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District of Columbia
Related: About this forumAnacostia commuter retires after rowing to work 15 years
Anacostia commuter retires after rowing to work 15 years
Daily trips offered firsthand view of rivers transformation
By Whitney Pipkin on January 05, 2016
The commute takes Gabe Horchler an hour and a half to get from one door to the other when he rows. Photo / Dave Harp
For Gabe Horchler, the sounds of sirens and idling cars on the Anacostia Freeway arent disruptions to an otherwise peaceful trip down the river. Theyre reminders of one of the many reasons he rows. ... Most every weekday, from March to December, for the last 15 years, Horchler has taken the river, rather than the road, for at least one leg of his commute from home in Cheverly, MD, to work at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
If he rows to work on a Monday, hell take the metro home that evening, then reverse course the following day, taking the metro to work and rowing home. The commute is car-less, but it is a three-bike operation to get him from his house to one boathouse, the other boathouse to work and then from the metro stop in Cheverly to his home.
It also takes the Anacostia River which, despite the forgotten-river reputation it has begun to shed, is as straight a route as any paved one from Horchlers home to his office. ... I think a lot of people cant quite comprehend it, he said of his daily rows in a slender Vespoli scull, much like those used by area rowing teams. But this is the ideal arrangement, because its such a straight shot. Its perfect.
The river is a route he would commend to anyone looking for an alternative to the packed subway trains and standstill interstates of Washington, though he has yet to meet anyone else who takes it. ... And, when he retires after 47 years at the library in February, so will his river commuting.
Daily trips offered firsthand view of rivers transformation
By Whitney Pipkin on January 05, 2016
The commute takes Gabe Horchler an hour and a half to get from one door to the other when he rows. Photo / Dave Harp
For Gabe Horchler, the sounds of sirens and idling cars on the Anacostia Freeway arent disruptions to an otherwise peaceful trip down the river. Theyre reminders of one of the many reasons he rows. ... Most every weekday, from March to December, for the last 15 years, Horchler has taken the river, rather than the road, for at least one leg of his commute from home in Cheverly, MD, to work at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
If he rows to work on a Monday, hell take the metro home that evening, then reverse course the following day, taking the metro to work and rowing home. The commute is car-less, but it is a three-bike operation to get him from his house to one boathouse, the other boathouse to work and then from the metro stop in Cheverly to his home.
It also takes the Anacostia River which, despite the forgotten-river reputation it has begun to shed, is as straight a route as any paved one from Horchlers home to his office. ... I think a lot of people cant quite comprehend it, he said of his daily rows in a slender Vespoli scull, much like those used by area rowing teams. But this is the ideal arrangement, because its such a straight shot. Its perfect.
The river is a route he would commend to anyone looking for an alternative to the packed subway trains and standstill interstates of Washington, though he has yet to meet anyone else who takes it. ... And, when he retires after 47 years at the library in February, so will his river commuting.
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Anacostia commuter retires after rowing to work 15 years (Original Post)
mahatmakanejeeves
Feb 2016
OP
longship
(40,416 posts)1. One of the most beautiful buildings in DC.
The Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress is jaw-droppingly beautiful. On the tour which begins on the lower level, one finally walks through a doorway into the main hall and ones jaw drops thinking, "What the hell is this?"
Witness (understanding that pics do not do it justice):
Then, there's the iconic reading room.
With its incredible dome:
Detail of above:
This is a must visit in DC. And no pictures do it justice. It is a cathedral of learning, just as Jefferson would have wanted.
elleng
(130,955 posts)2. and great pics too!