No Snow-Globes For You!

Are you one of those intrepid Thanksgiving travelers who’s planning to actually — gasp! — fly on a plane to your Turkey Day Destination?  If so, the Transportation Security Administration has some handy tips on what you should not try to bring through the security screening checkpoint with you when you’re at the airport:

-Cranberry sauce
-Creamy dips and spreads (cheeses, peanut butter, etc.)
-Gift baskets with food items (salsa, jams and salad dressings)
-Gravy
-Jams
-Jellies
-Maple syrup
-Oils and vinegars
-Salad dressing
-Salsa
-Sauces
-Soups
-Wine, liquor and beer

The good news is, anything you buy after you get through security can go on the plane, as usual; plus, pies are A-OK for boarding!

Oh, and here are a couple other holiday-type tips, in addition to the usual “3-1-1 Rule” basics.  If you’re planning to bring back some Black Friday purchases with you on your return this weekend, don’t pre-wrap.  The TSA might decide to unwrap your gifts if you’re selected for a random inspection.  Finally, don’t try bringing any snow-globes through security.  They contain an “indeterminate” amount of liquid, so they’ve got to be with checked luggage. My advice to you, dear traveler, is to ship your purchases home.  It’s easier than trying to bring them with you.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Rexhammock

A lot of us will be taking to the airports this holiday season as we escape The District and go back to where ever it was that we came from (because nobody is really from DC right?)

Well if you happen to be flying out of BWI, you’ll be happy to find out that there will be free Wi-Fi for the duration of the holidays. I found out through Lifehacker, that Google will be providing free Wi-Fi at certain airports  now through January 15th. In some sort of Virgin America tie-in you will also have free Wi-Fi on every one of their flights too.

While I’m sad it doesn’t extend for Dulles and Reagan National, it’s certainly going to be a welcome perk for those that trek it up to BWI.

Photo courtesy Flickr user Scorpions and Centaurs

Two weeks ago I had to go on an impromptu business trip, but I was happy in knowing that I was able to book a flight out of Reagan National, my personal airport of choice when it comes to escaping The District.

I’m happy to hear I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Reagan National was recently recognized as the top airport in the Conde Nast Traveler Business Travel Awards. 1,700 business travelers were surveyed for the awards and asked to rate airports according to airport navigation and design to culinary options and amenities. Reagan scored a 52.7 out of 100 which was big enough to top Portland, Oregan airport for the top spot. The airport earned high marks in ease of access (which is why I love it compared to Dulles or BWI) and safety/security (I’d hope the airport closest to DC is safe and secure.)

To me it’s a no brainer, while Reagan isn’t as big as Heathrow, it’s been one of the most convenient airports to get to and fly in/out of. While I can’t always afford to use Reagan, if I had to choose a DC airport- Reagan wins.

Courtesy WBOY

Here’s an interesting story for your morning: it appears that a Southwest flight heading to Baltimore from Nashville had to make an emergency landing in Charleston, WV after it lost pressure due to a hole in the plane. All 126 passengers and 5 crew landed safely after a football sized hole was discovered, causing the plane to lose pressure and deploy oxygen masks in the cabin. According to the Washington Post article, “witnesses described the hole that apparently led to the depressurization as about the size of a football and located on the side of the airplane, near the top.”

The Boeing 737-300 is being inspected, as well as all other 737-300s in the Southwest fleet. The passengers were so glad to make it down safely that they hugged the pilot.

Upon hearing this story I had to make the following wisecrack to my friend Maxie (who lives in West Virginia):

Patrick: What’s worse: a hole in your airplane or having to land in West Virginia?
Maxie: hahahaha shut up

Eventually another airplane was dispatched to send the passengers to their final destination, and while they waited at least they got some pizza. According to the CNN report, “airport spokesman Brian Belcher said a local pizzeria provided food for the passengers as they waited.”
I suppose I could put up with a hole on my plane if I got some Pizza out of the deal.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user megandafille

Lots of DCers don’t have cars. I do, and I’ll never go anywhere without one.

I’m probably one of the reasons the traffic is terrible around the Beltway region, and despite a push to go green and rising gas prices, D.C. has the second worst traffic in the nation.

