Smithsonian museum at Dulles

It is ironic. Physically operating a car doesn't require a great deal of
skill. But traffic is a dynamic system, and the one requirement for
system smoothness that crosses all boundaries is that people must pay
attention, else the system grind to a halt of its own weight. Yet,
inattention and oblivion are the constants you can find no matter where
you go.

True.

And this is accentuated when you live in an employment culture (AKA: A city
where the Gubmint is the primary employer) that exerts little pressure to
perform, or even to arrive at work on time.

No one is paying attention here because there is no reason to do so. They
cannot be fired, so why worry about being late?

For those of us who work in "The Real World" it can be incredibly
frustrating.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article ,
Cub Driver wrote:


But I think the big deterrent to crime is the fact that the Metro is a
middle-class transportation system. At eleven o'clock it is full of
people in jackets and ties, going home from the theater. Because it is
comfortable, it is used, and because it is used, it is safe (or seems
to be, which is pretty much the same thing).


Sounds like the rapid transit systems in a lot of European cities
(Munich or Zurich, for example; all of Holland; most German cities; and
so on), and with the same result: The systems get used, and once you
get used to how convenient and comfortable it can be for you (and for
your family of all ages) to use them -- to be able to ride point to
point, reading or relaxing as you go, no traffic fights, no parking
fights at the destination, OK for your kids to use by themselves also --
you wish many U.S. cities could get over the chicken and egg problem of
getting to similar situations.

Cub Driver wrote:


For one thing, it was designed to be graffito-proof. The dim lighting
results from the rough concrete walls, which when you look at them
turn out to be out of reach. And most everything that is within reach
is shiny black.

The dim lighting results from having dim lighting. Even the stations
that have painted the originally unfinished concrete with white paint
are DARK.


There's no circular line. While it's theoretically possible to ride
back and forth all day, then get out at a station nearby, it's still
not a convenient sleep. And the Metro card may be time-stamped to
prohibit it--I don't know.

The system doesn't run all night either. Originally it closed
at midnight, but that's been extended of late.

"Jay Honeck" wrote

Here in the land of the eternally mellow government employee (can't be
THAT
much different than D.C.), the light can be green for 3 - 5 seconds before
anyone even THINKS about moving. If you're 20 cars back, it can be three
changes of the lights.


That was one thing that I really remember, that made a strong impression on
me, in Paris. When the light changes, the first car and the 20th car all
step on the gas! It was like formation driving. Everyone left at once, and
held the 3 foot interval, until you were through the light. Then, and only
then, did you increase the following distance!
--
Jim in NC

Cub Driver wrote:

For one thing, it was designed to be graffito-proof.

Exactly. The Atlanta system copied some of the features. Floors are tile and can
be cleaned with caustic chemicals to remove paint. Walls and ceilings are either
concrete or aluminum with a baked-on coating. Just about any type of readily
available paint can be removed from either with strippers that won't harm the
coating on the aluminum. Stuff that won't come off the concrete is just painted
over with concrete-colored paint.

Of course, some people have discovered that you can carve slogans and such into
the aluminum. In Atlanta, perpetrators are likely to require a short detour to
Grady (the trauma hospital) en route to the jail if they are caught.

George Patterson
Why do men's hearts beat faster, knees get weak, throats become dry,
and they think irrationally when a woman wears leather clothing?
Because she smells like a new truck.

Robert M. Gary wrote:

By the time I got there it was 59 minutes before closing and they close
the main gate an hour before closing. So 2 hours of driving all over
the place were wasted. Next time, I'm bringing the laptop with the
built-in GPS and teach my wife to use it.


The parking attendants go home at 4 but the gates are then left open
(usually until about 6 when the last IMAX movie gets out). This is the
famous cheap school teachers trick, come in after 4, it's a short visit,
but it's free.

Margy

Cub Driver wrote:
On 29 May 2005 05:33:18 -0700, "Robert M. Gary"
wrote:


The $7 bus ride math works differently
for me because I have to multiply everything by 4.


I think kids are half price. Evidently the fare is now $8, so it would
be $24 (I think). And for that you get to visit NASM next day

It's now $12 for tickets 1-3 and rates go down (marginally) from there.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/visit/shuttlebus.cfm for the full details.

While on the nasm webpage check out
http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/eventD...fm?eventID=295

other than the fact some of the listed aircraft are from a really old
list and aren't coming (no T-38, the King Air was replace by a Citation,
no Grumman TR2). The Predator will actually be reassembled in the
museum during the day so that should be fun.

The day will be GREAT (I just need perfect weather)

Margy

Robert M. Gary wrote:
The gate itself was actually closed. The exit gate was open and I was
inclined to go in through the out door but my wife was there and I knew
I'd hear about it for years.

-Robert

All five of them were closed? That's really odd.

Margy

On Tue, 31 May 2005 12:02:43 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

I really appreciate the lodging offer, but I suspect we'll probably find a
hotel near Dulles, just for convenience sake

There are a bunch (I don't know about suites), and when I looked into
the situation, they were a whole lot cheaper than downtown. But the
airfare savings by flying Southwest into Baltimore, plus not having to
rent a car, more than made up for it, and I *like* downtown DC.


-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

On Tue, 31 May 2005 16:49:08 -0400, "Morgans"
wrote:

That was one thing that I really remember, that made a strong impression on
me, in Paris. When the light changes, the first car and the 20th car all
step on the gas! It was like formation driving.

When I drove through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and after I paid the toll,
a woman signaled me to pull over. She'd been in the car behind me. I
rolled down my wind and got hit by a torrent of Italian. I tried to
answer, and she, realizing I wasn't Italian, launched into French. I
tried to answer in French. Since I couldn't speak either language to
her standard, she realized that I must be American, so she switched to
English: "WHY YOU GO SO SLOW IN TUNNEL?"

Evidently I had broken the formation.



-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com