I don’t post about crime, but I still want to answer: I “think globally, act locally.” Meaning, I realize my impact will be small, but it can still be positive. I volunteer to pick up litter so neighborhoods don’t feel so depressing (shout out to District Cleanups!), which can lead to criminal acts, per the Broken Windows Theory. I volunteer in the parks (Anacostia Watershed Society, Rock Creek Conservancy) pulling up invasive plants (English ivy, clematis, honeysuckle) so the native plants have a chance and so the parks are more attractive to everyone, since green spaces are known to calm people down. And I volunteer with other groups as I have time—ushering at free music concerts (Washington Bach Consort), shelving books at the library, helping on Election Day. And I’m uniformly decent and pleasant to strangers I “meet” when I’m out and about, smiling, reaching something down from a high shelf for vertically challenged people in grocery stores, etc. I pay it forward.

Others no doubt will have other ways to involve themselves in their community, wherever your heart might lead you. The one thing we can’t afford to do is to distance ourselves from our neighbors. I’m not Christian, but I live by “Love your neighbor” and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

r/watchpeopledieinside

Dunn Loring also has pretty good access but I like to make my ride a bit longer. If anyone knows how to access the trail from stations farther out—even from Dulles?— I’d love to hear.

Yes, it’s Wiehle Reston. The trail is super close. If you’re unfamiliar, use CityMapper app from there and ask it for directions via bicycle to your destination, and it always puts me on the W&OD. Iirc, I take my bike up via elevator, walk over the overpass then through the square with Founding Farmers, to Wiehle Ave on the other side of that square. Go left on Wiehle, past all the construction, and the trail is about a block or two away.

I just learned that the construction is to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to access the trail! https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/transportation/projects/wiehle-wod-trail

It's also a great way to access the W&OD trail. [edit: via Wiehle Reston]. Yes, it's a long ride from Silver Spring (maybe 75 minutes?), but I love riding my bike back from there and it's well worth the trip.

Next time park at the Metro station and skip the parking hassle.

I have volunteered with District Cleanups several times but didn’t know about any satellite groups. Good to know, thanks!

What’s the Cleanup Crew?

My two kids knew from the day they moved out that we would never, ever co-sign a loan. We would give them money to help if we could, but we would not put our lives and credit on the line.

This ask is either trolling or just unbelievably obtuse.

They’re still all via zoom, afaik, but hopefully will be back in person soon.

I sold my big Piaggio (also makes Vespa) scooter last year before moving back to the DMV, and it was a 350 that cruised at 75 easily, with lots of get-out-of-the-way power. Even wearing all the gear, all the time, I wouldn’t ride in this area.

Rock Creek Conservancy has cleanup (invasive plants or trash) events all year round, and so does the Anacostia Watershed Society. Both are well organized, and give volunteers an opportunity to help push back against damage to the parks in meaningful ways.

Sadly, this is true. I’m (F) a lot older than you, so can say that every year past about 25 makes women increasingly invisible. Some changes are welcome, like being able to walk past construction sites without being catcalled. Other changes are less welcome, like feeling ashamed of my changing body.

Just keep trying on the apps and putting yourself out there, but also do things you really enjoy even if it doesn’t lead to partnering up, is my advice.

Maryland libraries have the same subscription service. Patrons can access at least WaPo, NYTimes, and WSJ, and I think others. Stop by the library and ask, or just go online to your library account and dig around for the link.

The Curb app calls a cab, similar to Uber but in my experience a lot less expensive.

>Many are closed on weekends

Can you provide a source for that statement? I don’t find that restriction on this long list of DC shelters. Admittedly I only skimmed, but other than Casa Ruby, which appears to be closed on Sundays, they look like they are open either every day or every night.

That sounds incredibly annoying, but I’m very sensitive to certain sounds.

