Not so forbidding any more. Photo by Mr. T in DC on Flickr.

[Autoposted while I’m in France]

Speaking of taxis: One of the most pivotal moments in this blog’s history happened on March 19, when my car got towed. I hopped into a cab near Dupont to go to the impound lot at 2nd and Q, Southeast Southwest. The driver refused to take me. Problem was, the law says he must, and armed with my cell phone, I called the Taxicab Commission. After 15 minutes and a stern talking-to directly from Chairman Leon Swain, I was on my way. Read the whole story.

That was pivotal for this blog, because it turned into the most proximate cause of my interview with Marc Fisher, the first big traffic boost for the nascent Greater Greater Washington.

Just a few weeks after the driver refused to go to Southeast Sotuhwest, a brand-new stadium opened to bring huge crowds to the area. I wonder if drivers would still resist going down there today?

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Tagged: cat:traffic, dc, nationals ballpark, public spaces, roads, southwest waterfront, taxis

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.