Report from Alexandria, Va
November 11th 2007 08:12 pm
I just returned from a four-day trip to the Washington, DC, area. (Anyone who attended public school in New Jersey or who has/had children in public schools in New Jersey will know why our trip was made Thursday-Sunday in early November.) Our hotel was within walking distance of a Metrorail (a.k.a. subway) station, and we made good use of the Metro trains during our trip, at a total cost of $15 per person over three days.
On Saturday evening, we decided to go Alexandria, VA, for dinner. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, “Old Town” Alexandria is a very nice area with lots of stores, restaurants, waterfront parks, and even a couple of non-chain ice cream parlors. No Cold Stone Creamaries there. The main shopping/dining area is along King Street, near the bank of the Potomac River. But the King Street Metrorail station is 1.5 miles inland. Certainly walkable, but not after spending three days on foot visiting various Smithsonian Institution museums.
Alexandria has a very well-run bus system called Dash. The buses are clean, reasonably prompt, and they publish a comprehensive rider guide with full schedules and maps. They also have a transfer system where transfers are free and are valid for 4 hours, including a return trip on the same bus route. We made use of their bus system on our last visit in April.
This weekend, I was pleased to discover that Dash also operates a free bus service every 15 minutes from the King Street Metrorail station down the length of King Street on Friday evenings and all day/evening on Saturdays and Sundays. The service is called “Dash About” and features specially-”wrapped” buses with “Dash About” graphics on the side. The destination signs read “FREE RIDE”, so the buses are easy to identify.
We used the Dash About buses to travel between the Metrorail station and The Warehouse Bar & Grill. The bus service worked very well, and dropped us off across the street from the restaurant. It was a lot better than walking on sore feet on a chilly November evening.
Free, frequent shuttle buses such as the “Dash Around” service can make an area significantly more convenient for visitors and residents. It would be good if this service could be applied elsewhere. Do you know of any similar services? Are there any in New Jersey? Leave a comment and let us know.
LRTADV responded on 13 Nov 2007 at 12:33 am #
I remember Williamsburg, VA having a bus system when our family visited many years ago. There was a recording that detailed each stop. I was small back then and don’t remember if it was free or not. As for New Jersey, every shuttle that I know of charges a nominal fee whether it’s a bus to the train station or for seniors.
E-44 responded on 18 Nov 2007 at 9:34 am #
NJT has committed to prvovide similar service to Highland Park and South Edison downtowns. Vehicles are supposed to show up on Rt. 27 and Woodbridge Ave. by early 2008. Loop service is supposed to be provided every 15 minutes, supplementing the disintegrating schedules of the 810 and 814.