the 80 – it’s a rough route

Oh, 80.  Why do you torture me so?

I want to love you, I do!  You stop at the end of my block.  You take me to just about anywhere I need to go.  And you’re the ONLY bus that runs along most of North Capital Street (yes, one of the main streets in the city has exactly one bus route that travels more than a few blocks).

I used to ride this bus twice daily, sometimes more on weekends, as my work was located in NE and nowhere near a Metro rail station.  I still ride quite often, because it’s one of the most versatile buses in the system.  From the Fort Totten to Chinatown, to the Kennedy Center, the 80′s is a long route that takes you past many of the biggest attractions in DC.

And yet…

I also have been known to call it “the sick bus,” because it goes by the VA Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, and two Kaiser Permanente facilities.  I’ve been on this bus when the front is so full of wheelchairs and scooters that the people with canes have to walk to the back.  I’m not joking.  It’s a little sad and a little scary to ride the 80 a lot of the times.  And it usually smells like cigarettes that were extinguished but not discarded before riders got on the bus.  I mean, cigarettes are expensive, so I guess you don’t want to waste half of one.

You’ll see more single-serving alcoholic beverages in brown bags than on just about any other route.  And while some of my neighbors will use the 80, many have clearly told me that they’ll eschew it in favor of the G8, G2, or they’ll just walk – over a mile – to stations like New York Avenue.  Anything but ride the 80.

It can be an exhausting, depressing ride, and the bus stops and North Cap & Florida Avenue and North Cap & New York Avenue are downright intimidating, even from behind the relative safety of the bus itself.  Don’t get me wrong – I like where this bus can take me and the frequency with which it runs, but it might be the most challenging 20 minutes of your day.  Just be warned.

So...the bus looks like it's leaning right and the sign looks like it's leaning left. Is there something you're not telling us, North Capital Street?

Line: 80  Rating (1-10): 4

Ridership:  There are two types of people: those who take the 80 regularly, and those who hope on it one time and never ride again.  It’s a love or hate thing and you have to be of strong constitution to mingle with the other riders.  It’s often packed and loud and it’s definitely not a place for kids; regulars will often have shouting conversations across the entire bus with more than a few four letter words thrown in for effect.  I will admit that I rarely ride this bus past 18th street, but on the few times I have, I know that the ridership thins out and includes a smattering of college students and theater-goers the further west it travels.

Pros:  Close proximity to many residential areas and major shopping areas in the city, plus it runs relatively frequently, especially on weekdays.

Cons:  Be prepared for a long waits or no buses at all on the weekends.  I have lost count of the number of times on a Sunday that the bus simply has not shown up.

Nearby & Noteworthy: The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is on the route as it nears the Brookland Metro station.  It’s a stunning building with a storied history – stop to see it at least once.  Miriam’s Kitchen is perhaps the most famous “soup kitchen” in DC due to a few volunteers with the last  name “Obama.”  It’s way more than just a meal, though, as they provide a variety of programs and services for DC denizens.

Latest Metro News: Metro’s Board of Directors has launched an international search for the new director!  Here’s a suggestion: can they make that search like America’s Got Talent (but only like the year that Wayne Brady hosted it, which is superior to all other years) and DC citizens can all vote for their favorite director, as long as s/he hasn’t received three “X’s” from the judges?  Ooh, please say yes.

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