Crossing The Potomac: Suffering Our Region's Bridges

[Barbara]

Don't get me wrong, getting around the DC area is hardly a breeze. But it could also be much, much worse.

Ya mean, like, after Labor Day???

[JLK]

You see, I just don't udnerstand this sentiment. In order to get to NW DC from McLean, you have to cross the GW Parkway, which leads straight into Alexandria. The traffic generally moves pretty well during rush hour (once in a while it backs up at the 395 interchange). A lot of this "fear" seems to stem from a lack of familarity with the roads.

I know my way around quite well, thankyouverymuch. And I'm a big fan of the GW Parkway. But to go south to Alexandria from McLean, when I live up north near the northern tip of DC? Ugh. From my office in Tysons to Alexandria is actually 15-20 miles. From Tysons to my house is exactly 10.

[mdt]

Ya mean, like, after Labor Day???

Probably meant worse like being in LA.

[JPW]

Well, I sure as hell wasn't going to try to drive MD to VA this morning!!!!!

Are there any bridges that weren't closed at some point this AM?

Seriously, though, I'm more than happy to drive almost anywhere for a special meal, but on a regular basis? No. I can get just about everything I need a lot closer to home than the Old Dominion.

[Cooter]

My “on a whim” food road trips began as a student at UC Santa Cruz. We’d hijack a friend’s ancient BMW to drive up the coast and into San Francisco to go Hunan, which at the time was a tiny place on Kearny St. Sweat popping chilis, three women tossing the woks, my first onion pancakes, water to wash it all down (not because I was only 17 at the time - but because there was no liquor license) – we practically blew back to campus on the heat from the dishes. Then the New Yorker did a piece on it, calling it "the world's best Chinese restaurant" and…boom! over night long lines grew up the block, then a move to a bigger place, new cooks, and eventually (and still) a mini-chain of “Henry’s Hunan."

Granted, we are not all as adventuresome as JoeH (that’s the right word Joe?) who thinks nothing of jumping in his car for a perfect tomato pie in Trenton, or flying round-trip to LA to bring back a bag of In-N-Out burgers. But if you are too “scared” to drive across a river because it goes from one state to another, you’re going to really miss out on some good stuff. Nothing lasts forever. Peter Chang’s best at TemptAsian is gone, and Ray’s the Steaks – well, it may soon be a Hunan déjà vu all over again.

Yay, another Banana Slug! This is off topic, but In-N-Out just isn't the same now that it's moved up north. Sure, a double double animal style is still awesome, but there was something special about having to drive at least to Santa Barbara to get one.

I guess that King Schuan's didn't cut it for you in Santa Cruz proper?

[Joe H]

My “on a whim” food road trips began as a student at UC Santa Cruz. We’d hijack a friend’s ancient BMW to drive up the coast and into San Francisco to go Hunan, which at the time was a tiny place on Kearny St. Sweat popping chilis, three women tossing the woks, my first onion pancakes, water to wash it all down (not because I was only 17 at the time - but because there was no liquor license) – we practically blew back to campus on the heat from the dishes. Then the New Yorker did a piece on it, calling it "the world's best Chinese restaurant" and…boom! over night long lines grew up the block, then a move to a bigger place, new cooks, and eventually (and still) a mini-chain of “Henry’s Hunan."

Granted, we are not all as adventuresome as JoeH (that’s the right word Joe?) who thinks nothing of jumping in his car for a perfect tomato pie in Trenton, or flying round-trip to LA to bring back a bag of In-N-Out burgers. But if you are too “scared” to drive across a river because it goes from one state to another, you’re going to really miss out on some good stuff. Nothing lasts forever. Peter Chang’s best at TemptAsian is gone, and Ray’s the Steaks – well, it may soon be a Hunan déjà vu all over again.

I have the cookbook to that restaurant ("Henry Chung's Hunan Style Chinese Cookbook" from 1978) and, over the years, I've made a number of dishes out of it. Superb. Don't laugh but it's also the best kung pao chicken I've ever had-better than anything I've had in a restaurant around here. In the late '70's Kung Pao chicken was a big deal to me. I ate there once in the mid '80's and was disappointed that the Kung Pao chicken in his restaurant wasn't as good as what I had mad from his cookbook. When I told that to a friend who lived in San Francisco his answer was that I was probably the only person who had ever ordered Kung Pao chicken at his restaurant. They had probably forgot how to make it!

