Transit Diary: A soccer fan gets to the games – and beyond – by transit and bike

Transit Diaries is a series in which residents of Greater Washington track how they get around the region for a week, shedding light on what’s working well and not so well with our transportation system. Read past Transit Diaries. If you’re interested in writing a Transit Diary, please click here.

My name is Adam DuBard and I live with my wife car-free in the Shaw/U Street neighborhood of DC. I used to own a car and live in Silver Spring, but sold my car before moving into the city in 2020, which were two decisions that drastically improved my daily life. I work for a German foundation in downtown DC, and enjoy walking into work when the weather is suitable. Otherwise I can take the Green Line, several bus routes, or bike to work. In my free time I enjoy playing soccer at local fields, discussing international politics over drinks with friends, and checking out any new bars or restaurants that pop up in our neighborhood with my wife Isabelle.

This was an excellent week to keep track of my travels around the city and region. As many of you probably noticed, the Major League Soccer All-Star game was in town that weekduring the week of July 17. As a diehard Arsenal fan, I had to attend every event I could, so I traveled around the city a little more than usual. On top of that, I also took Amtrak to Philadelphia over the weekend to see Chelsea take on Brighton with some friends.

This was also the first week I took my bike to work every day I was in the office. When the weather isn’t too hot or cold, I usually walk to work, which takes around 25 to 30 minutes.

Day 1: Monday, July 17

I work from home Mondays, so usually I don’t take any public transit unless there’s something special happening. As it happened, the Arsenal DC fan club was hosting a fan party tonight, so I took the Metro twice today.

My transit day began with a walk from my apartment to my local YMCA and back to workout (0.8 mile round trip).

After my workday, I walked .2 miles to the U Street Metro station, then took the train (1.2 miles) with my friend Billy to the Columbia Heights station. We then walked across the street to Lou’s City Bar, where we spent an evening with fellow Arsenal fans meeting former players.

After the event, my friend and I walked back to the Columbia Heights Metro station, took the train back downtown, and I got back off at U Street and walked to my apartment.

Total distance traveled:

• Walking: 1.2 miles
• Metro: 2.4 miles

Highlights and hitches:

• At 5:15 pm, the Green Line train towards Greenbelt was pretty full, which was a good sign for the return of riders to the Metro system. However, improving upon the eight-minute headways on the Green Line would also make more trains feel less crowded.
• I only had to wait five minutes for my train back later in the evening, which is a huge service improvement compared to the past few years.

Day 2: Tuesday, July 18

As previously mentioned, I usually walk to and from work. In the peak summer months this is obviously not ideal, and after discovering how unreliable Metrobus service can be, I decided to try biking in to work on work-in-office days. Although there are notable drawbacks, this is by far the quickest way to commute to work for me, and is a great transportation solution during hot months.

At 8:45 am, I left my apartment and biked 1.5 miles to my office. After work, I biked home shortly before 5 pm.

On this night, Audi Field hosted the MLS Skills Challenge, a soccer competition between Arsenal players and MLS All Stars. The Green Line is my favorite transit method to travel to Navy Yard, so I walked to the U Street stop again, and took the Green Line around 3.5 miles, then walked .6 miles to Audi Field.

After an entertaining event that Arsenal eventually won, I walked back to the Navy Yard station with my wife Isabelle, my friend Billy, and his fiancé Lin. We then all took the Green Line back home. As my wife and I were hungry after a long day, we exited at the 13th Street exit at U Street, picked up some pizza from &Pizza, then walked .3 miles home.

Total distance traveled:

• Biking: 3 miles
• Walking: 1.7 miles
• Metro: 7 miles

Highlights and hitches:

• Biking in the July heat is still hot, but it beats waiting for the bus or taking an overfilled Metro train. After work, the ride can be quite pleasant in the shade as well.
• During the Metro ride to Navy Yard, the train was quite crowded again, but it was an easy trip from the U Street stop. However, on the ride back from Navy Yard there appeared to be blood on the back of a seat I initially sat in. Another example of how WMATA could work to improve the experience for all riders.
• Walking from the Navy Yard station to Audi Field is generally quite easy, but the large crowds for games could be handled better. The crossing guards didn’t seem especially prepared, and traffic flow certainly didn’t make their job easier. Managing traffic during game days in this part of DC could definitely be improved.

Day 3: Wednesday, July 19

This day was extremely similar to Tuesday, with the caveat that many more people traveled down for the events at Audi Field, as this was the evening of the actual MLS All Star Game.

At 8:45 am I left my apartment and biked 1.5 miles to my office. After work, I biked home shortly before 5 pm.

I followed the same pattern as Tuesday: Walk to the U Street Metro stop, walk from Navy Yard (with a quick stop at Atlas Brewing) to Audi Field, then reverse following the MLS All Star Game, which was a fantastic experience.

Total distance traveled:

• Biking: 3 miles
• Walking: 1.6 miles
• Metro: 7 miles

Highlights and hitches:

• Some of the downsides of the narrow, unprotected bike lanes that are all-too-prominent in DC showed up on this day. On my way to work, I got stuck behind a much slower biker, and had to bike alongside a large truck for at least a block. While DC has certainly improved the bike lane situation in recent years, biking next to a massive truck spewing pollution is certainly a downside to biking into work.
• On the Metro trip back from Audi Field to U Street, I encountered a major inconvenience. The first available train back was a Green Line train that for some reason ended service at Mt. Vernon Square, instead of at Greenbelt. While I understand that the Yellow Line has ended service at this stop due to the ability to turn trains around here, that a Green Line train followed this pattern was very odd, and incredibly inconvenient. A pocket at Fort Totten Station would drastically improve service along the Green/Yellow lines.

