Hello all, I am an auto journalist who reads Steven's articles on a regular basis, and am curious to hear from anyone who uses navigation systems to help get them around traffic.

Specifically if you're hit with a crazy back-up, does anyone explore the side roads using navi to look for other ways out of the maze?

For those who don't know how navi works, once you have a destination entered, the system will recalculate alternate routes if you go "off the map." They are great for warring couples because it is now impossible not to wind up at your destination.

One of my cars has a navigation system. If I don't know the area and I get stuck, by all means I hit the button and say "Detour." (Mine is built-in and I can give it voice commands.) It calculates a new route and guides me around for a ways. Worked like a charm the time I tried it on the Delaware Turnpike on Labor Day weekend--sent me down to US-40 and up to US-13.

If I am moving I do not move the map around to see alternatives, though. I don't like playing with it while I am moving because I do not consider it safe to do so.

Going back to the original entry from Steve Ginsberg, if I posted secret shortcuts, they might not stay secret :-) But I'll list one of them. If I'm going south from DC during the summer, I take US-1 south to avoid the worst of I-95, but I go back over to I-95 at Stafford to avoid the backup that occurs at the US-1 bridge over the Rappahannock.

When I used to drive my commute from Baltimore Area (work) to Silver Spring (home) on Friday afternoons, traffic going INTO town always blew chunks too. I've switched my commuting patterns to almost entirely MARC now. But it seems like on Fridays people are trying to get out of town, into town, around town and every other which direction.. doesn't seem to matter which way you're trying to go, you're gonna get stuck...

I'll have to try that K Street alternative to NY Avenue. It occurs to me that H Street to Bladensburg Road might work also. I've found H Street to be the best way to RFK from downtown -- you end up on Benning Road and right into the acres of parking in Lots 6 and 7. If you can handle getting home via 295/Kenilworth Avenue it works out well.

For RFK from downtown, I usually use the Southwest-Southeast Freeway to the RFK Stadium Access Road (bear left at the end of the Freeway and go through the little tunnel to the left of the Pennsylvania Avenue exit). Lets you out in Lot 8. After games I'm usually home in the Springfield area within 20 minutes of getting in the car.

Rich, Where do you get on Route 1? I find it impossible anywhere north of Woodbridge. It's decent in Stafford County, but you're right that you HAVE to get off before the river. One of the worst backups in the whole region right there.

Cosmo, I think you're right about the H Street route. I've found that to be a great way to get to the Nats too, there's never any traffic and it puts me closest to my seats. The SE-SW Freeway seemed better last year than this year. Lot 8 seems to be something of a mess after games this year for some weird reason. I think that reason being there's no one there to direct traffic.

Yo Frank! Start your own blog dude. Aww, I'm just kidding. I appreciate ya reading my stories.

I realize that your blog is new. Is there someway that you can get washingtonpost.com to make it easier to find your blog? I did not find a link to your blog on the Post website in either blogs or Metro. I found a link in google. Thanks.

Mr. Ginsberg, to answer your question about US-1, I also try to avoid it through Woodbridge because all the red lights drive me nuts (hey, they're always red when I hit them, anyway). Several times I've gone out Clifton Road and made the left on Henderson Road; this route leads to the Prince William Parkway southeast of Manassas, and I turn left there. I'd have to look at a map to confirm the names of the roads I use from there, but essentially I come out near Potomac Mills Mall and then I cross over I-95 at the Dale City/Rippon Landing interchange to hit US-1 just south of Woodbridge.

If I get the chance to look at a map I'll follow up.

I just looked at Google Maps. Prince William Parkway (you have to make a right near the Potomac Nationals' stadium to stay on the parkway) to Minnieville Road; right on Minnieville; left on Dale Boulevard; right on US-1.

I see from looking at the map that going a little further on Minnieville leads to Cardinal Drive, which comes out a little further south on US-1. I've never gone that way because I didn't know about it.

I haven't tried the K Street route as an alternative to New York in some time. Guess it's time to try it again. (BTW, "scenic" is not a word that leaps to mind when thinking about that route. "interesting," yes. "Scenic," not so much.)

This morning (inbound NY), I bailed at Brentwood and then eventually onto Rhode Island to 11th, NW. Lots and lots and lots of red lights, so it probably didn't save me any time -- but I FELT more like I was progressing (only one light cycle per intersection!) which helps with the old blood pressure. Kind of.

It was quite a leap to include the comment "The bridge, which also serves as a critical link on Interstate 95, promises so much more capacity that it could open
a sizable stretch of the East Coast to more development, planners and economists say."

MARC Rider, I'm moving to Silver Spring soon and could potentially take the Camden Line North to work. Do you know how reliable it is?