So we went to the Girlyman show last night, and they were great. Short set (they were opening), but still worth going. However, it took longer to get there then we stayed for the show.
Jill showed up early, so we were ready to go on time. When we got to the platform at Ballston, the next train was 10 minutes away – during rush hour. When we transferred at Metro Center, there was a 10 deep crowd waiting for the Red Line towards Shady Grove. We caught the second train going through. Very crowded (we didn’t need to hold onto a pole, we couldn’t move) for several stops. When we were almost at Grosvenor, our train came to a stop. The train in front of us was having mechanical difficulties, so they had to get everyone off. Then we pulled up, and that train’s passengers came aboard. Nice and crowded again. We got to Shady Grove, and went to the bus stop. The bus we were waiting for pulled up five minutes later, but the driver wouldn’t let us on. A couple minutes later, Metro cops turned up. Some guy was not getting off the bus. It wasn’t clear if he was drunk or on drugs, but he couldn’t walk under his own power. The cops got him off the bus and administered smelling salts, then we were allowed to board. We got off at our stop – according to Metro’s Rideguide, it was a block to the BBQ place where the show was. It was close to a mile, over a bridge, with no sidewalk (thanks to the snow) and the cars whizzing by inches from us.
Thankfully, due to leaving early, Girlyman was just starting when we arrived. We’re About 9 were good and the ribs and beer (Killian’s on draft) were tasty, but the trip there was draining and we left after the first set. The trip back was uneventful; we took a cab to Shady Grove, then Metro to Ballston.