DC Under Water
Most important day of my professional life will now be forever embedded in my memory as the worst flooding Washington has seen since 1871.
Last week we had one day of torrential downpour that sent everyone looking for cover. That torrential downpour resulted in the flooding of my workplace - three floors of a building under four inches of rain. Everyone was sent to work at home. The government - they can do this. Unfortunately, I was in the wrong building, the one that stayed dry.
Then this past weekend was a repeat of last week but with a vengence! I don't recall seeing the sun this weekend. Granted, I was inside and studying, but still...
Now because I was studying, I did not watch TV, listen to the radio or get online. This means I was disconnected from what was happening in the real world. I was just too stressed about studying for my exam. This morning, I woke up at 5am planning my day so I could get to the exam site in Washington D.C. by 8:30am. Some of you are curious how far I live from D.C. - an hour. On a good day.
But the 5:30am morning show on TV clearly indicated TODAY was NOT A GOOD DAY! Washington DC had gotten the worst rainfall since 1871. Streets were flooded, roads closed, sink holes developed, mud slides covered roads, and the inevitable announcement on the radio "Government is on liberal leave." As one commentator summed it up very well - it's like Snow on a Summer Day.
When the DC beltway is closed down like it was today, it means that Mybrid and 60,000 of her best friends are sharing the road into DC. Thank God, the other 200,000 federal employees stayed home, because Mybrid had an important exam to get to!
I left the house at 6:30am, because when it snows or rains in this area, you need a two hour lead to reach the destination that typically only takes you 40 minutes. At 6:31am my husband called me with the first warning of the morning - "traffic is backed up all the way to the beltway, you may not make it to the exam!"
Traffic and weather reports have extended from the mandatory 1 minute every ten minutes, to the full 10 minutes, because that's really a headline item when something happens only once in two centuries. Not to mention when a building such as the IRS is shut down due to flooding, or when the NATIONAL ARCHIVES is shut down due to the flooding, that is worthy of national news! But let's get back to Mybrid's concern with the traffic report, and why she absolutely adores the architect who developed Washington D.C.
I bring to you, Pierre-Charles L'Enfant. A genius no doubt, that no one appreciated in his time, but I thank dearly today. So what is so great about this city architect? The brilliance of his street design. DC is divided to four quadrants: NW, NE, SE, SW. Streets going north-south are numbered streets, and streets going east-west are lettered streets. And if anyone is interested in more details about this wonderful scheme, you can read about it here.
So what could have been one heck of a horrendous traffic report to figure out - "ok, is that street on the way to my exam? Or is it after my exam?" - this traffic report turned out to be the most calming piece of news possible. My exam took place at 1660 L street. By a simplistic calculation one figures out that it's between L St and 16th St. A traffic report that announces a closures of 17th through 19th, and identifies the METRO stations that are closed is accurate enough to plan where to park, how much I need to walk, and how long it will take me.
I just love driving in DC where everything just makes sense! No matter what street you're on, you can pretty much figure out how to get out of D.C. by staying on either lettered roads or numbered roads, depending which state you live in.
Driving in DC is of course considered a nightmare for many, but that's because they're so used to Brazilia and Canbera with their six lanes worth of roadway. DC gives me that feeling of a cozy home. Small, tight, friendly. Tons of places to go. Clubs, restaurants. Something is always happening in DC. It never quiets down. Night life is so rich that I wish I won the lottery and could just enjoy an evening out every day!
Oh yeah, and there's this little thing I learned one day as I was driving out of work with a co-worker. He pointed out the sign at the corner of our building that said, "No right turn between 8pm and 5am." (I'm not certain about the hours but it was night time hours). This goes against any logical sign I've seen before. Typically signs prohibit turns during rush hour so as not to cause a traffic jam with cars waiting to turn. But this made zero sense when night time is the quietest time around my building. He then pointed out that I can take a right turn only every TWO blocks in this area. So even if I took a right the next block, I wouldn't be able to take another right within a block, I'd have to go another block farther. I couldn't for the life of me guess the reason.
Turns out that this is D.C.'s way of making it more difficult for "opportunity seekers" to ride around the block and look for hookers.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Not only is D.C. designed by a genius, but it's run by a genius!
Last week we had one day of torrential downpour that sent everyone looking for cover. That torrential downpour resulted in the flooding of my workplace - three floors of a building under four inches of rain. Everyone was sent to work at home. The government - they can do this. Unfortunately, I was in the wrong building, the one that stayed dry.
