A Few Quick Monday Evening Items: Water Taxi, SW History, Wharf Retail

Potomac Riverboat Company is now offering a new water taxi service on the Potomac River connecting Old Town Alexandria and National Harbor to the National Mall. The National Mall stop is located at West Basin and Ohio drives. The average trip time from Old Town Alexandria to the National Mall is approximately 30 minutes and from National Harbor to the National Mall is 45 minutes. Tickets are $14 one way or $28 round-trip for adults, and $8 O/W & $16 R/T for children.

SWNA will have its monthly meeting tomorrow at Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I Street), starting at 7pm. The meeting will include a presentation from Marjorie Lightman, Bill Zeisel, and Peter Sefton from QED Associates LLC, who will share their preliminary findings from a historic context study of Southwest that was commissioned by SWNA. The context study is a step in the process of establishing a Southwest Historic District.

In today's Real Estate Bisnow, Monty Hoffman from PN Hoffman is profiled. An interesting factoid about the retail planned at The Wharf was mentioned:

About two-thirds of The Wharf's restaurant space is under LOI, and celebrity chefs Mike Isabella, Robert Wiedemeyer, Stephen Starr, and Fabio Trabocchi are in talks for new concepts.

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Prepping for Inauguration Weekend

The presidential inauguration is nearly upon us and as such, the city is making preparations for large crowds to descend on the National Mall to see President Obama take the oath of office for his second term and the inaugural parade. A representative from DDOT briefed the community on the city's plans at Monday's ANC 6D meeting. While crowds are expected to be much smaller this time around than the estimated 1.8 million who visited the city back in 2009, between 500,000 and 800,000 people are anticipated to attend inaugural events this year. Above is a map of the pedestrian routes that will be used to access the National Mall and the parade route along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. In Southwest, the main pedestrian routes will be along South Capitol Street, I Street, 4th Street, 7th Street, 15th Street, 17th Street, and Independence Avenue. Secret Service checkpoints in Southwest will be set up along Independence Avenue at 7th Street and 12th Street. For those who do not have tickets for the inauguration, the area of the National Mall from 4th Street to 12th Street will be available for viewing the ceremony on jumbotron screens. Parking restrictions will be in place on Inauguration Day along Maine Avenue and M Street from the Maine Avenue Fish Market to New Jersey Avenue, SE. Buses won't be parked on the streets as they were in 2009 - buses will need to park at RFK Stadium or a pay parking lot - ones that will be used in Southwest include 1st & V Streets in Buzzard Point and 14th & D Streets. There will be a maximum of 2,500 buses permitted in the city and about 300 of them are expected to park in Southwest.  None of these buses will be allowed to use local streets and National Guard personnel will be stationed at key intersections to enforce the ban. A taxi stand will be located long E Street from 4th to 6th Streets.  In addition, a water taxi will operate from Alexandria and will drop off passengers at the Gangplank Marina.  Metro will open on Monday at 4am and will stay open until 2am with rush hour and peak fare until 9pm, but the Smithsonian, Archives/Navy Memorial, and Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center stations will be closed. Metrobus will operate on a normal weekday morning rush hour schedule followed by an early afternoon rush hour schedule. Some routes will be diverted that usually traverse the National Mall. Another way to get around is Capital Bikeshare, which will have a bike corral on Inauguration Day at 12th Street and Independence Avenue; however, two stations along Jefferson Drive at 12th & 14th Streets will be closed that day.

Pedestrians on 7th Street during the 2009 Inauguration

Local schools, including Amidon-Bowen Elementary and Jefferson Academy will be used as warming areas and a large 100' x 100' tent will be erected in Lansburgh Park for additional inaugural activities. DCPS buses will be stationed in various locations to serve as warming stations, including a couple at Lansburgh Park.  For more information about the inauguration, check out the website set up by the city.

Photos from my ART and CaBi Ride Before the "Rapture"

Water taxi this way!



The Dolley Madison docked at the Gangplank Marina.



The back side of Cantina Marina facing the Washington Channel.



Going around Hains Point and the Naval War College.



The Washington Monument and the Old Post Office Building.



About to pass under the Memorial Bridge.



On the other side of the Memorial Bridge.

Riding past the new MLK Memorial - under construction along the Tidal Basin.



The DC World War I Memorial is getting refurbished across from the MLK Memorial.

Regular Water Taxi Service Begins

After receiving final approval from the U.S. Coast Guard at the end of March, American River Taxi (ART) has finally begun regular water taxi service, with the first regularly scheduled commuter run made by the "Dolley Madison" at 8am this morning.  According to Anne Tabligan, VP Marketing and Sales for ART, all of the boats in the fleet will be named for First Ladies that have been advocates for the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.  So far, there is just the Dolley Madison, but more vessels will come in the next few years. Fares are currently being offered at a discount of $8 per ride (normally priced at $9) until membership cards become available.  Seniors and children under 12 receive discounted fares (members of the military will also receive discounts soon).  Discounted fares will also be available when purchasing multiple trips.  Tickets can be purchased on board or at a kiosk (either at Cantina Marina or Tony & Joe's in Georgetown). 



There are currently three stops on the route (The Gangplank Marina at The Wharf, Washington Harbor along the Georgetown waterfront, and Diamond Teague Park across from Nationals Park). Plans are in the works to add stops in Alexandria and National Harbor.  Eventually, there will be other stops at Poplar Point and Reagan National Airport. Regular service will run from 10am - 6pm Monday - Friday (with an 8am commuter run) and Saturday from 11am - 9pm.  There's no service currently on Sunday, but this schedule is just for April - May as the water taxi service gets underway and may expand hours in the summer.  ART will shut down for about eight weeks in the winter (December - February) while captains get additional training and the vessels undergo regular maintenance. Washingtonians (and Southwesters in particular) now have another option to get around the city.

Water Taxi Service May Start by Next Week

The following was posted on American River Taxi's Facebook page yesterday evening:

‎8am Commuter runs may start as early as next Wed April 6. The regular commuter run schedules will be in place shortly. When looking to commute, tweet @Amer_RiverTaxi, Facebook us or txt us @ 240-547-9493. Estimated Pickup time is 5:15-5:30pm.

American River Taxi will be at the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival tomorrow, where they expect to have tickets and membership cards.  Online ticketing will also be available soon.  According to their website, the water taxi service will have stops initially at Georgetown - Washington Harbor Landing, The Wharf - Main Landing at Gangplank Marina, and The Yards - Nationals Stadium Landing (Diamond Teague Terminal). Eventually, more stops will be added, including Old Town Alexandria, National Harbor, Poplar Point, and Reagan National Airport.  Travel time between stops are anticipated to be between 20-35 minutes since much of the waterway north of the 14th Street Bridge is in a no-wake zone and boat speed is restricted in that area.

By the way, this is not an April Fools Day joke :-)

Where's the Water Taxi?

It's been several months since the announced opening date of June 2010 came and went for American River Taxi (or ART for short), a water taxi service that would serve waterfront destinations in the District, including the Gangplank Marina at the Southwest Waterfront, Washington Marina along the Georgetown Waterfront, and Diamond Teague Park in Near SE. This service has not gotten underway yet, but according to the company's website, online ticketing and ticket kiosks will be available this Spring. Travel times between stops will be between 20 and 35 minutes and taxis will depart at least every 35 minutes.

Photo: An ART water taxi was spotted on the Southwest Waterfront during Arena Stage's Homecoming celebration in October 2010.

Should an Iconic Ferry Terminal be Built on the Southwest Waterfront?

With news of a water taxi company beginning operations on the Southwest Waterfront, the question comes to mind how we as a city and region should treat water transit? In recent years, the idea of having water taxi service along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers has been studied and regular service is now available between Alexandria and National Harbor. If more stops are added and different water taxi companies begin offering reliable service at affordable prices, could water taxi commuting catch on in DC? American River Transit is a new company that will offer water taxi service to the Southwest Waterfront, Georgetown, Diamond Teague Park, and Alexandria, with future stops at Poplar Point and National Airport. They will join Potomac Riverboat Company as those who will have regular ferry service in the region. If water taxis do catch on in DC like they have in other cities, then the most logical place for a regional water transit hub would be the Southwest Waterfront. Can you imagine a multimodal transit facility along the Washington Channel (like Hoboken Terminal), with ferry docks, light rail station, and easy access to L’Enfant Plaza – the most connected Metro station in the system – and its revitalized 10th Street corridor? Water taxis could dock at the ferry terminal, as well as cruise ships like Spirit Cruises and the Odyssey. The current terminal for Spirit Cruises is pictured at top right and the Odyssey terminal is on the left. The new ferry terminal could become an iconic structure on the waterfront, similar to Union Station, National Airport, and Dulles Airport terminals. Heck, memorialize the building and name it after a former president, or connect it to a National Naval Museum.

Construction of a new ferry terminal building could coincide with the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront, which should get underway by 2012. There’s a longer-term plan by the National Capital Planning Commission to redesign East Potomac Park and build a canal through there, which would improve boat access to the Southwest Waterfront from the Potomac River. Is a new, iconic ferry terminal building as a part of the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront a worthy endeavor? Vote in May’s poll at the top left corner of the blog and/or feel free to make a comment.

A Couple Quick Items

- I forgot to post a link to JDLand's post from last week about a water taxi start-up company planning to offer service in the Washington area in the next couple of months called American River Taxi, or ART for short. Stops in the initial phase include the Southwest Waterfront, Nationals Park, Georgetown, National Harbor, and Alexandria. Future phases will include National Airport and Poplar Point.

- The Washington Post has an article about the new Benning library opening today in Northeast, but there's mention of other new libraries that will open in the next couple of years, including the Washington Highlands branch in Bellevue (incorrectly labeled as located in SE in the article), designed by London architect David Adjaye, which will open in 2011.