Dread's DC Links

Hello, and welcome to my DC links page! Here you will find links of interest to those of us who live in our nation's capital. Some are links to government agencies, some are links to organizations, and some are just cool places to visit.

Government links:

District of Columbia--Official website of Washington, DC.

DC Board of Elections and Ethics

City Council of the District of Columbia

Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority

Disability links:

Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind

DIRECT Action--A local, non-profit disability rights organization.

Organization links:

National Coalition for the Homeless

MetroRiders.Org--An advocacy group representing Metro Transit riders.

MetroRiders.Org Forums--A bulletin board where Metro riders can speak out.

Newspaper links:

The Common Denominator--A popular local newspaper.

Washington City Paper--Another very popular local newspaper.

The Hill--A newspaper about the doings on Capitol Hill.

Street Sense--A local newspaper for, by, and about homeless and poor people.

The Barras Report--News, views, and analysis by DC political analyst, Jonetta Rose Barras.

Other links:

Politics and Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse--A well-known local bookstore.

The Kojo Nnamdi Show--A local, daily talk show on one of DC's public radio stations.

Chevy Chase Citizen's Association--An organization that represents my neighborhood in Upper Northwest.

The Kenmore--My Apartment building. It's really nice!

My Impressions of DC:

I really like my neighborhood. It's peaceful, and quiet, and very, very safe. Within three blocks are everything I could possibly want, or need. There are several banks, a Safeway grocery store, a CVS drugstore, a Starbuck's, four restaurants, two lounges, a liquor store, a bakery, a fish market, a Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop, four dry cleaners, a bagel shop, two clothing stores, a barber shop, three malls, a library, and a community center. And, that's just going North! Going South, there's even more. There is a Chinese restaurant, a pizza place, a paint store, a very progressive bookstore, and a Yoga studio, just to name a few. I'm on one of the main drags, so there's a bus stop across the street, and a few blocks away, is a Metro subway stop. There are always people milling about, or sitting outside restaurants in outdoor seating.

Somehow, though, it's very quiet. You feel as if you're in a real sort of old fashioned community. There is a neighborhood watch, which doesn't really surprise me, as the ward, you know, the district of the city that I live in is a very powerful and prestigious ward. I am active in my community. I am a registered voter, and I served as a poll worker in the primary election, and on Election Day, as well. I served on the Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities, and I am a member of my neighborhood association.

With all that's so good, living here can be challenging. It is quite hilly here, so it's been hard on me, and my chair. Metro Transit, well, sucks, which is why I want to get on that commission. Within the first six, yeah, count 'em, six days I was here, I lodged 13 complaints against Metro! There was a two day lull, then in the following four days, I lodged 9 more!I told the Metro bigwigs that I had lodged more complaints against them in 15 days than I had lodged against RTD in Denver in 13 years! All of the complaints involved broken lifts, buses with NO lifts, when the schedule clearly said that there should be a bus with a lift, drivers not stopping for passengers in chairs, or drivers erroneously, or outright falsely telling passengers in chairs that the lifts were broken. With all of the lift problems, I must say that the vast majority of the bus drivers are very, very nice! In September of last year (2005), I was appointed to the Elderly and Disabled Advisory Committee of Metro, and I have formed a subcommitte to deal with the bus issue.

And, let's not talk about the subway. Half the time, you can't find the elevator, because, in some cases, it's two blocks away from the actual subway station. Often, the elevators are broken. Sometimes, they're used as urinals. Sometimes, they're hangouts, or homes for homeless folks, or panhandlers. I try very hard not to use the subway.

DC is designed in such a jacked up way, that you can spend hours trying to find your way around. I'm not kidding! You have to be careful about the directions, ie, NW, NE, SW, and SE. An address that seems only a few blocks from where you are can actually be several miles! Also, trying to catch a cab here can be quite challenging, though I like the fact that fares are based on the zone model, instead of the meter model, which is very expensive.

Don't get me wrong--I do like living in DC. My neighborhood alone is enough to make me stay. The District is definitely a diverse and international city! The people are nicer than I expected, and are from all over the world. There are all kinds of neat things to see, and places to visit. That makes all of the challenges to living here worth it!