… And How to Get Where You Are Going
For people outside of the DC area, they might not be familiar with a somewhat hidden parkway that stretches from Mclean in the North to Mt. Vernon in the South. This is the George Washington Parkway - known as the GW by nearly all locals. It's part of the national park service, and it's the only access point to see Teddy Roosevelt's memorial on Roosevelt Island. There are dozens of places to turn off and see Washington DC from across the river (nearly all of which require you to be driving north to access). And the Potomac Heritage Trail hugs one side of the parkway - with plenty of pedestrian crosswalks to further annoy the local drivers.
If GPSs didn't exist, I doubt anyone but locals would drive the GW. Or at least any sane tourist would try to stay clear of it.
See the GW has very few street lights, and even few signs to tell you where you are or where you're going. Road markers are pretty much non-existent. The signs that are on there, aren't well lit and are only useful if you already know where they are located - otherwise, you're doomed to miss your exit.
Basically, people should only drive the GW if they know where they are and where they are going.
There have been dozens of times were it was pure luck that I got to my exit. There have been just as many times where I have zoomed right passed where I needed to go and been known the wiser until I hit 495 (it meets up the GW in the north and south).
And remember how I mentioned that you'd need a GPS to navigate it. Well, that's only have true. See there are a couple of exits so bat s%!t insane, that I've made it a habit of ignoring my GPS in favor of taking one of the other "hidden" roads that circle the Pentagon to my destination. This particularly awful bit of directions happens most often when you want to go from the GW to Rout 1, but have to jump on 395 and cross 5 lanes of traffic in under a quarter of a mile to pull this off. My dad likes to curse the Penn State traffic engineers who were hired to create this monstrosity. I've learned to take the Memorial Bridge Exit (which, again, only exists if you know about it because the sign is hidden behind the bridge), hop on 101, and then hope to merge onto Rout 1 instead of ending up on 395 North.
The GPS won't tell you to do any of this.
This analogy is relevant, I promise.
I've thought I was at this life stage before. The one where I think I know where I am and where I might be going. However, life loves to throw me some mean curve balls and I sometimes pass an exit without known I have. I've also come up to an exit without knowing it and have had to cross four lanes of traffic, hoping against all hope that the skills I learned driving in New Jersey will get me safely off the highway.
Because life isn't exactly like a highway (no matter what Meatloaf might sign). You, me, and the guy next door whom you've maybe seen twice probably don't know where they are. We think we do, but the mile marker we were hoping for, disappeared from the side of the road. There's no GPS and the map is at least ten years out of date.
There are very few lights on the GW. It's overgrown with trees and vines that look beautiful when it's full bloom in spring, but creepy as all get out on a foggy night in November. The roads haven't been paved in forever and there have been a couple of times I've been worried about going over the bridges. And don't forget the pedestrians.
Anyone new to the area, should stick away from the GW unless they have a lot of time on their hands.
However, that doesn't mean it's not a beautiful road to travel. It's a little slice of nature in an otherwise built up area. I always feel a little disconnected from the real world as I'm traversing under the thick trees. There are amazing views of Georgetown, the monuments, and the capital that seem almost unreal.
Which again, is a lot like the many stages of life. Its intimidating, confusing, but also beautiful.
One day, I hope the parkway is repaved where I hop on at the Chain Bridge. Right now, I keep worrying that a pot hole might finally take out one of my tires (or a bumper). Or maybe they'll build a few more pedestrian friendly bridges. I'm always worried a pedestrian will step out into the parkway crosswalk at the wrong time (like at twilight or dawn).
The George Washington Parkway is a lot of fun to drive, but caution must be taken and it's best to know what you are doing. Don't take the 395 South exit if you want to go down Route 1. Most exits are on the right hand side, unless you want to take 66 from the north, then be in the left most lane before Memorial Bridge.
And stop at one of the scenic pull offs or parks. They're worth visiting.
If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.
Until next week.
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