Are you surprised?

The Texas Transportation Institute concludes that despite a small reduction in traffic nationwide, D.C. traffic actually increased compared to last year. L.A. still reigns king in terms of worst traffic, but that still gives us the crown for worst traffic on the East Coast.

The Washington Post article on the topic acknowledges that steps have been taken to address the issue but questions if they are really making a difference. The study concludes that sitting in traffic cost the Washington area almost $2.8 billion in 2007. Ninety million gallons of gas and 133 million hours were spend slowly crawling around The District. Think of how many podcasts I could of listened to in that time.

This is why commute is a big reason why I enjoying living in Clarendon, where I also work. I’d be really nervous if I ever ended up working somewhere where I’d have to touch a highway to get there. Maybe I’ll stick with the Fail Rail Metro if I needed to get somewhere for my daily commute.

Dude, where's my bus?

So, according to NextBus, the “next bus” (see what I did there?) heading for the Metro from my office will be arriving in a mere six minutes.  Unfortunately, I don’t get to go home for a few more hours.

The utility shows arrival times for the next three buses at the desired location, which you can select by stop number (those little signs on every bus stop signpost) or just use the dropdowns to select your route, direction, and intersection.  You can access the service from your computer, or a mobile device; and if you have a favorite location that you’ll be checking all the time (your home, your office) you can bookmark that custom location as well.  Neato!  Earlier this week the DC DOT introduced a similar system for Circulator buses as well.

Have a look and let us know what you think, DC.  Is it worth it after the years of waiting?

The reviews of this place make lots of mentions of milk shakes, onion rings, and comparisons to Five Guys-  the golden standard of burgers around here. I drove by it and I noticed the Z logo, complete with a ribbon that resembles a superhero cape- is Z-Burger here to save us from the burger monotony?

The storefront is sleek and smooth, brushed metal describes the decor rather well and the signage explained simply what I could expect: “Z-Burgers, Z Fries & Shakes.” When I walked in the menu was rather familiar for fans of Five Guys:  Fresh burgers and toppings (that come with either 1 or 2 patties) and generous portions of fries cooked in peanut oil. What makes Z-Burger different are a few extra menu items which includes the aforementioned onion rings and milkshakes (75 flavors to choose from!) If you go to their Glover Park location you can also order salads. The Tenleytown location I visited also had a neighboring store inside called, “Sandwish” but it didn’t looked opened yet and I’m unsure of the status on that.

The food itself was great and honestly, kinda hard to tell apart from Five Guys. I ordered the seasoned fries which gave an extra kick out of the fries I’d usually expect. All in all, Z-Burger makes a solid product but I’ll need repeat visits to see who has the edge. I’ll also need those visits to try their other menu choices as well.

Z-Burger is definitely made a splash jumping into the Five Guys dominated DC burger market, but time will tell if this town is going to be big enough for the two of them.

Z-Burger
4321 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 966-1999

2414 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 965-7777

http://www.zburger.com

Red Line service will be severely impacted on Tuesday, June 23, as a result of a fatal collision on the Red Line on Monday, June 22, between the Fort Totten and Takoma Metrorail stations.

Red Line riders will have several options on Tuesday morning, however if they are able to avoid the Red Line, that may be the best option for Tuesday.

The Red Line will be operating in two sections on Tuesday. Trains will run back and forth between the Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations and between the Shady Grove and the Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metrorail station. All trains will be six- and eight-car trains on the Red Line and they will be running about 8 to 10 minutes apart. Trains are expected to be very crowded.

The Brookland-CUA, Fort Totten and Takoma Metrorail stations will be closed to Red Line traffic.

Free Metrobus shuttles will be available to take customers around the incident between the Silver Spring, Fort Totten, Brookland-CUA, Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood and Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metrorail stations. People can expect long waits for buses as a full Metrorail train often carries 100 people or more per car and a bus can only hold about 50 people at a time.

