April 7, 2004
To put it simply, cherry blossoms suck
I wasn't going to bitch about this, I really wasn't. But the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. If you've read the title of this entry, you know that I'm pissed off about the cherry blossom madness.
You'd think that a town that's been holding an annual festival for a while would be prepared for it. But this is D.C., a town that's never prepared for anything, try as it might (or pretends to try). I know I shouldn't have attempted to drive towards Virginia this weekend. In general, I have a no-NoVa policy firmly in place. But there was money involved, so I headed down 14th Street, forgetting all about the cherry blossoms.
So, this is partly my fault, I know. But whose fault is it that once drivers got to the National Mall, they were directed away from 14th Street with no detour signs or other helpful hints about getting to the highway? That's right! It's D.C.'s fault. On top of the re-routing of traffic, there was construction going on pretty much all around the Mall, so those who were directed way from 14th Street were then directed away from the street to which they had just been directed.
Eventually, a long, long time later, I found my way to 395, weaving through a sea of out-of-state cars and gawking pedestrians. (They're just cherry blossoms, people! Watch where you're going!) Did no one tell the tourists that they should not even attempt to drive to the Mall during the festival? I guess not.
To sum up, get some detour signs, D.C.
Posted by nm at April 7, 2004 5:01 PM
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Comments
Quit yer complaining.
Posted by: chris at April 8, 2004 11:16 AM
I'm starting to think some sort of permit should be required for out-of-staters to drive in DC. As a MD resident who has had to contend with clueless drivers in cars with Ohio, VA, and, yes, Texas plates, I'd pay $20/yr for some sort of permit that you can only pick up at, say, a Metro transit store.
Also, more signs on I-95 and the Beltway highly encouraging people to use the nearest Metro station.
Posted by: Amanda at April 8, 2004 11:28 AM
Naah - the people who write those laws are out-of-state legislative counsels who live in the area but never change their plates.
Posted by: Randolph at April 8, 2004 11:45 AM