The thing about DC, though, is it has an interstate loop, so if you travel on one direction long enough, you can eventually get where you’re going.
Pittsburg was in another universe of crazy roads for me. No grid system for major roads that I could find, many odd-angle intersections, a rat’s nest of overpasses/underpasses/who knows what.
I still don’t see a GPS or phone as being the difference between knowing and lost. I travel back roads almost all the time and do that a lot in the CO mountains also. Not once have I ever gotten lost with the use of paper maps even on dirt roads and obscure passes.
I think lots of capitols had the roads laid out like that. St Paul is the same way with hub and spokes but I don’t think they ever had to worry about the British attacking. The Sioux maybe and Capone but not the British with their wagons.
Try walking sometime to find 7th when it goes from 6th to 8th and no 7th where the car rental is. Lo and behold when I finally found it after walking a mile or two in the winter, it was right across from one of our office buildings. Why didn’t someone tell me? That’s the day I learned that a crank sensor will shut you down with no warning. 50 mile tow home and a rental.
Many state capitals were inspired by Washington DC. However, the basic plan of Washington, with its grid overlaid by grand boulevards radiating out from monuments or squares, dates back to the 1790s, when ithe plan was created by Pierre L"Enfant, inspired by the more modern parts of major European cities. Through the 1800s this plan was followed poorly, with slums encroaching on what was supposed to be parkland and many of the grand boulevards blocked. The lower half of the Mall was dominated by a railroad station, filthy industries, and slums. About 1900 they came up with a plan to clear the obstructions to the major boulevards and define the boundaries and approprate uses for the Mall. It caused a major rejuvenation of the city, letting the clearing away of substandard buildings and elimination of poorly sited industries. That was what led, years later, to construction of the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials on sites identified by the plan as suitable for monuments, though the land along the Potomac was swampy and polluted where it wasn’t covered by slums.
The radiating Boulevard idea worked great in carriage days, when traffic was light, but now it makes for a lot of awkward intersections and slow traffic in DC. It’s not the worst city for driving, because the streets are fairly wide and the underlying grid us straightforward, so it is hard to get lost. It just takes a long time to get across. Easier than San Francisco, where I live. DC is a lot flatter and SF doesn’t have one simple grid, but instead about a dozen, in different parts of the city, none of them facing the same way. I’m two blocks from the subway and use that to get around town. Right now my health is too poor to be driving.
Some states like Ohio and Pennsylvania have free maps of the state at their information centers on their interstates. At least they did the last time I looked.
Yeah I like to collect maps as I travel. They aren’t cheap though. Sometimes to save money I would buy a case of last years maps for staff instead of the brand new ones for $1 a piece. Then some smart alec underling would complain about having an old map and I told him I didn’t think the roads changed all that much over the year.
I’ve contended for many years though that a lot of problems would be solved by moving DC to Omaha. Maybe not central Omaha but north or south anyway. Really only people that actually wanted to contribute to the common good would then be interested in moving there. Instead of vacations to Matha’s Vineyard, they’d have to go to the Black Hills in South Dakota. I really think it would keep people more grounded in American values.
“Instead of vacations to Matha’s Vineyard, they’d have to go to the Black Hills in South Dakota. I really think it would keep people more grounded in American values.”
I’ve never believed American values were attached to any particular place.
I agree bing. only because the capitol is too vulnerable in todays world.
if the terrorists got hold of one of russias missing suitcase nukes, or made their own, a short pleasure cruise up the Potomac would cripple us
“if the terrorists got hold of one of russias missing suitcase nukes…”
Yup!
The scary weapons that no credible source has ever seen, and which NBC News called “probably a myth”…
@whitey I dunno, I think having a cup of coffee and a piece of pie in Custer and talking to the other folks there might be quite a different experience than a coffee shop in Matha’s Vineyard.
@vdcdriver I hope the media is right but given the number of times the folks in DC have been surprised by events that seemed common sense to others is worrysome. Myself I think the power grid or water supplies or food supplies or disease are more likely this time instead of blowing people up. When you blow people up all you get is one big event, but when you cause havoc the effects are more wide spread and long lasting. I’d have to get my bioterrorism book out though to brush up on likely threats.
Whatever it is you have got to be able to move fast without hesitation and with an over-whelming response at first discovery. So just hope they have resupplied the lockers and equipment at the local NG centers.
I continue to keep gas in my cars though and my generator oiled up. Wash your hands and wear a helmet.
I haven t tuned in to nbc news since tom brokaw retired…
yeah, no one would dare invade us…, said the roman to visigoth
lol, in the wake of 911 several local places were found to be supporting terrorists. one local restaurant was torn apart by the fbi. one of the 911 hijackers visted there with the owners. a number of convenience stores too. I sometimes ate breakfast there and remember a guy talking furtively with the owner and eyeing me suspiciously.
I m very careful where I get my morning coffee
Things wandered away a second time, so I’m going to go ahead and close it. You’re welcome to continue the discussion in another setting of your choosing. Thank you!