Day 4: Thursday, July 20

Today was calmer, with just my standard bike trip to work, and a walk to a local soccer field for pickup with friends.

Total distance traveled:

• Biking: 3 miles
• Walking: 1 mile

Highlights and hitches:

• I timed myself from door-to-door for my bike commute. I managed to make it to my office in 14 minutes, which is by far the quickest way to commute. Walking takes a minimum of 25 minutes, Metro a similar time, and bus 20 minutes, if I hit the timing right.

Day 5: Friday, July 21

This was another calmer day, where I only walked to the YMCA and back, and relaxed after a week of events.

Total distance traveled:

• Walking: 0.8 mile

Highlights and hitches:

• None

Day 6: Saturday, July 22

This was a busy day, as I had a District Sports soccer game in the morning, then traveled to Philadelphia to meet up with friends to watch Chelsea take on Brighton at Lincoln Financial Field.

At 10:30 am, I walked to Cardozo High School for my soccer game, which started at 11:00 am. I played for 75% of the game, then left at 11:50 am to sprint back home to make my 1:05 pm Amtrak train to Philadelphia.

After showering and grabbing my things, I took a Capital Bikeshare bike to Union Station, which is the quickest route compared to both the bus and Metro. After leaving my soccer game and hustling to Union Station, I arrive to discover my train is delayed by 17 minutes. After a pleasant train ride, I arrived in Philadelphia 27 minutes later than originally scheduled.

I then take the SEPTA underground train to my hotel, before continuing on SEPTA to the Philadelphia stadium complex. Following an exciting soccer game, I take the train back with my friends to the city center, before we walk to several bars in the area.

Total distance traveled::

• Walking: 1.2 miles
• Biking: 2.5 miles
• Amtrak: 134 miles
• SEPTA: 8.5 miles

Highlights and hitches:

• Biking to Union Station on Capital Bikeshare was incredibly easy, especially because there were bike lanes almost the entire way. The protected, shaded bike lane on First St. NE was a particular highlight of the trip.
• However, there is a massive issue with biking at Union Station. Currently, there is no possible way for someone to park their bike overnight securely. I emailed with an employee at the District Department of Transportation, and he informed me that not only is the former privately owned bike garage not in operation, but that there are no bike racks available at the station either. For the United States capital, a city that has openly stated it is committed to reducing carbon emissions, this is really unacceptable. Allowing bikers to park their bikes overnight at Union Station seems like a real no-brainer, but that’s not even possible right now.
• The tunnel into/out of Baltimore is really a huge chokepoint for Amtrak. You can feel how slow the trains have to go to navigate this ancient Civil War-era tunnel – you notice you’re only going 25 MPH. That the federal government is taking steps to replace this tunnel is a positive, although long overdue.
• Taking public transit in Philadelphia did highlight positives of Metro’s system though. One major negative of taking the train in Philadelphia is that there are no signs at all indicating when the next train is coming. This seems to be a pretty simple feature, but right now in Philadelphia you just have to wait until the next train comes.
• Overall infrastructure is dated and dirty, especially compared to DC’s stations. However, the train was very full of fans going both to and from the station, which highlights the convenience for riders. Acquiring a fare card was also more complicated than it should be.

Day 7: Sunday, July 23

This was another day full of transit. My friend in Philadelphia picked me up and I went to get breakfast tacos with him, his wife, and their young son. The drive was easy, although it’s unfortunate this delicious spot is harder to reach with public transit.

Afterwards, I walked through Philadelphia from my hotel to meet friends for breakfast at Kfar Cafe, then walked with two friends to the train station. The train station is only around a 30 minute walk from downtown, and a pretty easy walk – although Philadelphia is by no means as pedestrian-friendly as DC.

My Amtrak train was delayed again, by around 20 minutes. However, taking the Metro back from Union Station was incredibly easy and quick, which underscores the progress that WMATA has made under Randy Clarke in recent months.

Total distance traveled:

• Driving: 3 miles
• Walking: 1.6 miles
• Amtrak: 134 miles
• Metro: 2.4 miles

Highlights and hitches:

• Arriving over 20 minutes late both ways on Amtrak is definitely a hitch. Although this is a small delay in the grand scheme of things, the Northeast Corridor is supposed to be Amtrak’s “bread and butter.” If standard trains can’t arrive on time here, then Amtrak really needs to improve.
• My trip back from Union Station to my apartment was incredibly quick and easy. I only had to wait one minute when transferring at Gallery Place and made it home within 20 minutes, which was a real surprise.

Final Tally: 35 Trips

Overall this was a very diverse week in transit for me. I try to take Amtrak a few times a year, although I was a bit disappointed with the punctuality of the trains and particularly with the notification system this timethere. However, I discovered how convenient biking to work is, although drawbacks there do exist. And finally, I really have noticed WMATA’s improvements, including improved headways and increased staff and security presence around stations. Other amenities, including cleaner stations, accurate train information, and easy entrance using the fare gates with your phone, dramatically improve the transit user experience. When compared to other cities such as Philadelphia, our Metro system is really a great benefit to the entire city and region.