suganuma

I'm considering a move to the DC area - info?

Specifically I guess I'm just wondering what the area is like, stuff to do/see, and racing venues/autoX events.

Thanks,

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

How is this possible little niccy?

suganuma

Fairchild AFB, VA flying N model (dual engine) hueys for VIP transport and such
They're supposed to be keeping up their tactical flying currency more now also with low level, formation, & NVG so I'm keeping it up on the list after pavehawks on my dreamsheet.

Fd3BOOST

iTrader: (7)

Here in southern Maryland we have Maryland international raceway which is large. It's on the NHRA circuit. Then there is smaller Capitol Raceway up in Crofton, Maryland. You got 75/80 drag strip way up in in Fredrick. That also just happens to be where PFS is located. There is a drag strip in Cecil county Md., although I've never been to it. In Virginia there is Manassass raceway which is quarter mile. Manassas also hosts Rotary Performance, Performance buyers group, and Electromotive. You may have heard of them. You have Virginia International raceway in Danville. That one (VIR) is a really nice road coarse. There are regular auto cross events in Maryland at the Redskins stadium. Ray Crowe and Malloy Mazda is just off rt1 and Opitz Blvd in Woodbridge Va. There is the MSCW which is a local Mazda enthusiasts driving club. You can even see NASCAR if that is your thing just down the road in Richmond. I'm rambling but there are plenty of things around here to do with your car.

This is pretty much like any metro area. We have the worst traffic in the country last I heard. Plenty of suburbs and all the trappings. Skiing and snowboarding are only about an hours drive in the winter time. The Altlantic beaches are about 2-3 hours away in the other direction. Here in Maryland we are right on the Cheasepeake bay so sea food is big. A bushell of crabs and beer in the summer is a must. NYC is about five hour drive north. The Carolina beaches are only four to five hours south. The summers are hot and humid. Mid to upper 90's with 90-100% humidity is common in August. Winters are hit or miss. Some years we get alot of snow some years we dont. Spring and fall are awesome. Housing and property to the North of DC is nice and more expensive. The east of DC in Prince George's county in Ghetto and used to have a high murder rate due to the drugs. South is average, more rural and generally nice. West of DC in Northern Va has alot of immigrant workers and seems to be the most diverse. Very crowded. I think that Northern Va is over populated and over built personallty. Taxes are high in Va too from what I hear. Oh and did I mention the traffic is bad?

13Beast REW

Traffic here isn't even half as bad as it is in South Florida or Atlanta and I-95 down there is 5/6 lanes wide. I'd say traffic here is rough, especially in DC and when crossing over from MD to VA, but not bad. What really makes it stand out is that up here, using your turn signals usually is just telling the person next to you to speed up so you can't move over. Maybe 1 time out of 40 will some actually let you over, usually you will just have to cut the person off when traffic gets slow enough that they have enough time to hit brakes.

Tofuball

Well, 13Beast points out a very fun part of driving around up here, that you can calculate for it, then signal, then they start speeding up, and you change lanes at the last possable second, and then wave at them to thank them.

It's roaring good fun I say, and it is the only way I can travel when driving my corolla :p

jsplit

obviously none of you have lived in Los Angeles when it comes to being aware of traffic.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

You guys are crazy.

1) Traffic severity isn't based just on one road. It covers all aspects: length (how far back traffic's backed up), duration, severity, frequency, and how widespread it is (not just one road).

On ANY given day, at rush hour, you have SEVERE gridlock practically ALL OVER Nova. I-495 is stopped. The Toll Road is stopped. Rt 50. Rt. 7. 123. GW Parkway. I-66. Route 1. Gallows Rd. Lee Highway/Rt. 29. Rt. 236. Braddock Rd. Pretty much EVERY SINGLE major road, AND the "shortcut" side roads are dead stopped. Every day. You can't go anywhere in under an hour or two. And most of these roads - because they're major roads - run VERY long distances. All this, and I haven't even mentioned DC (all of which is gridlocked), and MD.

Dave's 100% right, and he's not just saying that out of opinion. Some organization (highway safety maybe?) ranks cities/regions w/ the worst traffic every year, and last year we were #2. This year we stole the #1 spot.

Jon, I've recently spent a good amount of time in Cali near LA, driving up and down between Irvine and LA...traffic was bad, but it wasn't THAT bad. It moves, and alternate routes still move pretty well (non-highway roads). I can honestly say I've experienced worse traffic MANY a time when leaving from anywhere, going anywhere, around rush hour (which is like 6 - 9 am, and 3 - 7 pm lol)

13Beast REW

I'll give you that much. lol.

