Ending Gridlock in Montgomery County

I went to my neighborhood association meeting this week and heard what I think it the most intelligent (and only) solution to our traffic woes in Montgomery County. Sponsored by Councilmember Marc Elrich, the proposal is a bus rapid transit system along all major roads in the county. It is not your daddy's bus line but a new sophisticated high speed bus system along contained routes. The good news is the buses are running in their own designated lanes and not interfering with the flow of traffic-a serious issue today. The even better news is the system takes advantage of existing routes and right of ways and is dirt cheap to install compared to other suggested solutions such as subways and light rail. This type of system is already in place in a few major cities in the US and Europe and has a proven track record for efficiency and reducing traffic.

Another major factor is that this system, with the correct political support can be up and running in five years vs decades for other more complicated systems. Click on Marc's name above for more details or click "here" for a look at the proposed routes.

Playdate at Tudor Place

For our birthdays, my wife and I try to find some hidden gems in Washington or surrounding areas to visit. Since it was her birthday this time I got to choose and picked "Tudor Place" in Georgetown for our visit. Built just after the turn of the 19 century by a granddaughter of Martha Washington, the house and grounds are quite impressive to see and well worth the trip. Go on a weekday and you are almost guaranteed a private tour. The tour takes about an hour. I tried but could not get them to let me go up into the attic. It was well worth an afternoon visit and there was plenty of parking on the street around the mansion entrance.

Next time I am going call ahead and work out a look see into the attic.....

Best Silver Spring Car Wash

Ok, so it is actually in Langley Park. However the New Hampshire Ave Car Was near the corners of New Hampshire and University Blvd is the only place to go. Price is reasonable and no other car wash takes care of your ride like they do. After your car gets the wash treatment, an individual worker takes your car over for a complete wipe down. Inside and out, seats, dash and windows. I have yet to see another car wash do a job like they do.

If you are going on the weekend get there early and take the paper (book, gameboy-whatever) as you are going to wait. The lines can get long and they take their time when wiping down your car after the wash. (Quality does not come quick). Best time to go is on a weekday morning as the lines are smaller but you still could be there for half an hour.

Take my word, it is worth it.