I found this article about the Amplified Noise Amendment Act that was put forward in 2018, but it looks like it wasn’t passed. Still, it might be interesting to see that many people object to intrusive sounds in the city. If you don’t want to get involved with legislation, though, I’d recommend white noise (electronic or an indoor fountain) and noise canceling headphones.

Also, persistent noise pollution would be reason enough for me to move, but that’s just me.

This is a minor point, but Amtrak arrives/departs from the Moynihan Train Hall now, not Penn. It’s a much nicer place to wait, and only passengers with that day’s ticket are allowed in the waiting area. It’s across the street from Penn.

As for length of the trip, Acela was under 3 hours each way when I did it in December. I love trains and would love an excuse to ride once a week but it would probably get old fast.

Even earlier, in 1978, New York City passed poop scooping laws that were hilariously enforced by fed-up New Yorkers leaning out their windows and yelling at the scofflaws. I was there when the law was passed and remember hearing that people were letting their dogs loose rather than agree to pick up poop, with a radio announcer saying, “If you’re looking for a purebred dog, there are many to choose from in city shelters.”

I buy jasmine rice at Trader Joe’s, a bag of 3 pounds. It’s fragrant and delicious. I don’t know the price off hand, but I’m super frugal so it’s not expensive.

I love all the ways I can volunteer doing something that makes our city better, like pulling invasive plants with Rock Creek Conservancy, or picking up litter with District Cleanups.

I also like being able to be car free—I moved back here after 10 years in Southern California, where a car is necessary for everything (and most trips involve a freeway), and busses are infrequent, slow, and dirty. I gave away my car, which makes my frugal life here (just barely) affordable.

Back in the old days we used to get our couch reupholstered from time to time. In fact, my parents bought a couch—from Goodwill!—in 1945, when they lived in Manhattan, and we had that thing shipped all over the world with us to three countries and multiple states, getting it recovered several times over the years. After both parents had died, and I couldn’t take it with me, I finally put it in the dumpster—in 2003. I still feel guilty about it, though. That couch had good bones and probably had a couple years left in it.

If you can find an upholsterer you could give that info to someone willing to take it and get it completely redone. I appreciate you taking the time to repurpose something that doesn’t belong in the landfill. I googled and multiple local places came up, so it’s doable.

Do you have to live in SW also? If not, there are many neighborhoods where you could live, with good schools.

I’ve had three, I don’t have dental insurance, and they are always expensive. I assume that includes a root canal? There are different levels or severities of work that is needed, in my experience, and one size doesn’t fit all. You could

• ask your dentist if there is any way to reduce their price,
• call around to other dentists with clinical details from the written estimate your dentist gave you,
• call dental schools to see if they offer root canals and/or crowns,
• or consider traveling to another country for dental work. I’ve known people who were very happy with work they got in Mexico, with top notch equipment and US-trained dentists. Worth it for less than $1,000? Maybe not, but it’s something to consider.

The posts or articles you’re seeing are exposing you and others to a legitimate point of view you might not have considered. Evolution can make people uncomfortable because it implies that something is not working as it should. In fact, that is the case here: society is evolving away from fossil fuels. Reminder that even electric cars use fossil fuels. Most of the electricity in the US comes from natural gas (which is considered to be a fossil fuel), nuclear energy (not a fossil fuel, but with its own problems), and coal (shudder).

Despite the power of the automakers forcing cars down our throats over the past 100+ years, they are (a) not necessary, especially not in urban centers, and (b) a massively negative drain on society. Pollution, destruction of neighborhoods (especially low-income or non-white neighborhoods) to make way for roads, lifelong injuries, and death, death, death.

I’m not going to curse at you as you drive past, spewing invisible glacier-melting particles, but I will silently judge you if you’re using that car to take a trip you could have managed on public transportation or on foot.

Think of it this way: A person driving a car is damaging the environment for everyone, and is creating risk for everyone. In an ideal world, we should do all we can to reduce, and not increase, our negative impact on society.