I'll also give you and dave credit where its due. When based on statistics, yes you are correct but stats don't tell the whole story. I'm making my opinion (yes, I admit it is only my opinion) based on first hand experience. Sitting still in traffic on major highways is one thing but when all of the sidestreets and back roads are also congested then there is a more serious issue IMO. When travelling through the DC metro area, compared to other areas such as Atlanta and South Florida, there are far fewer people using the smaller inner city routes than in ATL of SFL. I'm able to get to work right by the capital from PG county in rush hours traffic in not more than 5 - 15 minutes more than it would take making the same trip at midnight. In Florida a 20 minute midnight run is easily changed to a 1-1.5 hour but not less than 45 minute trek during rush hour whether I take I-95, the Florida Turnpike, Dixie Highway, or Powerline Rd.

So yea per capita, DC does have the worst traffic as it used have the highest homice rate when viewed as a state (might still have it), but when you consider everything, you can kill traffic time by taking back roads just as more people are murdered in Cali or NY than DC.

Stats are great and accurate when aimed at a specific target, but they don't tell the whole story.

suganuma

I'm originally from Dallas, TX and prefer a large city.

After living in several BFE type locations I really don't mind some traffic.

Thanks for the input - how about the people outside of in a traffic situation? women?

Pele

iTrader: (28)

I've lived here all of 23 years and can still not tell you anything about the women here except they dig cash.

Fd3BOOST

iTrader: (7)

There are plenty of young hot single women in the Metro area. I love heading into town in the summer. Makes for a fun drive watching all the women jogging up and down Connecticut Ave.

Back to traffic for a second. I have been commuting in and around DC, MD, VA for over ten years. This includes Baltimore etc. I handle alot of insurance claims and I run several appointments everyday. So I generally have a good idea of the traffic patterns around here at any given time on any given day. So keep in mind not all routes around here get backed up. 13BeastREW, I can tell you there is next to no traffic getting to Capitol Hill from PG county in the mornings. **** that area over at Rt4 or Penn. Ave is one of my short cuts. I can cut through town faster than runnin out the beltway. So I would agree that your commute is not bad at all. It's the surroundsing areas that are really bad. Try getting over to Fairfax at 7:00am. Or go around the belt way north to Rockville at that time. You will sit from 95 all the way to 270.
I usually leave my shop between 5:00-5:30 am to avoid most of the morning rush hour. Dependent upon my day of coarse. If I take 210 north to get on 495 at the WW bridge. It takes about an hour and a half to get 20 miles. 295 Into town from the south there is not much better. I see rt 66 is a joke in the morning. Anyway you know what I am saying. DC traffic sucks anyway you look at it.

BMac

Sorry man, I'm from Fort Lauderdale, lived there for 20+ years and that traffic doesn't even compare to the DC area. S. Fla you just avoid 95 and a couple other hot spots, other than that you'll be moving fairly well. Here you can be on the highway at midnight and still get stuck for a LONG time!

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Very true...but it's still absolutely horrible. Come to NoVa, and try practically every single backroute you can think of. They're all gridlocked, because the traffic's so bad that everyone's already sought out those sideroads, and they're super full now.

The funny part is, one of the ways Fairfax County got so rich was by taking bribes from local businesses re: construction vs. projected population growth. There are laws regulating how much construction you can do in a given area before you have to upgrade the surrounding facilities, including transportation. Lots of businesses and construction companies bribed the county to build and get around those requirements, despite laws and regulations. The county got richer, and the streets got more and more congested.

When I first moved into my current residence in '91, we were one of 2 or 3 housing complexes for miles past Tysons toward Reston. Now, at any given time, there's considerable to unbearable traffic on Rt. 7, since it runs straight through the Tysons area all the way to Leesburg. Imagine EVEYRONE taking that one road home. No metro, no realistic alternate routes (w/o going 270 degrees around lol) etc.

NOW, they've finally approved the extension of the metro rail to Tysons and Reston. Projected date of completion? Something like 8 - 10 years, by which time they'll need to expand it BADLY to Herndon, Sterling, and Loudon county, which is also growing exponentially.