[Escoffier]

My "on a whim" food road trips began as a student at UC Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz, the home of KPIG and the PIG Squeals and Ramblin' Ror, going the same way as WHFS and mom and pop restaurants.

We now return to our regularly scheduled forum, already in progress.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I know my way around quite well, thankyouverymuch. And I'm a big fan of the GW Parkway. But to go south to Alexandria from McLean, when I live up north near the northern tip of DC? Ugh. From my office in Tysons to Alexandria is actually 15-20 miles. From Tysons to my house is exactly 10.

So, it's the distance that is your problem and nothing else. That's cool, but nothing to gouge your eyes out over.

[Pool Boy]

DC has another draw for me, generally speaking, to dine out. Most times, I can BYOW and pay a reasonable corkage fee.

[jayandstacey]

I think everyone has glanced at the main reason, but not hit it directly:

• The only viable option between most MD and VA locations is over a bridge, and most often that's over the legion (or wilson) bridge. And the bottom line is that those are unpleasant drives. Traffic doesn't help, but it isn't always the traffic that's at issue - it is a fast, rough, boring road that is very utiltarian and not designed to be pleasant or asthetic in any way. It causes a bit of a physical reaction where senses are heightened and adreneline increased. Add the traffic back in, sometimes at unusal times (sunday night?) and you're left with an experience to which many say 'never again'. People on the VA and MD sides both have decent places to eat, shop, visit the country, etc. To go to the other side means to go to the country (or a nice place to shop or eat) but to go through hell first. Why do that? I, for one, living on the MD side, would sooner drive up 270 and out 15 into Pennsylvania than over to VA. The Chain and Point of Rocks bridges require significant 'unraveling' on the other side (they dump you into rural areas) and thus don't help much. Better to just stay MD side.
  
• DC area Public transportation is a hub-and-spoke model, not a grid model. Living near a hub (like most of downtown) would make it seem very convenient, but it isn't if you like on a spoke. It makes no sense to spend 2 hours on public transportation to go the 7 miles say from Rockville to Herndon. And of course whole batches of things are off limits, like the countryside.
  

I've explored all of MD - out to Deep Creek Lake, down to the southern tip, eastern shore, etc. Been all through southern PA. In 15 years of such roadtrips, I've been to skyline/luray maybe 3 times and have little interest to go elsewhere in VA. I work in Herndon, so it isn't a familiarity issue - just have no desire to spend my time getting there.

[B.A.R.]

I think everyone ............to spend my time getting there.

And I don't go over the bridge to Montgomery County because I enjoy things like, say, electricity.

I am not a VA-centric person, but you hit it right on the head. There are a slew of places I would like to dine at in MD, but do not get to because the travel is such a pain in the ass.

[Ericandblueboy]

The only reaons I don't go to MD more is the lack of great restaurants but they sure have some good ethnic joints. Living around Tysons, it's a 20 minute drive for decent food no matter which direction I go (DC, MD, or other points in VA). 495 from Tysons to Bethesda and Rockville is generally fine on weekends. I've even crossed the Wilson bridge to eat at National Harbor.

[jayandstacey]

The only reaons I don't go to MD more is the lack of great restaurants but they sure have some good ethnic joints. Living around Tysons, it's a 20 minute drive for decent food no matter which direction I go (DC, MD, or other points in VA). 495 from Tysons to Bethesda and Rockville is generally fine on weekends. I've even crossed the Wilson bridge to eat at National Harbor.

Interestingly, when you start in Tysons, you're kind of already starting in that "bad place" that is the beltway around NoVa and the Legion bridge. So to some degree, you improve in all directions (note, I'm talking about travel experience, not your living experience) and have to live that nasty ride no matter where you go - and thus you might be more likely to dine in MD as it isn't significantly different from the other places you might go,

I do agree that MD has few 'great' or destination restaurants relative to DC or VA. I understand why we'd be 2nd to DC - but why to VA? Must be tied to the reason so many contractors moved business to NoVa over the last 20 years. (dulles? taxes? working electricity?)

