We sometimes wonder whether the work we do here at DCist — remember, we do this all for free in our spare time — is worthwhile. Then there are instances where we see first-hand where we’re doing some good.

Remember our post last week about different tactics on how to take the bus into the heart of the 18th Street corridor in Adams Morgan? We suggested that standing at the bus stop on Calvert Street opposite Sherry’s liquor store in Woodley Park (one block south of the Red Line metrorail station) is the best choice to grab the bus, since the 90, 98 and L2 buses all stop there. Saturday evening, on our way to a party at the house of Grammar.police and Mr. Yglesias, we did just that, with the intent of taking the 25-cent 98 bus all the way to 11th Street NW. But the beauty of that bus stop is that sometimes the 90 bus will magically appear before the temperamental 98 bus, and sure enough it did. We got on the bus with a number of other random people. When this DCist sat down, somebody’s cellphone rang.

… Hey, I’m on the bus. … Yeah, the bus. DCist told me to take it.

We laughed and then had a big grin. But we stayed anonymous. We’re just happy to know that we help in certain instances.

We know the WMATA bus system can be very Byzantine in parts and difficult to understand, so we ask, if we’d put together some sort of abbreviated bus navigation guide, would it be helpful to you? We’re all about helping you explore your city. Let us know if that’s where we should concentrate our energies some weekend in the future.