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Mass Transit in Baltimore/Washington

RymRym
edited November 2008 in Everything Else
New York has really spoiled me. I've basically determined that most of the transit around the DC/Baltimore area is entirely useless for anything outside of a vanilla Monday-Friday 9-5 commute. The MARC station here has one northbound and one sourthbound train per day, and NO trains on weekends. Do people just not ever visit the city outside of work?

The MARC in particular is pretty hilarious. Their faq is basically a list of "Why does the MARC suck so much?" questions. The answers are all "CSX and Amtrack are evil, and we don't have any money."

Out here in Columbia, there aren't even sidewalks. People drive from the hotel to the restaurant NEXT DOOR. It's literally 100 yards away. Novi, MI was similar, but at least there were sidewalks there.

Comments

  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    edited November 2008
    In Columbia, the closest thing there is to a public transit system is the Green Busses, but the problem with them is that they only run every two hours and that there are not enough stops. Where are you staying in Columbia? I actually live there, so I could possibly give you some ideas on stuff you can do.

    Oh, and the MARC train is completely useless. The Metro system in DC, on the other hand, is quite the awesome.
    Post edited by Li_Akahi on
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited November 2008
    I use MARC to get to DC in the morning and to get back to Baltimore at night, basically the "vanilla Monday-Friday 9-5 commute". It's okay for that. What else do you want it to do?

    Obama will probably encourage expanded mass transit.
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    Obama will probably encourage expanded mass transit.
    It is something that America really needs, especially if you can't drive.
  • gomidoggomidog
    Aww, I'm sorry, Rym. New York has indeed pampered us.

    I do hope that you get to see the Aido and the Ananth, if they are not super-duper crazy busy.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited November 2008
    Why are you in Columbia, of all places? Come to Baltimore tonight and I'll buy you a beer at The Wharf Rat.
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • VigaViga
    Of course the MARC sucks. It's a commuter train. It even ends too early in the night. It used to have weekend service which was good for Otakon commuters but they got rid of it.
    The Metro system in DC, on the other hand, is quite the awesome.
    Yes it is!

    No sidewalks? Driving next door? I can't imagine that at all! D:
  • AmettoAmetto
    edited November 2008
    You're coming to DC? I hope you can come and visit me.
    Post edited by Ametto on
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    Rym, if you can you should go to Toby's Dinner Theater. They are currently showing their production of the Producers and the food there isn't bad. From what I have heard, the show is quite top notch as well.
  • NuriNuri
    Welcome to the south. We like our stuff spread out and gas-consuming!

    Seriously, we NEED mass transit. I know my state just did a feasibility study on a sort-of-state-wide commuter train built on the existing rail system. That's as close as we've got, and it won't happen for another 10 years if it even does.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited November 2008
    Welcome to the south.
    I wonder about this sometimes. I don't like to consider any state that did not rebel from the Union to be a part of "The South", even if such state is geographically south of the Mason-Dixon line. Maryland and DC are south of the Mason-Dixon line, but they share so few traits with states like the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, etc. that I just don't think you can say that they're part of "The South".

    West Case Reporters put Maryland and DC Court of Appeals cases in the Atlantic Reporter. I think that's more apropos and that Maryland and DC should be considered part of the "Atlantic Seaboard" or the "East Coast", but not "The South".
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • SailSail
    edited November 2008
    You guys in NY are so lucky. The public transit in California, what little of it there is, is largely useless. I hope Prop. 1A passes.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • NuriNuri

    I wonder about this sometimes. I don't like to consider any state that did not rebel from the Union to be a part of "The South", even if such state is geographically south of the Mason-Dixon line. Maryland and DC are south of the Mason-Dixon line, but they share so few traits with states like the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, etc. that I just don't think you can say that they're part of "The South".

    West Case Reporters put Maryland and DC Court of Appeals cases in theAtlantic Reporter. I think that's more apropos and that Maryland and DC should be considered part of the "Atlantic Seaboard" or the "East Coast", but not "The South".
    That's very true in terms of hickitude, sweet-tea availability, and educated/ignorant citizens. However, in terms of urban/suburban layout and features, MD has a lot in common with the southern states. It was a plantation-based economy that used slavery, similar to most of the other southern states, and the whole Southern Gentleman/Belle hospitality/manners ideal thing that went with it. It's not who fought who...it's what the culture and infrastructure grew out of.
  • csrjjsmpcsrjjsmp
    You guys in NY are so lucky. The public transit in California, what little of it there is, is largely useless. I hope Prop. 1A passes.
    What part of California do you live in?
    The San Francisco Bay Area has a functional (most of the time) train/subway system and plenty of buses. They are not well-run or well-maintained, but they are not useless either.
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    People visit parts of the city and some of the artsier/upscale suburbs at night, but cars are the usual mode for getting around the city (as it is less densely populated thank NYC).
  • SailSail
    What part of California do you live in?
    LA area. Personally though, I would call SF transit largely useless also compared to a place like NY or Boston.
  • FunfetusFunfetus
    Personally though, I would call SF transit largely useless also compared to a place like NY or Boston.
    It's still better than LA public transit by a HUGE margin.
  • csrjjsmpcsrjjsmp
    I use it every day, so I imagine you must have a nonstandard definition of useless.
  • AidoAido
    edited November 2008
    Dear Rym,

    Missing you, watching the election.

    We got a Vermonster, it was pretty delicious.

    xoxo, Yuko, Ananth, and Conrad.
    Post edited by Aido on
  • Delam3Delam3
    edited November 2008
    To agree with everyone else yes the MARC a sad system outside of a daily commute. The MTA's five year plan seems to include testing a weekend service on the Camden line but still very sad.
    Baltimore has buses and two light transit rails well one metro to a hosiptal and one light rail to the airport.
    Washington's Metro kicks ass though multiple lines and neat looking stations like concrete honeycombs but there can still be allot of walking around between neighborhoods and the mall.
    As for Columbia it still confuses me, unless you live there you may not even notice when you drive through.
    If you have a hankerin' for Southern Indian Vegetarian Cuisine I highly recommend Mango Grove in Columbia
    Post edited by Delam3 on
  • YoshoKatanaYoshoKatana
    Dear god, LA has no public transit, because they didn't want it. LA is a car town by design. The San Francisco area is passable, and you can generally get anywhere between Concord and SF if you have a bike and an hour to spare.

    On my way back from Princeton earlier this week I visited The City. Oh, how wonderful using a subway is again. And Taxis! I'm glad we at least have Amtrak on the east coast.

    Oh, also: Rochester busses are terrible. Sure, there are a lot of them, but the wait time between busses is nearly an hour, and they don't tend to come on schedule (20 minutes late is a given). At least busses are only $1 now.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    The Metro system in DC, on the other hand, is quite the awesome.
    If you live in DC and the immediate surrounding area. If you live in Tysons corner like myself it sucks for anything other than a 9-5 commute. I wanted to metro to union station to take a train to CT-con, but I discovered that when I returned at 10:30 pm on Sunday it would be exactly half an hour after any service to Tysons stopped. I can't even take a bus Thursday night from my apartment to the bar all my friends drink at.

    Seriously, there's a reason roads are so congested. Everyone drives because mass transit is utter crap.
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