Best of 2014: Elm Tree #1: Smithsonian NMNH GeoTour

GC3QMEP – Elm Tree #1: Smithsonian NMNH GeoTour
Hidden by Smithsonian NMNH
244 Favorite Points
Found on December 11, 2014

It is evident geocaching has become a legitimate, mainstream hobby when the Smithsonian is getting in on it. Even more admirable is the effort they’ve put into establishing the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) GeoTour because it has meant embracing the challenges of placing caches in high-traffic areas while also trying to deliver a quality (and educational!) experience.

I had very carefully planned out this day of geocaching to help accomplish a number of goals in an area that I frequent. So there were several caches that I touched on to help solve so I could find them in the future that are not reflected in my total finds for the day. Though this was the last one before I had to hop on Metro and rendezvous with my husband for the drive back to Morgantown.

I knew this was a simple, physical cache (which was highly desired after a day of answering seemingly complicated questions and running around the senate office buildings). When I arrived at the posted coordinate only one place seemed to make sense. I twisted on the top of the host and there it was, sitting in the ground.

Here was my surprise of the day. I’m kneeling on the ground next to one of the most popular Smithsonian museums on the Mall retrieving something that the ignorant observer could liken to a pipe bomb. Geocaching in DC seriously feels like some kind of covert FBI or CIA mission. I tried to discreetly carry the cache over to a bench so I could less suspiciously trade trackable items and sign the log.

Then I waited. There was a nearby intersection that was beginning to fill up with congested traffic and occupants of vehicles had a direct view of what I was doing and where. In DC it is urged that if you see something suspicious you should report it ASAP. I knew I had to be looking suspicious but I needed to wrap it up with this cache. I tried to obstruct the view with my body and I replaced the cache. No one seemed to have noticed. Perfect.

I made my way back toward the mall, returning through the pleasant butterfly garden—though no butterflies were to be found on this cool December day. I successfully made my way to the Federal Triangle Metro station and out to the suburbs. A victory to close out my peaceful day among the monuments.

Silver Streak or Silver Sneakers?

To celebrate the second weekend of its service, Chris and I made the trip out to Northern Virginia and DC to give the new Silver Line a whirl. Given the sheer terror of my time as a commuter on the Red Line (especially in the months after the horrible crash where we all learned what “telescoping” meant and nine individuals perished), my hopes were not high. Yet, what I found reminded me of home, for it seemed almost as smooth as the SkyTrain that offers a similar level of not-quite-light but not-quite-heavy rail transit.

The Silver Line opened on July 26^th after several years of hot debates, delayed construction, and hot debates over delayed construction. For all the headaches involved, it’s a wonder that we can build anything on this type of scale with these types of goals when so many agencies are involved. There was hardly enough pie for everyone to get their slice. But once we got through the throngs of tourists unable to figure out how to use a Smartrip Card and the bathrooms that were locked but didn’t seem locked at the Wiehle-Reston East station, the trip on the train for the four-remaining Silver-only stations was a pleasure.

My greatest concern with the Silver Line is that it only increases the severity of the bottleneck at Rosslyn (and others agree and explain the situation very well!). Unlike other stations in the system that have three lines meeting, at Rosslyn they must do it all on the same track. Because of the spacing between trains and the demand on the peripheries of each respective line, the only word that comes to mind to describe those commuting through Rosslyn is “hell.” For the Blue Line in particular, I imagine the delays have only grown. Likely reminiscent of Red Line commuters who really, really want to get to Forest Glen, Wheaton, or Glenmont  but can’t get any further than Silver Spring if their lives depended on it, but worse.

But as these thoughts get frantic and negative, we were suddenly at one of the Farraguts trying desperately to get to the other Farragut to get onto the Red Line. The Red Line, not wishing to disappoint me, had a train break down at Gallery Place and no trains were running toward Shady Grove. After 30 minutes at the other Farragut with no trains coming, we turned around to go back to the original Farragut and get on the Silver Line back towards the safe arms of suburbia. Thankfully, due to the invisible, magic “transit tunnel” between the Farraguts, there was no financial toll for the 30 minutes in Metro Limbo, but we made the return trip much faster than expected. Returning to the original Farragut, within moments we were headed back out to Wiehle-Reston East and the day began getting substantially better from there.

On this journey, in one of the newest cars in the fleet, I saw my first glimpse of Metro’s tongue-in-cheek advertisements urging commuters to look alive because the love of their life may also be riding the Silver Line. I don’t know if it was my frustration or delirium from being outside of the mountains, but I found it absolutely hilarious.