[Ericandblueboy]

Interestingly, when you start in Tysons, you're kind of already starting in that "bad place" that is the beltway around NoVa and the Legion bridge. So to some degree, you improve in all directions (note, I'm talking about travel experience, not your living experience) and have to live that nasty ride no matter where you go - and thus you might be more likely to dine in MD as it isn't significantly different from the other places you might go,

I do agree that MD has few 'great' or destination restaurants relative to DC or VA. I understand why we'd be 2nd to DC - but why to VA? Must be tied to the reason so many contractors moved business to NoVa over the last 20 years. (dulles? taxes? working electricity?)

I'm already in the vortex of bad traffic so it can't get any worse. Before Tysons, I lived in G'town, which has even worse traffic. I have to brave the traffic out of necessity but honestly, it's not so bad on weekends. My point is to encourage people to go to those places they really want to try out and not let traffic stop them. OTOH, if I lived in MD, I'm not sure there are really many restaurants in VA worth driving to - better Vietnamese and Korean?

[tentimesodds]

Must be tied to the reason so many contractors moved business to NoVa over the last 20 years. (dulles? taxes? working electricity?)

I think this is right--VA is a business-friendly commonwealth, and MD is a high-tax state. It's not random chance that the Dulles Corridor is where all the technology and defense headquarters have been built.

[porcupine]

It isn't always that simple. According to Google Maps, RTClassics is 13.2 miles from my house and takes 19 minutes to get there (30 minutes in traffic); RTSteaks is 13.7 miles and takes 21 minutes. But in my experience, if we leave for RTC anywhere between 5:30 and 6:45, it will take 45 minutes at least and often longer. Last night it took 19 minutes to get to RTS.

I live in Maryland just on the other side of the Legion Bridge. I'd much rather go to Arlington, Clarendon, heck even Alexandria than any place further east than Bethesda for dinner. (But only if I can get there on the GW Parkway.)

I think this is right--VA is a business-friendly commonwealth, and MD is a high-tax state. It's not random chance that the Dulles Corridor is where all the technology and defense headquarters have been built.

Then how do you explain the biotech corridor along I-270? (not that I disagree about VA seeming more business-friendly)

[tentimesodds]

Then how do you explain the biotech corridor along I-270? (not that I disagree about VA seeming more business-friendly)

I dunno, www.nih.gov?

[ktmoomau]

I must say I really like living in Arlington as it is pretty easy to get to Alexandria (30 min in traffic), anywhere in DC (you have to know the right routes to get to the right places), Annapolis (1 hr max), and even get to parts of Fairfax and beyond relatively quickly, just avoid Tysons north of 123/Intl drive intersection and anywhere that necessitates the use of 66. I am a half block from metro so I can decide which is the best option, but metro makes going to most of DC a snap as it is normally as quick as taking the car. I really appreciate it's location as making us able to see a lot of friends and be really social. But I would like to get to Montgomery County's ethnic joints more often. For me it isn't just that there is traffic, my SIL lives in Grosvenor and I go to her place now and then just leave around traffic. I think for me it is more that I am unfamiliar with where the places are, what I should order and that paired with the fact that I can find decent examples of similar food nearby I just don't do it.

I will say though more group dinners in that area would bring me out though, if they were a little later in the evening so that I could go. I would love to cross the river for you guys. But I feel like sometimes my husband and I buck the trend. My brother lives in Dupont and it is really hard to even get him out of his little area of Dupont/14th &U/Columbia Heights. And he drives right by my house to go home from work!! I have wonderful friends on Capitol Hill who will come to Virginia if metro friendly as they don't drive in a heartbeat, but friends from Maryland that you have to use dynamite to get them out.

For me now the dog limits our week night adventures, but we can still manage it if we can plan it out by at least a week. What I really lament is how long it takes me to get to Baltimore. It takes hours, even on weekends. I never get to see my Baltimore friends and explore Baltimore which is a shame because I love Baltimore.

[monavano]

I'm more than a bit relieved to read that others here limit their travel for dining. I've felt provincial and perhaps a bit frugal and lacking when it comes to not traveling too far or too long for food.

I'm in Alexandria, and I find myself not too eager to drive to Tysons, N. Fairfax, Loudon and Mont. Co.

[DanielK]

Can we save the red-state/blue-state argument for another board, please, and focus on the food?

