I just got off one of the shuttles from Farragut North to Van Ness...after sitting and sweating in the Farragut station for over half an hour waiting for them to tell us what was going on.
What a nightmare.

Ohmygod. Should I just start walking toward home now?

"otherwise you Red Liners will be in for a tortuous, hot, and uncomfortable commute tonight."

Otherwise? I have a feeling Red Line commuters were already pretty much boned...

er, I meant NBC4's report here

My advice?

Drink some water and ride your bike home.

You shouldn't be depending on the Gov't or Big Oil to get you places anyway. It just causes problems. Ride a bike.

Gosh, lwatkins... you are sooooo smart and counter-culture!

My advice? lwatkins should go jump in the river. And stay there.

rappahannock

Does it really take more than an hour for Metro to respond to a BOMB THREAT? I know the bus drivers are lazy mo-fo's and the station managers are all anger management cases, but come on, isn't the Metro police able to do better than that? I'm sure glad they arrested the french fry kid and the half-eaten clark bar lady, since having a major station and an entire commuter line knocked out for hours during the evening rush is sure not their fault.

If a one hour response is as good as they can do, we are completely screwed. If it were a real bomb, the station would be out of commission for months (years?) given the lack of basic competence there seems to be on Metro these days.

News says it's a cardboard box and they're preparing to detonate it on the train (yikes!).

If you think an hour is an excessively long time to be addressing a bomb threat, you clearly have no understanding or appreciation for what a proper response entails and I will leave it at that.

Now NBC4 says they "may" detonate it.

I just dealt with what should have been an easier situation, from farragut north to gallery place... and I must say I have never seen a more disorganized 'emergency' response in my life.

There wasn't even a sign when entering farragut north that there wouldn't be any trains running toward Shady Grove and to go get on a shuttle instead.

Massive crowds, no information, even less organization. Par for the course for Metro these days, it would seem.

If they can't get A/C in the stations, you would think they could at least get some fans.

and to lwatkins: some of us sweat. a lot. i for one don't want to be ruining my work clothes sweating through them in 100 degree heat. thanks.

[23]: You gouge the paint on someone's car and you're just looking to get run over, or shot. You're not in Iowa anymore.

stations reopened
http://www.wmata.com/about/met_news/story.cfm?ID=1409

Iam SO glad I work at home.

regardless, train service has been horrible this summer. WMATA keeps citing "heat" on the tracks for its delays. MARC to and from Baltimore was severely crippled yesterday due to equipment issues. I have been walking a lot more these days since my scooter was stolen.

Krisa, taking an hour to just SHOW UP for a bomb is unacceptable, period.

Everybody knows it takes time to set up the equipment, etc., but Metro should have gotten there lots quicker.

Metro management is the worst combination of incompetence and apathy I have ever seen.

And I actually have never met anyone who has been a Metro apologist before, so good job!

Guest [18]

I propose a DCist version of Godwin's Law: As DCist continues to post articles, no matter the subject, the probability of a poster suggesting that everyone should bike approaches one.

First, I own my car. Second, I don't drive it to work, I metro.

I've just grown painfully weary of you holier-than-though cyclists (not all of you) thinking that you own the road and that everyone else should do as you do.

How about this, instead of me running you down, I'll throw a stick in your spokes as you race by me and almost knock me over.

I was looking for places to live a few years ago and told my agent to not show me places where I would use the red line.

Just got home, Farragut North to Van Ness. Not too bad, except the clusterf*&^ of people at Van Ness pushing onto the Shady Grove train so those of us trying to get off couldn't. I've been through other massive train delays, but this was horrible with the not letting people get off the train. At least I had some good conversations with people on the train and the escalators about the situation. Nice folks! (And am so glad I knew before I left work; the amount of people at Van Ness - both getting on and off - who asked "What's up?" was huge.)

WTOP says its all open again...

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1213231

While I am inclined to agree with you guest [42], the only thing I can hope comes of this is for Metro/MPD to get its sh*t together and learn how to properly inform the public of what to do. Sending out text messages doesn't help people who aren't enrolled. Relying of everybody to just "figure out how to get home" is a recipe for disaster.

I am sure I'm wrong, but let's all pray that somebody is paying attention to the piss poor response that law enforcement has to threats in this area so that maybe, just maybe, they can get better at it.

They had a pic of the box on one channel.. "Department of Bombland Security" was written on it.