Metro officials recommend that customers who normally use the Red Line between the Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations should commute to Metrorail stations between the Shady Grove and Grosvenor-Strathmore Metrorail stations, or to use the following Metrobus lines to avoid the service disruption:

• Metrobus C8 line (Glenmont to White Flint)
• Metrobus Q2 line (Wheaton to Rockville)
• Metrobus C2, C4 line (Wheaton to Twinbrook)
• Metrobus J1 line (Silver Spring to Medical Center)
• Metrobus J2, J3, J4 line (Silver Spring to Bethesda)
• Metrobus L7, L8 line (Friendship Heights)

Metro officials also recommend that people utilize the Green Line from Greenbelt to the Fort Totten Metrorail station for service into downtown DC.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Be careful Red Line Metro Riders! RT @metro_man Red line crashed!

That was the tweet I got from MeggiePoo as I wrapped things up at my office. I wrote it off as a routine fender bender that causes most of the Metro Fails we all experience on a daily basis. I drive home from my office down the street to my home, thinking how lucky I am not to be stuck in the Metro system.

I arrived home and turn on NBC4 to see the dramatic image of two Metro trains collide and stack on top of each other. I listen and watch while eating dinner and started to take it all in. Mid-bite I realized that the accident happened on the same line my roommate takes from her Silver Spring office back home to Arlington. I drop my things and run to my cell phone.

Those were the longest 90 seconds of my life as I waited to see if she would answer.

My roommate finally did, she missed that train by five minutes and was stuck on the platform, however she was safe and found a ride home.

Here’s what we know now (see update below)

• At least 4 people are dead (one confirmed to be a female WMATA employee- a train operator), over 100 are injured
• One train has appeared to rear end the other- this is not a head to head collision
  
• There have been reports that there was track work scheduled on the Red Line earlier today
  
• FBI is on the scene to assist but there is no reason to suspect that this was a criminal act
• The rest of the lines appear to be working but they are moving slow
• Adrian Fenty will hold a press conference soon
  

Here’s the official word from WMATA:

A six-car Red Line train headed in the direction of Shady Grove derailed between the Takoma and Fort Totten Metrorail stations today and was involved in a collision with another train at 5 p.m. today, Monday, June 22.

Metro officials advise that people avoid the Red Line this afternoon. Trains are operating between Glenmont and Takoma Metrorail and between Shady Grove and Brookland stations for the remainder of the day.

There are preliminary reports of injuries on board, some serious. Emergency officials are responding to the scene.

This being said- avoid the Red Line at all costs.

Twitter has been crazy and DCist is all over the situation.

As I return to watch more, my hopes and prayers go out to everyone in the District- I hope everyone makes it back home safe!

UPDATE 8:59 PM: As the night winds down let’s do a recap and review of the latest

• A correction on an earlier title of the post, the Metro crash occurred on the Red Line between the Takoma and Ft. Totten Stations.
• More detail and the actual accident: around 5 PM today a train was waiting on the tracks for the platform ahead to open up when another train slammed into it from behind. The trains were six-car trains and were headed in the same direction. The female operator of the trailing train died.
  
• The Washington Post reports that at least six people are dead and scores of passengers are injured and are being described as “walking wounded” in what is being called the deadliest accident in Metro history. The last time two trains crashed was back in November 2004.
  
• The Metro is still operating between Glenmont and Silver Spring and between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Avenue. Around the accident scene Metro is offering a shuttle bus service.
• If you are seeking information on anyone that may have been riding on those trains should call the Metro Emergency Information line at 202-737-4404. If you live in Washington DC you can also call 311.
• Metro reports that the sections of the Red Line where the accident occurred will be closed through tomorrow, so plan your commutes accordingly.

Here is video of the Mayor’s press conference earlier tonight:

After the Mayor was on, the Metro Chief provided more details on the accident:

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Victoria Belanger

Now I’ve had my own experiences with keeping hydrated but it looks like Crystal Light would like to encourage women to drink more water, and is launching their own Water Way Challenge. I prefer the challenge I took on last month but for those that are going to be around DC and Union Station should be on the lookout for, “CONVERTibles” cruising around town giving away free bottles of water.

Given today’s temps are going to reach the mid 80’s, I say it’s a deal you shouldn’t pass up.

UPDATE: All these things will be going on next Tuesday, so be on the look out next week!