[MC Horoscope]

I'm in Silver Spring and find it easier to get on the train for downtown DC than drive to Rockville sometimes, so maybe I should get acquainted with the train stops in Northern Virginia! There must be some good restaurants near metro stops in Virginia. Going east west by car in Montgomery County can be a killer.

[SeanMike]

I pretty much won't go anywhere that I have to drive to reach unless there's a darn good reason (or I'm out at work).

But that's just me. I'm lazy. Why do you think I go to Ragtime so much?

(Well, I do like it there, but I wouldn't go so often if it wasn't so darn close.)

[jayandstacey]

I dunno, www.nih.gov?

That and HHS in rockville and NIST in Gaithersburg, plus incentives from MoCo to develop specific BioTech industries - PLUS, they were generally start-ups that didn't have a "mothership HQ" in some other city - so no need for executives to hop on a plane for in and out visits - and 270 doesn't have an airport at either end, so that's a consideration.

And this impacts our MD food selections. I believe the relative lack of travelling business folks in MD limits the restaurants a bit. Not hugely, but a bit.

[silentbob]

Trying not to be judgmental because obviously everyone has different tastes/tolerances regarding travel...I've lived in Rockville/worked in Tysons for 8+ years now and have no qualms about going anywhere in the area for food. IMO it's all about advance planning -- picking the right times of the day/week, using the traffic function on Google Maps, being flexible about destination/time if things don't look good before leaving the house, and knowing alternate routes once in the car. I'm also lucky to have friends and family who are similarly accommodating.

[Pool Boy]

Another datapoint. I will go across the river for good food - as long as it is the weekend. Never on a weeknight.

[Kibbee Nayee]

I live in Fairfax County and I usually eat in these parts for all the reasons described in previous posts. That said....however....whenever I am going to be in Maryland or DC for another reason, business or personal, that's when I research the Dining Guide or pull from my long list of places to hit, and make sure that the visit includes a dining experience of some kind.

Which brings me to my least favorite lovable feature -- Multiple Locations! When I research a particular location, I want to know EVERY restuarant in that location. Like researching the Bethesda seciton of the Dining Guide and finding the otherwise forgettable Redwood with a GPS-baffling address, and not knowing from the Dining Guide that Lebanese Taverna or Jaleo are footsteps away and far better options, but hidden in Multiple Locations!

[DonRocks]

Another datapoint. I will go across the river for good food - as long as it is the weekend. Never on a weeknight.

Between when this thread was started and now, we live in a completely different world, transportation-wise. The posts from 2006 almost seen "quaint" when compared to the brutal traffic issues that have befallen our region (and are only going to get worse).

When I moved, I moved strategically so I could easily make the "Potomac Hairpin" - up the I-66 / Dulles Toll Road extension, sneak across the American Legion, and then zip back down River Road. If traffic is particularly bad, you can "narrow the hairpin" by getting on the beltway at Georgetown Pike, and getting off at Clara Barton Parkway.

See also:

VDOT Express Lanes

[MarkS]

I cross the river everyday for work.  Possibly easier for me to drive from Potomac to Reston then going downtown.  Coming back at nigh is always worse as VA improved and widened highways while MD has not.

[Al Dente]

The construction on the beltway in VA between 66 and the AL bridge is making me insane. They're doing shit during rush hour for chrissakes. Also, their signage sucks. A few days ago I saw a "Right Lane Closed - Merge Left" sign and then immediately came upon a left lane closure with no traffic cones preceding it. Never saw a closed right lane. Fuckers...

I'll be first in line to buy a driverless car.

To bring this back to food, I ate a banana on the way in to work this morning.

[Pool Boy]

See, DC has the best spot in this overall situation because almost anybody is willing to make it in to DC, and you don't have to drive, there are metro options. I will go to DC on a weeknight because it is significantly easier to get home to MD from DC than from someplace in the hellish traffic of northern Virginia (that said, all traffic in the region sucks).

[thistle]

I drove my daughter up to her aunt's house in Potomac yesterday afternoon so that she could babysit her cousins. When this deal was originally made, my son was supposed to drive her up, so I was annoyed when he backed out (overscheduled at work)- 2 hrs on the beltway, so she can babysit. The air was blue in our vehicle. I am grateful that they paid her an outrageous amount of money & that I didn't die in a fireball on the beltway.