Route Recommendations: EFC to Farragut

[dasgeh]

Haven't we gotten basically this question (coming from Arlington, going to DC, don't really want to bike on M) in two or three other threads lately?

Regardless, I second TR bridge.

[PotomacCyclist]

There are probably a lot of beginners and new forumites asking the questions. I think it's OK if there's some duplication. They may not know if one route mirrors that of another. Before I started biking, I only knew a few of the major neighborhoods in the area. Now I know the lay of the land in much more detail. I wouldn't know most of those details if I weren't biking (or running).

[thucydides]

If Washington Circle is too intimidating (which is understandable), you could take a slight detour. Turn south to H St and head east. It should be slower traffic. That will take you to Pennsylvania Ave., but at that point, you would be at 18th St., which is pretty close to Farragut Square.

A small edit to this. H Street dead ends at 20th due to IMF construction (unless you use the sidewalk, which is technically illegal in this part of town). I personally would go TR to New Hampshire. NH to H. Left on 22nd. 22nd to L. L to Farragut. Alternatively you could go from H to 20th but, depending on the time of day -- and whether GW is in session -- H can be congested and 20th really congested. Outbound you can take 21st to H and then retrace your steps...pedals...whatever. Overall this is a longer route than taking the Key because you're going too far south. But you avoid Georgetown and Washington Circle.

[PotomacCyclist]

I had never ridden near Georgetown in the morning rush hour before. Since I decided to check out a few stations this year, I headed up to Crystal City, then the (falsely advertised and absent) Columbia Island Marina non-pit stop, and Rosslyn. After I crossed Key Bridge, I rode along M St. for a block or two. I thought the conditions were perfectly fine. The right lane was completely open with no cars or trucks at all. I turned right on 33rd St.

I won't lie. It was a bit of a struggle holding onto the heavy CaBi bike as I went down the stairs at the end of the pedestrian bridge. (They really do need to add a bike ramp there in the near future.) But I managed it without any major problems. I think it would be easier with a lighter road or hybrid bike.

After that, the trip through Georgetown was very easy. I rode down to Water St. and over to the Georgetown pit stop. It was still going on even though I arrived right around 9 am. The food was all gone. There were a couple tents with information about sponsors. I don't remember which ones. Revolution Cycles had a bike maintenance station.

I continued onto K St. I took the lane. The traffic was very light and it wasn't particularly fast. I felt comfortable riding on the big and slow CaBi bike. After crossing 27th St. in the park area, I got onto the sidewalk. I could have moved over to the K St. service lane after that, but I didn't feel like it. I was moving slowly so the sidewalk was fine. In the future though, I would probably get onto the K St. service lane. There's almost no traffic there at all, unlike the center K St. lanes.

I turned onto Washington Circle in the road lanes, which was calmer than I expected. A right onto 23rd St. and a left on I St., which is two-way. Minimal traffic there as well. That took me to Pennsylvania Ave. I was surprised to see only moderate car traffic there too. I took that over to the pedestrian plaza in front of the White House. The biggest obstacle I faced was the many pedestrians who insisted on jaywalking through their red light. (I had the green light and they could clearly see me. But they just kept walking across the street. "Busy people," I guess. Can't be bothered by traffic signals. It wasn't just one or two people. It was about twenty and they were all adults, in business dress, not little kids.)

That takes you to within a couple blocks of Farragut Square.

I didn't find any of it intimidating at all. The only issue (other than all the jaywalking pedestrians in business dress) was the stairs on the 33rd St. pedestrian bridge. I'm not super strong, although I do include strength training in my fitness routine from time to time. (Only a few times a month. I'm far from being a meathead.) I could see where many people would have a problem rolling a CaBi bike down those stairs. But with a lighter bike, it might not be as difficult. If you can carry your personal bike down stairs already, then these stairs shouldn't be a problem. Just be careful about it.

The 33rd St., Water St., K St., 23rd St., I St. route doesn't add too much distance to the straighter M St./Pennsylvania Ave. route. I'd guess a couple blocks at most. In return, you avoid the traffic on M St. other than the short stretch between Key Bridge and 33rd St.

[dasgeh]

After I crossed Key Bridge, I rode along M St. for a block or two. I thought the conditions were perfectly fine. The right lane was completely open with no cars or trucks at all. I turned right on 33rd St.

I won't lie. It was a bit of a struggle holding onto the heavy CaBi bike as I went down the stairs at the end of the pedestrian bridge. (They really do need to add a bike ramp there in the near future.) But I managed it without any major problems. I think it would be easier with a lighter road or hybrid bike.
[/QUOTE]

if you're willing to get off your bike, there's no need to ride to 33rd - right as you come off the Key bridge, you can turn right into that park and there are a few stairs with a bike gutter to a bridge that will get you across the canal. Then you can use 34th or 33rd to get to Water.

If you're willing to bike on M, you might as well take it to Wisconsin.

[PotomacCyclist]

I think I took that other pedestrian bridge back in November for the Cranksgiving Ride, which started in Georgetown. That's a little better than the 33rd St. path, but I still found that bike gutter to be unwieldy with a CaBi bike. I think I ended up bouncing the bike down the stairs and skipping the gutter.

Wisconsin Ave. sounds like a better plan, if the next block or two of M St. is similar to the section between 33rd and 35th Streets.