Here’s the cool thing about writing this blog: I find myself in the most interesting of locations. Case in point, after helping to set up for an event last week, I realized I could catch the C21 bus to Addison Road Metrorail station, thereby knocking out two Metro-Ventures for the price of one. So there I was, standing at the intersection of Harry S Truman Drive N and Lottsford Road, waiting for the bus. Well, The Bus, but the bus.
There’s a preternatural calm to suburban areas like this: gorgeous apartment and condo complexes line well-groomed roads completely devoid of pedestrians, or even the sounds of people for that matter. I stood on the corner next to the bus stop sign, cars whizzing by, and even though three other buses stopped before the C21 arrived, no one got on and no one got off.
One cool thing about this stop, though, was that I could see the trains pass by in the distance. It’s not often in DC that you get to experience an unobstructed view of the trains in action from such a distance. I felt like I was very far away from everything, although the station – and all of the shopping and restaurants there – was easily within walking distance.
The bus arrived and I hopped on, one of only a handful of passengers, although the bus filled up along the way. As we passed over 495, I had to smile a tiny smile of self satisfaction. How do people manage to sit in their cars in traffic like that day in and day out? I opened my newspaper back up to check out the days headlines as the bus smoothly navigated Central Avenue, and I was happy I would never have to answer that question.
Not a great photo, but if you look in the background, you'll see the lights of the train.
Line: C21, C22, C26, C29 – Central Avenue Line Rating: (1-10): 7
Ridership: These riders – including me – were quiet and tired. It appeared that everybody was traveling alone; there were no conversations to be had for the duration of the route. And most of the people who were on the bus when I boarded were still there by the time we arrived at Addison Road. The C21 travels very close to, but doesn’t actually stop at, Largo Town Center and Morgan Boulevard, so it makes the most sense to ride until the end of the route.
Pros: At least one of the C buses runs every ten minutes during rush, and on the weekends there’s supplemental service to Bowie State University, even if it’s only once an hour.
Cons: This is not a bus for those in a great hurry, as it takes 18 minutes to reach Addison Road from Largo Town Center. The ride to Bowie State is even longer, at a whopping 80 minutes long. Is this the longest bus route in the WMATA system? Might be.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Six Flags America! I had no idea we had a theme park so nearby that was accessible by bus. And since parking there costs $15 (on top of the $57 it costs to get in), public transit is totally the way to go.
Latest Metro News: WMATA takes a spot in the top 10 for the most frequently searched terms on Google in the DC area. Yay?
