Planes and Buses and Trains, Oh My!

I am enjoying my first visit to Washington DC, and it has been a lot of fun as well as a lot of work. Being fairly new to travel, I think I have a pretty good handle on airports, and after my London experience the subway/tube/underground/metro thing isn't too difficult either. As long as I stick to those I am fine. This trip is a little different because I had to rely on buses to get around. Sure, I could have taken a cab anywhere, but frankly, the taxi ride is another alien form of transportation for me, so I decided to keep costs low and use the buses.

I flew into the Baltimore airport and after collecting my luggage started looking for the bus stop. It was on the way to the bus stop that I realized that I didn't have cash, so I stopped at an ATM and took care of that problem.

One thing that always makes me feel more secure when I am traveling is to have a map. I don't have to actually look at it, I just have to have one on me somewhere, and I feel like I can never get too lost to find my way back. I stopped at an information kiosk and was given a whole pile of paper, some useful, most destined for the trash bins. I was also given some very useful directions. Ride the B30 bus to Greenbelt station and then ride the Metro to College Park, where I should emerge from the Metro station next to the University of Maryland, and I knew that the Archives were next to the U of M and that my hotel was apparently more or less on campus. The bad news: I would need exact change for the bus.

I ended up walking back to a newsstand (next to where I had started) so I could buy an overpriced pack of gum whereby I could have the exact $3.10 I needed to ride the bus. I shoved the changes in my pocket and I started walking back to the bus stop, jingling the quarter and two pennies in my pocket. Wait a minute... My change didn't include the coveted dime I needed. Unlucky for me I was a fast walker and was half way back to the bus stop, which was in another terminal. I walked back to the newsstand and exchanged my quarter for two dimes and nickel and then booked it back to the bus stop. Of course, I just missed the bus. I now was blessed with a half hour wait in the cold.

Forty-five minutes later I was enjoying a rather scenic ride to College Park, rehearsing the directions the information-guy had given me. My maps were in my briefcase, all was well. I get off the bus and follow the herd down into the metro station, where I stopped at one of the machines to get my ticket. I was going to be there for a while, so I was going to get a pass that I could use anywhere. After 3 attempts at getting a pass I was stumped. I was using a company credit card, and I didn't know the zip code that the bill went to. On the fourth try I used my own card and it worked. And I missed the train. Another cold 20 minute wait.

Thirty-five minutes later I got off the train at College Park still cold (it was only a five minute train ride) but feeling a little more confident. Yes, I was delayed, but in the end I had won. Or so I thought. I emerge out of the hole that was the metro station and look around. I don't see anything but a line of buses, a parking structure and trees. Where was the University? It only took me about 10 minutes to decide that I had to ride a bus, and after examining a map and a few schedules I picked one out that went to the University. For those of you who are thinking that I am too stubborn to ask for directions, let me give my rebuttal now. First of all, I was in this mess because of that very strategy. I had done what the guy in the airport had suggested, and that didn't work. Also, from this point on I asked every bus driver I encountered (yes there are several) for help, and in every case I got one of two responses: 1.)"I don't know" 2.) information that turned out to be incorrect. So there.

So with the assurances of my bus driver I climbed on board and settled in a seat where I could see where we were going. After riding for 5 minutes I started to get concerned and after 10 I realized that this bus was not going where I needed it to. I got off at the next stop, which happened to be a 7-11. I went inside to get some more help (bad idea).

After looking at me like I was crazy (A lost white guy towing his luggage in a "rough" neighborhood in Baltimore. Crazy is a good word for that.) they pointed me towards a bus stop down the street. I went and stood next to the sign. The wind had picked up and it was cold.

Fifteen minutes later the bus came. I stepped on board and followed my routine of questioning the driver. "Does this bus go the University of Maryland?"

Another "you are crazy" look. Maybe it was the luggage.

"No. You need to be one more street that way," he said, pointing in the direction that I was calling North at the time.

"Can I just go around this block to get there," I asked with a pointing gesture of my own.

"Yep."

"Thanks."

I got back off the bus and as it drove off I headed around the corner. A couple of houses down it was clear that this was a dead end street. There was a business at the end and I thought that maybe I could cut through their parking lot to get to the other side of the block. That was until the guard dog came from around the corner. He was mad. We discussed it for a couple of seconds and we both decided that I should go back around the block the other direction. I hate mean dogs. They could have at least tied him up on the property.

So I headed back down the street, around the block and found another bus stop in the opposite direction the 7-11 lady had indicated. They should really try to hire better people I thought. As I waited under the new bus sign I thought about what I was doing wrong. Maybe I should stop asking about the University. I decided that I would instead ask to go to the Archives. We had picked our hotel based on the information that it was the closest hotel to the Archives, so if I aimed for that I should have a winner.

Ten minutes later the bus pulls up. Yes, it went to the Archives. I settled into my seat. Fifteen more minutes of riding found us turning into the Archives driveway, only I didn't see the hotel. In fact I didn't see anything but trees. We drove into the property passing three different security stops and finally we stopped at the doors of the archive. This didn't look good, so I decided to question my driver further.

"Is the conference center near here?"

"Yep."

"I didn't see any sign or anything."

"I think it's attached to the archives. It is real close. The guard in there should be able to tell you."

Who was I to argue with a local. So I got off the bus and stepped up to the glass doors as the bus drove away. It was dark now, being close to 7 PM and the wind was still making it feel colder. For some reason the doors were unlocked and I stepped in and smiled at the guard. I believe in making a good impression, no matter what.

He must have thought I was out of my mind, and the smile didn't help my case.

"No," he said slowly, probably trying to make sure I understood, "there isn't a hotel attached to this building. The conference center is to the left on the main road back there."

"So, I just go to the main road and turn left?" My intentions were obvious. He glanced at my luggage, my thin Disney sweatshirt before he responded.

"Yes, just to the left. It is a little far to be walking though."

I thanked him and stepped back out of the doors. Yes, it was cold, and I had luggage, and I didn't really have a clue where I was, but I had already considered the idea of just walking to where I needed to be if I got some straightforward directions, and now I had them. I walked back through the three guard stations and turned left at the main road. It was poorly lit, and the sidewalk even poorer. Clearly the suitcase manufacturer had not designed the wheels with off-roading in mind before they shipped them off to Costco.

Thirty minutes later I walked in the door to my hotel. I smiled at the lady at the desk.

"How was your trip, sir?"

"Fabulous. I got to see a lot of this area."

"Can I help you with anything else?"

"Yeah, do you have a map showing the bus routes around here?"

No, they didn't have a map, and I figured it was just as well. I got settled in my room and started focusing on the rest of my trip.