So I’m moving to Washington, D.C… My 12 year-old car is ready to move to the Farm for Old Saturns, where it can run free with other old Saturns. I am taking public transportation but I want something for the 1.5 mile walk from my stop to my office, and the occasional place I want to go that isn’t Metro friendly (call it 4 miles, max).
Here are my requirements:
Street friendly. But I don’t mean “perfect street”, this is D.C. (New motto: “Finally repairing our infrastructure after the 1968 riots”). Its either cobblestones, cracked & crazy pavement, or under construction.
Metro-friendly, either small or collapsable.
Suit friendly. I can commute in tennis shoes, but anything that sprays oil (bicycle) or guarantees arriving disheveled (parachute) is right out.
I have never seen a skateboard that would be user friendly on the streets you have listed. Consider a bicycle. You can lube the chain with a wax based lube, and it will not throw oil.
Does it have to be self-powered? I’ve tried one of those scooter things and for an adult male, they are too narrow to really use comfortably. Have you thought of an electric scooter or this one?
For the constraints you’ve outlined, I think your best option would be a sturdy folding bike. You can take those onto the Metrobuses and Metrorail cars - a regular bike would be restricted to the bike racks in front of the bus, and to Metrorail during non-rush hours.
If you ride the subway (not clear on that), bus fare on the transfer is $0.35. There are bus routes emanating from every Metro station. You could likely find one that would get you within a closer walk to your office. But that’s only for your commute…for the other, I’m not keen on folding transportation…what about some rollerblades?
I’m trying to imagine a skateboard being more suit-friendly than a bike, while being more efficient than just walking… Nope, still can’t do it.
As mentioned, there’s probably a bus that takes you closer than 1.5 miles. Or else a folding bike can take you the distance, and many people find that such a short distance allows them to ride without getting sweaty enough to need a shower (or perhaps I should say, any more sweaty than you already are in DC in August).
Depending on the neighborhood where the Metro stop is, you could also consider getting a cheap non-folding bike and just leaving it locked at the stop overnight. To only get you through 3 miles a day, you can get a cheap enough bike that you can afford to have it stolen once a year.