commuting as an art - 10 songs to add to your commuting playlist

Precision Commuting. City dwellers, do you do it? In Washington DC, where I lived for seven years, commuting was a very orderly affair. If you've ever traveled there, you know that there is one golden rule, "walk left, stand right" on the escalators. But beyond that, bus riders line up at stops in order of arrival. Smart trip cards ready. Never hesitate. Before you pause, step aside. Never stop moving. 

It's a quiet affair, much quieter than any other city's metro that I have been on. Everyone is dressed well. Everyone is quiet. Some have headphones. Most are reading The Express. The rest are reading books. 

Eventually you pick up strategy. Walking another 5 minutes up the route to ensure a seat before a particularly busy stop. Grabbing a spot that will ensure that you will be first to get off of the bus once you arrive at the Metro. (As a Glover Park resident, I was a D2/Dupont Circle North/Red Line girl.) The skip/run down the escalator. In heels. In the rain. The continual mastery of a subtle set of commuting skills. Shaking off your umbrella halfway down the North Entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro Stop. Closing it before you get to the bottom. The pride of being able to climb the entire set of stairs up at the end of your day. No stopping. 

Eventually you figure out where to stand, so that you are at the precise center of a set of doors of the next arriving metro train. Factoring in 6 or 8 cars, and which car you'd like to be getting out of for an ideal departure at your destination stop. (Hint: look at the cars on the opposite platform. Nine times out of ten,  where their doors land will align with where your doors will land.)

*image via wmata.com

And finally, it grows in to an art. Eventually I had developed a playlist ideal for my morning commute. A perfect soundtrack, if you will, for the tourist dodging, train catching, zig zagging, quick paced movement of my daily commute. I loved it, and (I never thought I would say this) I miss it. My daily city commute. 

Here are ten songs (+1 video) of my favorite commuting songs: 

• My Morning Jacket – Circuital  
• The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition 
• Ratatat - Lex 
•  Del The Funky Homosapien – 3030 
•  Little People – Start Shootin' 
•  Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cheated Hearts
•  The Roots – I Don't Care
•  Citizen Cope – Brother Lee
•  Talib Kweli – Get By
•  Miike Snow – Animal

Click Here for the entire Playlist on Spotify (except Devotchka's How It Ends, above on youtube)   

How do you commute? Train, Bus, Bike, Car, Walk? What are your favorite commuting songs?  Leave a comment and let me know <3 

PS - For a good time in Washington DC, play Lex by Ratatat and time it so you hit the Dupont Circle North escalators at minute 2:35.  There is something so gratifying about running down the escalators at that exact point in the song. Try it. Just divine.  

a proper farewell to washingon dc

Dupont Circle

Healdsburg has been wonderful so far, but...

Washington DC, you will always be my first love.  For that,  I owe you a proper goodbye.

Washington DC, I first fell in love with you on an unseasonably warm October evening in 2002.  It was my sophomore year of college, and I was on a class trip with Syracuse University's Entrepreneurship Club.  We were in Georgetown, crossing over the C&O Canal bridge.  The sun had gone down, but the Patagonia store still had its doors wide open, and as I walked past, one of my very favorite songs drifted out in to the night air.  With the moon out, the water below, and the street lamps glowing gold, it was a perfect serendipitous moment. I knew instantly that we were meant for each other.

Autumn Leaves in Georgetown

Once I arrived, you endlessly charmed me with your museums, monuments, and beautiful city scenes.

The Willard Hotel

You sparked an passion for politics that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The United States Capitol Building

You introduced me to one of my favorite spots on earth, Glover Park.

W Street in Glover Park

 And it was there in Glover Park that you first introduced me to the love of my life.

Brandt and I in front of the National Gallery of Art

 Washington DC, you have been nothing short of magical, and for that, I thank you <3

Connection between the East and West Wings of the National Gallery of Art. 

David Gray - This Years Love (On Spotify)

california dreaming

A week ago today, Brandt, Bauer and I boarded a one way flight from Washington DC to San Francisco.  Our final destination?  Healdsburg California in Sonoma County Wine Country.  It sounds simple, but with four checked bags,  three carry-ons, and a dog it was actually quite the project.  With the majority of our things en route to California well before our flight,  we weighed our first bag outside the terminal.  We saw that it was 67 (!) pounds. This required some immediate rearranging, as checked bags now carry a 50 pound weight limit or you have an additional $70 fee on top of the $25 bag fee.  You know, on top of airfare, and the $125 just to take the dog on board… But I digress.

We did some frantic rearranging in line for check in, and finally got called up by a ticketing agent.  We put our first bag on the scale…. 50 pounds,  exactly!  We cheered.  The ticket agent was nonplussed. Next bag up, 49(!) pounds.  We high-fived. The ticket agent finally cracked a smile.  We got all four bags successfully checked, and ourselves and our other bags through security.  ( Bauer was a carry on, but for the record he weighed in at a whopping 7 pounds, including carrier.) Once we were in the air, we could finally breath a sigh of relief.  A majority of hectic move was behind us, and together we handled it beautifully.  I am so excited for our new adventure!

The Mamas and The Papas –California Dreaming (on Spotify)