The Metro moves in all directions at once, out from the grid of L'Enfant Plaza and under the canopy of Union Station. It's at times both admirably kept and fully nonfunctional. It follows the contours of a city - while it nods to the quiet Washington suburbs, its energy comes from the rushed business of legislators on Capitol Hill and the buzz of visitors descending on the National Mall. Before, that's what I thought of when I made sure my trips took me straight to the center of the city; now, that's what I think of when I tuck an extra fare card into my wallet, for old times' sake.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT