TennBear

Good points. I didn't think about the service hours. I just looked at the MTA site and couldn't find a bus that you would not have to change buses in Columbia to get between the two cities. You also would have the commute hours situation.

For the most part, I would consider Metro to be very safe. Wheaton is located in the parking lot of an older Mall. Not a Mall that I go to. It is too run down. I think that it is interesting that you named two stations that are next to one another. Since you asked about stations that I would suggest that someone who is not fully aware of the area might avoid; I would avoid Rhode Island Ave, I would not take the Blue Line past Stadium-Armory, and I would not take the Green Line past L'Enfant Plaza. Since you seem to want to be on the Red Line, I would think that Gallery Place and Metro Center would be places that you would be interested in. Gallery Place comes up at MCI Center and China Town. Metro Center is in the retail hub of downtown. Judiciary Square comes up at the building museum and is the closest to the Mall along the Red Line. You can of course transfer at either Gallery Place of Metro Center and get closer to the Mall. As a tourist, I would get a day pass at the station when you get to Metro. That way you can travel all day for a given rate and not keep determining the rate to another station. Hope this helps. Union Station is also on the Red Line and has shopping and a good food court. It is also where you would catch the MARC train to Baltimore.

I looked through this today for the first time. Lot of talk about Metro. FUNDING: Governor Kaine of Virginia says that the Metro funding measure not dead in VA. Virginia, Maryland and D.C. must commit $150 million per year for Metro to secure $1.5 billion in federal money for Metro. Bills to raise the sales tax in five Northern VA jurisdictions has been killed twice in the legislature. We'll see. This would be used to help fund the extension to Dulles Airport.. The Dulles Airport extension project involves the extension of the Metro along the 23.1-mile Dulles Corridor beginning at the existing Metrorail Orange Line near the West Falls Church station. PURPLE LINE: The Purple Line is a proposed 14-mile light-rail link between Bethesda and New Carrollton via Silver Spring. It is not actually a part of Metro, in that it would not be Heavy Rail. It is also very much in doubt. Other Systems: VA Virginia Rail Express (VRE) Manasas, Fredricksburg MD Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC Brunswick Line) Martinsburg WV, Frederick MD , (MARC Camden Line) Camden Station Baltimore MD, (MARC Penn Line) Perryville MD. Baltimore Metro Subway and Baltimore Light Rail For Urbanbna, To go back and forth to Baltimore take either the Camden or Penn Lines. You can go to the Maryland Transit Administration Web site http://www.mtamaryland.com/index.cfm The easiest point to get MARC it if you are in the District would be Union Station. WIDER BELTWAY Question: Wider Beltway will not happen. Maryland will fight it with all it can muster.

I was born and reared in Memphis. I lived in Southern Georgia from about 6 weeks till age 2. We then moved back to Memphis where I lived; with the exception of one summer in Huntsville, until I went away to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I haven't lived in Tennessee since I graduated from college in 1977.

For those of you that are interested in business growth in the South. Southern Business and Development might be of interest. http://www.sb-d.com

You say that you work at the McKee Baking Company. The woman that I dated many years ago while at the University of Tennessee used to work there. The last I remembered she was working at a TV station in Chattanooga, I believe. Her maiden name was Lynn Blanton, but you might have known her as Lynn Johnson. She lives in Ooltewah. Of course she may have been there before your time.

Here is the site for a company that is handling a large number of the Chattanooga projects. http://www.kinseypro.com/projects.html