I took this trip on a Saturday and was really impressed with the balance of traffic I saw heading both into and out of DC. Some things I was expecting. For example, I expected Tyson’s Corner to be the same kind of hit that Metrotown Station is on the Expo Line in Vancouver. You can’t go wrong with frequent rail transit to a major entertainment destination (especially if it’s the wintertime and there’s precipitation).  But I did not expect Wiehle-Reston East to be such a bustling hub of activity. Most of the construction here is not even complete (they’ve got all kinds of transit-oriented-design goodies planned here), yet it was probably the busiest station, rivaling even Tyson’s Corner. This is evidence to me that the line is desired and will see use. I hope that in five or ten years the only question remaining in the minds of those that pushed for this is, “why couldn’t we have this super nice thing sooner?”

Of course, for all of the promise of the Silver Line, it is still part of the overall Metro Rail system. I think my concerns about the bottleneck at Rosslyn are real. But Metro has an opportunity to set their best foot forward with something new and fresh that hasn’t had time to be ruined by neglect, vandalism, and bureaucracy. I hope they take it for all it’s worth and turn over a new leaf!

Top 10 of 2013: Everything is Relative

Number 4: Everything is Relative
Washington, District of Columbia
253 Favorite Points

Many of the monuments in DC are dedicated to the greatest politicians in the history of the United States (some of which are the greatest politicians to have ever lived in the history of the world). Frankly, when you get down to it, there are few statues and memorials that are not dedicated to past presidents, diplomats, armed conflicts, branches of the armed services, or decorated officers. But there is one that is extremely dear to my heart.

In 2009 I had the opportunity to pursue a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship with the National Academies in Washington, DC. During my 4-month stint in the Technical Activities Division of the Transportation Research Board I probably learned more per waking hour than at any other point in my life. I learned about how transportation issues make the greater political agenda, how they are funded, how researchers are chosen, and, really, how it is a wonder the system works as well as it does.

At the time, the National Academy of Science’s main building on Constitution Avenue was being renovated so all activities were in their other center in Chinatown. But my mentor and boss at the time made it a point to ensure I could make it over to the main building at least once to simply absorb the history and on one day our entire class of fellows made the trip to visit Einstein for our class picture.

There is no other place where you can feel so close to Einstein. You can literally sit on his knee and ruminate over the deepest thoughts and theories the mind is capable of.

The greatest surprise of all is that this monument is merely across Constitution from the Mall and the better known, more political monuments. Einstein doesn’t seem to mind though. He seems to enjoy the peace.

Official Portrait of the Fall 2009 Christine Mirzayan Fellows

This is the seventh most favorited geocache in the District of Columbia.

#TRBAM 2014

And thus another Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (and trip to Washington, DC) comes to a close.

The events related to the meeting were a blast. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends and existing colleagues, as well as find new ones from all corners of the globe. Once at the meeting, I learned that next year there will be a major venue change, so I made sure to take in all of the fond memories of the Wardman Park Marriott (I never had much going on at the Shoreham or Hilton). I also got a lot of mileage out of the #TRBPM Twitter hashtag, the analog to #TRBAM.

It also goes without saying that the research and technical content were outstanding. I’m not sure how well it is understood that all of the programming is compiled by volunteer committees, but it is not a small feat. As a fellow at the Transportation Research Board in 2009 I became intimately familiar with the “sausage making” that is planning and compiling the annual meeting and it is truly incredible. But I think it’s worth it to celebrate the accomplishments of an industry that affects every single person on this planet so intimately.

What I most appreciated was the opportunity to candidly talk to transportation professionals at all stages in their careers, working for all kinds of companies and organizations and are experts in any mode you choose to name. Given this is likely to be my last TRBAM as a student, this was the information I needed more than anything in a session this time around.

And congratulations to the parents of the three TRBabies born this year!

See everyone next year!

January Sets the Tone

The culmination of a year’s efforts in the transportation business comes to a head every January. Every January brings the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. At the heart of this meeting are over 11,000 transportation professionals covering every mode of transportation as well as every discipline contributing to the field. For the past three January’s, making the trek to Washington, DC has been a ritual. And every year, I along with many others, emerge with new ideas and fresh perspective on the happenings in our field.

From the exterior it seems like a standard conference, with a nice shiny program filled with educational presentations and workshops, as well as a vendor display area. But as the past three years have progressed, it has grown into so much more for me.

I am a new addition in this field. But at the Annual Meeting, there are people who have been working in transportation for decades, in addition to the hordes in the peak of their career, and the others who, like me, are relatively new. This, of course, means that the networking opportunities are second to none. But opportunities to learn outside of the list of sessions and committee meetings abound.

Despite budget cuts and unpredictable actions from governments, the mood at the Annual Meeting always seems to be a positive and progressive one. There is always this overwhelming feeling that we are still going to find a way to keep moving. There is also this feeling that we will accomplish these great things by working together.

Cold weather aside, January sets the tone for the rest of the year for us transportation wonks. And if the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting was any indication, 2012 is going to be another great year.