Photos and Video: Riding New Metro Silver Line

This past Sunday I checked out Metro's new Silver Line Phase One that runs from Largo Town Center in Maryland, through The District, into Arlington along the Orange Line route where it splits off between East Falls Church and West Falls Church and follows the Dulles Access-Toll Road until it elevates and makes its way towards the Tysons area where there are four new stations -- McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro and Spring Hill. Then the Silver Line rolls down to ground level and back to the median of the Dulles Access-Toll Road as it travels to its final destination -- Wiehle-Reston East.

Washington, D.C. is America's Construction Capital

CityCenterDC construction cranes with Capitol dome in background.

In the nation's capital, construction cranes are as familiar to the city's skyline as the Washington monument and Capitol dome. Recession? What recession? It is boom times in Washington, D.C. If anti-government, anti-growth Republicans in Congress ever decided to work with President Obama to get the economic recovery moving faster (or if moderates and progressives take over this November), it would be amazing to see the rest of the country build housing, retail, office and infrastructure at the rate D.C. is doing right now.

In these troubling times, construction cranes carry much symbolism. A construction crane represents jobs, progress, innovation, hope for the future. Construction cranes are the antidote to awful austerity and a stalled economy. Construction cranes are brilliant reminders that when the public sector and private sector team up for the benefit of the country, then the future of the United States of America is bright indeed.