bridge road again, it intersects with -- Old Chainbridge Road. An extra bonus for those paying attention.

Some day you should try getting on Chain Bridge Road in DC and taking Chain Bridge to Virginia. Why? Because you can't! Despite what the name implies, Chain Bridge Road doesn't go to Chain Bridge.

Eggplant Jeff

The only Glebe I know of is "Glebe and Sycamore", which you'll hear every SINGLE day in the traffic report on the radio. Don't drive by there, apparently. Maybe it's "Glebe to Sycamore" dunno but those are two street names you'll hear without fail.

swwhite

I have had success with Sealskinz brand gloves. My bike has rubber hand grips, so I can wear the gloves by themselves, but they are big enough to go over a pair of biking gloves.

Mine have become wet inside, but I can't remember if it was from just heavy rain or if I did something. Because they are so nearly waterproof, drying the insides is difficult. If I just set them out to air dry after a rain and the inside is damp, it will remain so. So what I do is, when I get home after a wet trip, set them out to dry, or put them in the dryer if I am in a hurry. Then I check the insides, and if they seem at all wet I turn them inside out (a bit of a struggle) and run them through the dryer that way.

Theoretically, I wear a rain jacket that is a bit large, and ends of the sleeves overlap the tops of the gloves so water runs off. I am not so religious about keeping up that sleeve-glove seal, so that might explain how I can get water inside the gloves. I personally like them but have not had enough good hard rains to give a solid review of them.

ChezJfrey

I would steer clear of baggy pants. I tried a pull-on pair for awhile with velcro straps to cinch up near the ankles and a drawstring waist. Unfortunately, the pants would still slide down slightly on the hips and create considerable bagginess, which would catch on various bike parts like the crank, the front derailleur, or the rear-most cable stop on the top tube. This would eventually result in a tear, which only exacerbated the problem and now I have a pair of shredded pants.

wheezl

You may want to look into boot dryers. They often have dryers for gloves and boots on the same unit. A half-decent electric one should set you back around $30 or so.