They've also announced that they're taking a few feet from Rt. 7 on each side to expand it and make a 3rd lane. Again, expected completion date is years away, when the problem's already horrible. And oh wow...I can't wait to see how bad it is when they're closing off sections of the road or 1 lane for construction work

Lastly, they've approved expansion of the Beltway (all of I-495). They're adding 2 lanes in each direction, which will be HOV only lanes, or you can pay a toll to drive in 'em alone. Again, projected completion date is about a decade away. I mean c'mon...this is PAST retarded. I was in 4th grade or something when they first started trying to address the I-95/I-495/I-395 interchange disaster, and they just finished it up MONTHS ago. At least in Cali they planned accordingly ahead of time. Here, we're taking strides to minimize how far behind we are, but it looks like we're always gonna be behind

Otherwise, it's a great place to live

Pele

iTrader: (28)

They may be hot, young, and single, but the ones I've met are FAR from interesting. Although I haven't met any DC gals, only NoVA gold diggers...

Take one look at a beat up pickup truck as my rids and instantly, no date.


Back (again) to traffic, the ONLY well designed highway I know of around here is 270. I love 270. 3 express lanes each direction, one of those HOV (They should upgrade it from HOV-2 to HOV-3 though.) Two local traffic lanes each direction, CLEARLY marked signs and well in advance of any impending exits. Speed limit 55, although the local constable has no problem with 70 MPH. Plenty of area to pull over and change a tire.

Went on it during rush hour without a problem. I think I was still doing 60 in the thickest traffic. And it suprised me that slower traffic actually kept to the right lanes. Unlike VA where people use the right lane for passing because the left lane is the slow lane and people weave all the **** over the place.

The my only complaint about Maryland drivers is the lask of turn signal use... (Although VA drivers have no clue what that lever to the left of the steering column does either.) Aside from that, with regards to 270, road engineering, law enforcement, and driver courtesy.

Now if only they'd pave it in grooved cement like I-66 is out by Dulles airport, so that your car sounds like a jet taking off. *purr* I love that sound.

Anyhow. When chosing an area to live, avoid Fairfax County like the ******* plague... The gestapo here are the county's cash cow. Improperly mounted front plate? $25 ticket... $60 COURT COST! Speeding? $6 per mile over... $60 COURT COST! 3-6 points on license too.

Richest county in Va? Yeah. We claim that title. Most traffic stops per capita. That'd be us too. Coincidence? I think not.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

So it's not just me who LOVES that?! Oh man...it sounds sooo hot.

Pele

iTrader: (28)

Are you kidding me? I think everyone goes 70 MPH on that stretch just to hear it. I accelerate hard on the enterance and decelerate hard on the exits to hear it and lean into lane changes like I'm flying. Sounds kinda retarded, but it feels cool.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

LOL! Very true.

Niko, I will tell you that the one time I hung out in DC, the standard bar/club question was not "What do you do?" but was instead "How much do you make?"

At least they're straightforward

jayk

The women in DC change depending on the area of the city, if you're hanging out in Georgetown you'll get the "how much do you make" chicks, but adams morgan you'll get the "how much can you drink" chicks, on the hill you'll find the "are you a senator?" interns (they're the hottest but boring as hell). In any case, I once heard there were something like 5 women to every guy in dc so there are alot of them out there.

And since everybody is so busy arguing about who has the most traffic in the country, I thought I'd mention that there is also Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. Cool road track.

suganuma

Thanks - I think I get the idea on the traffic....

suganuma

haha.....well, you know what **** money I make Rich.

It's unlikely that I'll be getting Andrews AFB since a guy got it from the last class that just passed through, but I thought I'd check anyways. I find out Friday where I'm going....although I won't move there for 6 months best case.

rowtareh?

iTrader: (1)

I have never had any problems on 95-495 going up to College Park/B-more area. And this is at 7-8am. I get to Silver Spring within 45-55 minutes. Depends if I stop to eat somewhere. Now going home at 530-6pm sucked. And it was not 95-495 traffic. It TWO traffic lights right in the middle of Route 5. If you know of these, they can be very annoying. You roll along the highway going 80-90 and you come to a complete stop and sit in traffic for 30 minutes because of TWO stoplights. They need to build an over pass there. BADLY!

Lt. Dan

You guys can hear that over your exhaust system?

LOL....

Dan

kleinke

Let me know if you get Andrews AFB. I am in the ANG out there. There is very little traffic from where I live in Fairfax County and back, but not the reverse. It's about 20-25 mins for me each way.

By the way IMHO the female situation is very good. In case you don't like the native varieties, there are always a lot of new ones moving to the area from other places.

suganuma

well, thanks for the info guys, but I found out Friday that I'll be heading out for Tokyo instead...

-Nic