There are various ways to get around
and out of town in the Shaw area.
If you have a car, you will want to be one of those lucky devils who happens to have a
garage, especially if you live in the Logan Circle area near the theaters or near the new
convention center. If you park you will need a Zone 2 parking sticker to leave your car on
the street after 7AM and before 8:30 if parking for more than 2 hours. Be very aware that
in some areas the DC government tickets like crazy.
If you’re driving out there are
a few major roads that will take you anywhere. New York Avenue going east will eventually
turn into the Baltimore Washington Parkway. New York Avenue also connects with I-395 Rhode
Island Avenue is also Route 1. Georgia Avenue, or 7th Street, will go through
the northern part of the city to hit Silver Spring, MD. Mass Ave will take you downtown.
16th Avenue north will also go to Silver Spring.
Get on a major road to catch one, or just call one in. Wherever you go in a cab know
where the cab zones are. Head over to the Washington Post’s site to calculate
your taxi fare and to find out where
the fare zones are. Shaw is in zone 1, so if you’re going to catch a cheap ride
home in NW DC, make sure that you are east of 22nd Street and south of Florida.
Keep in mind that fares have been going up due to gas prices.
Buses and trains bring different parts of DC together. Head over to the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) web site at www.wmata.com. The subway stations in Shaw service the
green and yellow metro trains at Mt. Vernon Square
(Green/Yellow), Shaw/Howard
University (Green), and
U-Street/Cardoza (Green). A few of the buses that go through Shaw are the G2, G8, and
the 98 but check with Metro and use their online Ride Guide to find out which bus would
serve you best.
*Please note the author hasn’t
owned a car since 1993.