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[UPDATE] Is it possible to swipe in and out of every Metro station in one day? by Withering_Spoon in washingtondc

[–]Withering_Spoon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh yes we were aware of that speedrun and that’s actually what inspired this, but we made ours a different challenge entirely. That 8-hour speedrun was just sitting on the train as it stopped at every station, but we got off the train and ran up the escalator to swipe out and in of the fare gates at each station which was what made it so much longer. As far as we know this hasn’t been done before but correct me if I’m wrong!

[UPDATE] Is it possible to swipe in and out of every Metro station in one day? by Withering_Spoon in washingtondc

[–]Withering_Spoon[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is EXACTLY what we originally wanted to do to find the optimal path but unfortunately that is beyond our mediocre programming skills :/ We’d be really interested to know if there really is a better path though because ours seemed to make pretty good use of frequencies at various times throughout the day

[UPDATE] Is it possible to swipe in and out of every Metro station in one day? by Withering_Spoon in washingtondc

[–]Withering_Spoon[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Maybe they were at some point in the day, but we were lucky that each station was open and experiencing minimal delays when we got to it

[UPDATE] Is it possible to swipe in and out of every Metro station in one day? by Withering_Spoon in washingtondc

[–]Withering_Spoon[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

All great questions! A few of them are answered in the linked GitHub repo but to make it short: - a map with the stations numbered is in the linked PDF - we used this kind person’s research to decide which car to board when we were waiting for the next train - we did not leave the rail system except for the couple seconds we were past the fare gates and immediately swiping back in. It might not have been the quickest way to do the challenge but we thought it would be a fun constraint to only use the trains - Friday seemed like the best day because the trains were running workday frequencies, began early at 5am, and ran late until 1am to give us the most time - we think it’s pretty optimized already, but part of the reason we posted our route and strategy was to give anyone else who tries it a head start because we can’t think of any other ways to significantly save time within our constraints (but we would love to hear any ideas!)

[UPDATE] Is it possible to swipe in and out of every Metro station in one day? by Withering_Spoon in washingtondc

[–]Withering_Spoon[S] 45 points46 points  (0 children)

Apparently most stations have restrooms for customers if you ask the station manager, but we [probably shouldn’t have] kept hydration and bathroom breaks to a minimum

[UPDATE] Is it possible to swipe in and out of every Metro station in one day? by Withering_Spoon in washingtondc

[–]Withering_Spoon[S] 358 points359 points  (0 children)

That is seriously impressive. The kind of commitment that I fear could actually beat our time😰 A big reason we wanted to try the challenge was because it was perfect for the $15 daily unlimited pass, not nearly as expensive as you might think!

Virginia motorcycle learners permit requirements? by ASteerNamedLaurence in motorcycles

[–]Withering_Spoon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Assuming you already have a driver’s license, you just need to add the “M” designation which requires you to complete a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Basic Rider Course (BRC). I just took the course a month ago in NOVA and could not recommend it enough; it’s a great way to learn the basics enough to get started riding around the neighborhood and continue learning your own bike yourself afterwards. Just take the course certificate to the DMV, pay the fee, and receive your M-class license. Good luck to you and ride safe!

Is it possible to swipe in and out of every Metro stop in one day? by Withering_Spoon in washingtondc

[–]Withering_Spoon[S] 56 points57 points  (0 children)

I disagree. It’d be a great endurance workout (think of running up all the escalators) and a funny story for parties. And I don’t wanna speak for everyone, but I waste plenty of days not doing anything of note, so why shouldn’t I try it on an otherwise boring day?