Then this past weekend was a repeat of last week but with a vengence! I don't recall seeing the sun this weekend. Granted, I was inside and studying, but still...
Now because I was studying, I did not watch TV, listen to the radio or get online. This means I was disconnected from what was happening in the real world. I was just too stressed about studying for my exam. This morning, I woke up at 5am planning my day so I could get to the exam site in Washington D.C. by 8:30am. Some of you are curious how far I live from D.C. - an hour. On a good day.
But the 5:30am morning show on TV clearly indicated TODAY was NOT A GOOD DAY! Washington DC had gotten the worst rainfall since 1871. Streets were flooded, roads closed, sink holes developed, mud slides covered roads, and the inevitable announcement on the radio "Government is on liberal leave." As one commentator summed it up very well - it's like Snow on a Summer Day.
When the DC beltway is closed down like it was today, it means that Mybrid and 60,000 of her best friends are sharing the road into DC. Thank God, the other 200,000 federal employees stayed home, because Mybrid had an important exam to get to!
I left the house at 6:30am, because when it snows or rains in this area, you need a two hour lead to reach the destination that typically only takes you 40 minutes. At 6:31am my husband called me with the first warning of the morning - "traffic is backed up all the way to the beltway, you may not make it to the exam!"
Traffic and weather reports have extended from the mandatory 1 minute every ten minutes, to the full 10 minutes, because that's really a headline item when something happens only once in two centuries. Not to mention when a building such as the IRS is shut down due to flooding, or when the NATIONAL ARCHIVES is shut down due to the flooding, that is worthy of national news! But let's get back to Mybrid's concern with the traffic report, and why she absolutely adores the architect who developed Washington D.C.
I bring to you, Pierre-Charles L'Enfant. A genius no doubt, that no one appreciated in his time, but I thank dearly today. So what is so great about this city architect? The brilliance of his street design. DC is divided to four quadrants: NW, NE, SE, SW. Streets going north-south are numbered streets, and streets going east-west are lettered streets. And if anyone is interested in more details about this wonderful scheme, you can read about it here.
So what could have been one heck of a horrendous traffic report to figure out - "ok, is that street on the way to my exam? Or is it after my exam?" - this traffic report turned out to be the most calming piece of news possible. My exam took place at 1660 L street. By a simplistic calculation one figures out that it's between L St and 16th St. A traffic report that announces a closures of 17th through 19th, and identifies the METRO stations that are closed is accurate enough to plan where to park, how much I need to walk, and how long it will take me.
I just love driving in DC where everything just makes sense! No matter what street you're on, you can pretty much figure out how to get out of D.C. by staying on either lettered roads or numbered roads, depending which state you live in.
Driving in DC is of course considered a nightmare for many, but that's because they're so used to Brazilia and Canbera with their six lanes worth of roadway. DC gives me that feeling of a cozy home. Small, tight, friendly. Tons of places to go. Clubs, restaurants. Something is always happening in DC. It never quiets down. Night life is so rich that I wish I won the lottery and could just enjoy an evening out every day!
Oh yeah, and there's this little thing I learned one day as I was driving out of work with a co-worker. He pointed out the sign at the corner of our building that said, "No right turn between 8pm and 5am." (I'm not certain about the hours but it was night time hours). This goes against any logical sign I've seen before. Typically signs prohibit turns during rush hour so as not to cause a traffic jam with cars waiting to turn. But this made zero sense when night time is the quietest time around my building. He then pointed out that I can take a right turn only every TWO blocks in this area. So even if I took a right the next block, I wouldn't be able to take another right within a block, I'd have to go another block farther. I couldn't for the life of me guess the reason.
Turns out that this is D.C.'s way of making it more difficult for "opportunity seekers" to ride around the block and look for hookers.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Not only is D.C. designed by a genius, but it's run by a genius!
Oh yeah, I made it to the exam site on time, and I passed the exam!!! I'm officially Mrs. "Mybrid," PMP.
I'll post separately about the exam.
posted at
6/26/2006 10:00:00 PM
2 Comments:
Madman, thank you! It's good to see you back. I hope all is well with you.
By
Mybrid, at 7:57 AM, June 28, 2006
Well, congratulations on becoming a certified and register pimp, with all the rights and privileges thereto appurtaining. And congratulations on staying above water, something many people in your area didn't do. The aerial photos were incredible. I told you not to do that Sioux rain dance until later in the summer, but no, you wouldn't listen.
mtrain
By
Anonymous, at 11:42 PM, June 28, 2006
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