Guest 41, I SO agree with you. "Be Scared, Vote Republicans" Those Rethugs' survival is based on a culture of paranoia & fear. Bastards.

I propose a DCist version of Godwin's Law: As DCist continues to post articles, no matter the subject, the probability of a poster suggesting that everyone should bike approaches one.

Solutions have a way of presenting themselves, don't they? Good ideas never die.

some of us sweat. a lot. i for one don't want to be ruining my work clothes sweating through them in 100 degree heat. thanks.

Although most of the population of the world has figured out the solution to this problem, somehow it has still eluded you. Here's what you do. You wear different clothes (light, visible, cheap) when you ride. When you get there, take a shower. If you don't have a shower, just bring two rags. When you change out, get one rag wet/damp (put a little salt on it) and wipe yourself off. Use the other rag to dry off. Now put the rags in a zip-loc bag. Now put on your nice suit. This is called a sponge bath, it works quite well, but use deoderant anyway.

On the other hand, if it's a moderate temperature, and you bike slowly, you wouldn't be sweating in the first place, which saves you that time later on.

FWI - I also wear a suit at work, and i bike 7 miles each way. There is no shower and no bike rack / storage. Somehow this has never been a problem for me, or for most of the people on the planet. For auto-centric Americans, somehow these things are too complex to figure out.

some of us sweat. a lot. i for one don't want to be ruining my work clothes sweating through them in 100 degree heat. thanks.

Aside from the sponge bath, there are also alcohol-based sanitizers, which go on like liquid soap, and then evaporate in seconds. When they evaporate, they also take the sweat with them, so you end up both clean and dry in seconds. You should try it!

lwatkins: What the hell is your damage? Do you sell bikes or something?

Yes, you are wonderful, brave, and true for riding a bike. You are superior. That said, is it at all remotely possible for your tiny, dementedly focused brain to recognize two little facts:

1.) Not everyone can bike to work, despite your herculean exhortations to do so. For some people, IT SIMPLY CANNOT BE DONE in a practical, sustainable manner and still retain employment.

2.) There is way more to personal hygiene than sponging off SOME of the sweat. (How do you clean the parts you can't reach? Do you really strips down in a public bathroom to do your fabled "sponge bath" that you so condescendingly name?) By the way, those alcohol-based sanitizers really really really do NOT "take the sweat with them." You just think they do because they make you feel dry.

Just so you know, sweat is more than just water: Sweat contains a variety of things, including toxins, salt (and various other minerals), and bacteria (now floated from the skin). Wiping with a damp rag is so ineffective that I'm stunned you think it will suffice. (Yes, they used to do this back in the "old days"...before current hygiene came into vogue because, you know, smelling bad offends others. So people started bathing regularly and stopped thinking that "sponge baths" are effective.) Your alcohol-based sanitizers...well, that is another argument for another day, but I'll say quickly here that they are only 50% alcohol so the other 50% is left behind on your skin (why do you think you can still smell it on you after it dries?), and alcohol canNOT magically life off sweat.

Does your head somehow not sweat? You can't sponge your hair. Or douse it with sanitizer. What "clever" solution do you have for people that have to look groomed for their job: sweaty, unkempt hair just isn't the look some people are going for or are required for the job.

And finally...
I would bet a lot of money that you smell, despite your sanctimonious "sponge baths." We have two people at my office that are part of the bike-nazi brigade: without a shower (we don't have the facility), the dried sweat starts to "ferment"...and they have a peculiar-and-distinctive odor for the rest of the day. It isn't B.O. and it isn't immediate. It isn't overwhelming, but definitely noticable. No one says anything to them, and if asked, I'm simply not that person that would say, "you stink." And I don't know anyone who is. (Maybe it's just the crowd I run with?)

Are you really so stupid/naive to think that someone at your office would tell you that yes, the seven-mile bike ride in 100 degree heat is, in fact, a smelly problem?

Maybe why you proselytize so vehemently is why Americans think Europeans sometimes kinda smell: if we all smell, too, then no one will single you out anymore.

Wow - Guest54, you're my hero!!!

I would bet a lot of money that you smell, despite your sanctimonious "

My wife thinks I smell fantastic, she tells me all the time, and in fact I'm quite clean thank you. Also, at work, I wear a nice Cologne, and people always ask me, what Cologne is that you're wearing, I love it! Answer: Davidoff Cool Water... or Acqua Di Gio, possibly. Anyway, clearly, I smell good, and I look good, and I feel good. No problem here.

sweat is more than just water: Sweat contains a variety of things, including toxins, salt (and various other minerals), and bacteria (now floated from the skin).

