- Joined
- Jan 6, 2015
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I don't have Uber, but my roommate does and she said that the rates were crazy Tuesday - Thursday. The buses started getting affected Wednesday night during the first snow flurry before the big blizzard, and the metro was shut down Friday night till Sunday night, with limited service on Monday (running underground only). Metro was back to normal schedule on Tuesday, though lots of hiccups (single-tracking, problems at one station slowing down most lines, etc). My roommate and I didn't leave the apartment Thursday night till Tuesday morning. Metro buses were running on a severe schedule on Tuesday, a moderate snow schedule on Wednesday, and a light snow schedule on Thursday. They are back to their normal routes, but there are still 30 - 50 minute delays due to icy roads. The DASH buses (Alexandria transit) were also on a weird schedule earlier this week, but they are back to normal, save icy road delays.
In terms of school, we had no classes on Monday, because even though the blizzard had passed, they couldn't clear the snow in time to open the campus 🙄. School resumed at 10:00 AM Tuesday, and has been opened at normal schedule since. Unfortunately, it took a while for the roads to be cleared, and many students still missed class on Tuesday and Wednesday. The roads a pretty good now, though more ice seams to be appearing as the snow melts, so conditions are very slippery. This week, I've been giving myself two hours to get to school because I live in Alexandria and far away from the metro, so rely heavily on buses. Our apartment complex has a shuttle to the metro, but it only runs from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, so it's not always an option for me, especially when I have class from 4:00 to 9:00. This week I didn't get home till 11:00 most nights.
If you do decide on GW, here are a few tips. If you are not from a cold area (I'm from the Bay Area so huge transition), make sure you have tall, sturdy boots, a heavy jacket, a couple scarfs, and gloves (see if you can get the text gloves so you can use your phone without removing them). My roommate is from Ohio so she thinks 40 degrees is not cold while I'm bundled up in a heavy jacket. If you get migraines, make sure to take a dark pair of wrap-around sunglasses as the snow is very reflective. Also, try to get an apartment close to a metro station so that you don't have to rely on buses. It is more expensive to live by the stations, but you save time and and lot of hassle. Avoid living in areas where you have to take the red line, as it is very unreliable. Virginia would be your best bet, as you have access to several lines and it is cheaper than living in DC. Alexandria is nice, especially Old Town; just wish we lived walking distance from the metro. Oh, and GW has an off-campus housing website where you can create a profile and find roommates and housing. Most of the housing listings have specifics such as pet friendly, amenities included in rent, un/furnished, carpet vs hardwood floors, etc, and you can do specific searches. The roommate search is equally extensive.
Anyway, that was my snow week. Hoping things are a little easier next week. Until the next blizzard.
This whole process is making me very paranoid 