Toxins? I don't see how having it on your skin is worse than leaving it in your blood. If it didn't kill you in your bloodstream it can't be that bad.

Salt, minerals? I belive salt safely bonds toxins, so salt is good. That's why they lay salt on toxic spills. right? That's why people take salt & mineral baths. It's good for you.

Bacteria? If there's already bacteria on you, it's the same as before. The level of bacteria would be the same both before and after sweating. Also, bacteria is killed by salt, which is released by sweating, so by sweating you'd be killing bacteria, not making more.

Does your head somehow not sweat? You can't sponge your hair.

Just run your head under the sink. You can't figure this out on your own?

lwatkins: What the hell is your damage? Do you sell bikes or something?

Never had any damage. (can you say the same?) I'm doing quite well! And no I don't sell bikes. I don't even buy new ones. I just fix up old bikes and ride them. It's as simple as that. Cycling puts you in a good mood (unlike driving), so I'm usually in a very good mood, and I have money to spare. Works for me!

Not everyone can bike to work, despite your herculean exhortations to do so.

Actually, most of the population of the world bikes to work. You go to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, etc. everyone in the whole city bikes to work, and they don't even lock up their bikes, they just line them up in the street and leave them there. Sure, bikes get stolen, and cars drivers (for what reason?) still shout out the window, but the risks are so low, really who cares? And the risks are just as low here as they are there. Go to India, China, etc, and most of the people on this planet ride a bike most places, and it's no big deal. Nobody needs to be herculean to ride a bike. Only Americans think that way.

lwatkins, you are unspeakably stupid. I mean really, truly breath-takingly, dangerously dumb if you think that a bike is safe in DC. And maybe you live in some mythical part of town where this (crime, stupid petty theft) actually isn't an enormous, life-style altering issue, but even so, to be so fucking arrogant about how the rest of us live...geez, what an asshole.

Okay, the safety argument. Lets see. The death rate for cyclists is actually 20 times lower than for motorists, per mile traveled. That's really low risks. DC actually has lower risks than the national average. How many cyclists died in DC last year? Zero! Absolutely none. Lots of motorists died in traffic, but there were no deaths of cyclists, despite 10's of thousands of dialy bicycle commuters, recreation, etc. Sounds pretty safe to me. So yes, cycling is quite safe. Now you know.

As for bike theft - If you use good chain or u-lock and use the proper technique your bike will still be there when you get back. Also, riding a non-flashy bike avoids that kind of attention in the first place. And anyways, bike are so much cheaper than cars, who cares if one of my 5 cheap old bikes get stolen. I'll just pick another one at a garage sale or something for $20 and lube it up. It's not a big enough deal to bother about.

Thing is, I've been biking in the city my whole life. Never had a run-in with a car. Never had my bike stolen. Never had much of any problem, other than irrational people in cars shouting to me about how I'm going to die any second. Well guess what, I've lived my whole life this way and never had any problem at all.

If the news is any evidence, cars are way more dangerous than bikes, are a waste of money, and screw up the enviroment. METRO is so unreliable and they don't even let you eat. Besides it often takes like 1/3 longer to drive & park, or METRO somewhere as it does to just bike it.

From what I've heard, DC police are a little busy with big, scar, life-threating crime like murder, rape, etc. that they don't have much bandwidth left

Actually, the per-capita crime rate in DC is much lower than the per-capita cirme rate in the counties. What means is, people in the counties commit a lot more crimes than than city residents do. That means the city is safer than the counties. The same is true of any major city. Suburban-minded people think, just because there are more crimes in one small space, that people are committing more crimes, but the reverse is actually true. City People commit fewer crimes in cities, but there are more people in the same place, so what looks like more is actually less. The average person has much lower odds of a crime actually happening to them in a city. It's the safety-in-numbers effect.

It is wholly unbelievable that someone who is allowed to vote and drive a car can live in this town and dismiss(!) the crime rate.

As I've pointed out, I don't own a car, just like half the population of this city. 70% of the cars in DC are from Out-of-State. And did you forget that DC doesn't HAVE the Vote, the one that counts? As far as crime goes, as I've pointed out, the per-capita crime rate is much lower in DC than it is in the suburbs of MD and VA. That's always been true.

It's also much more convenient to get around on a bike, more safe, faster, cheaper, greener, did I miss something? It is what it is.