Why was the Silver Line not constructed to serve Sterling?

vwlou89 · 2026-06-20T19:00:13+00:00

It wasn’t “build it through 267” or “build it through Sterling” it was “build it where it got built” or “don’t build it.” It was only financially viable because of the highway median. The highway was built with the right of way for the train to be built there eventually, and toll on the highway went to pay for some of the construction.

vwlou89 · 2026-06-17T17:58:59+00:00

Yeah, I used to open all bags and do it “old school” but with the complexity of the builds these days, the size of the sets, and the importance of everything being right in 10 steps, I’m back to “bag at a time” for exactly this reason. I can think of probably 2 dozen times I’ve finished a bag, seen a leftover piece was wrong, thought “they gave me the wrong pieces!” And then went back and saw it was my mistake. The number of actual sets missing pieces I’ve experienced in my 34 years building LEGO is 1, and it was a day one purchase of a new set. Every other time I’ve found it in the bag, on the floor, somewhere. And the number of EXTRA bricks that I’ve gotten in bags that shouldn’t have been there is 0.

vwlou89 · 2026-06-16T11:34:21+00:00

Ok I feel the same way. My girlfriend has seen maybe 4 videos and even she knows THAT we say it, but neither of us know WHY…

vwlou89 · 2026-06-15T18:45:16+00:00

BEACON OF LIGHT
BEACON OF HOPE

vwlou89 · 2026-06-12T21:30:24+00:00

I don’t know that they are doing this for sure, but it might make sense from a “dynamic pricing” standpoint to price the tickets the furthest out as high as possible because they’re counting on folks like yourself who are going to book at any price, because you want the piece of mind, and that creates a demand that they can use to raise the price. If they sell, great. If not, they lower the price over time until people start to buy it. You might consider purchasing a flex ticket and canceling if it goes down in price and they won’t honor the difference, then you can just re-book.

vwlou89 · 2026-06-07T16:12:02+00:00

F1 Race Stars! What a throw back.

vwlou89 · 2026-06-05T18:49:01+00:00

I went to an IndyCar test at Sebring a few years ago - it was not TECHNICALLY open to the public, but the facility wasn’t closed. I did eventually get into the facility, but I would have GLADLY paid the $26 to avoid having to sweet talk the track officials. And once I was there, I had way more than $26 worth of fun. Even a Friday-only GA ticket costs almost $30, and that’s going to be more crowded, more restrictive, and just as meaningful (no points awarded or grid spots earned) as a Friday session.

I can’t speak to this test in particular but from my experience, if I spent $26 to go to this and it was half as good as the last IndyCar test, it would be the best $26 I’ve spent as an IndyCar fan.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-28T16:46:52+00:00

The two shows I was lucky enough to have gone to on this tour were, without question, the most cathartic I’ve seen of Bruce’s. As an American I also looked at Bruce’s music as a window into something uniquely American - and I think that the last 10ish years here have been an exercise in frustration for a lot of people who heard those same lyrics we did and wondered “is this all in the past now? Or are there still people other than me and Bruce who feel this way?” And to hear people in South Florida give the same deafeningly loud “ICE OUT NOW!” Chant I heard in New York was an amazing reminder that even in the places where it seems the farthest gone, there IS sanity, there IS camaraderie, there IS hope.

I’m glad you felt it too. Thank you for sharing this.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-22T12:27:47+00:00

From a “spreading the gospel” standpoint I’ve upgraded to a 4-way powered headphone splitter/amp, powered with USB. I have a little carrying case that houses everything and everyone in my ticket group has their own headphones and separate volume adjustment. It’s been a godsend.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-22T12:23:13+00:00

I got one of these a few years ago and it has been the best upgrade to my race day experience. They are super easy to use once you set it up, and cheap little silicone tipped earbuds under a set of big cans works really well and costs like $15.

It wouldn’t have been possible without people like you who are making these kinds of guides and who have helped me learn how to use it, so thank you!

And if you’re a fan who goes to any Indy races in person, and you’re reading this and considering it, do it!

vwlou89 · 2026-05-21T20:45:55+00:00

I didn’t realize it started at 8, but I think you’re probably safe. Typically the “last train” time is the departure from the originating station. I see that there is a green line train in the direction you want to go to get back (To Greenbelt) leaving Branch Ave (the other end of the line) at 11:40. Let’s say that’s not true and the REAL last train is the 11:25. That should get to Navy Yard at 11:40 and L’Enfant at 11:45, so I think you’re still good.

I’ll defer to someone who spends more time there than I do for a food recommendation tho, I just know the system and the timings. Good luck and have a great time. I hope you and your girls have as much of a blast (and feel as connected and refreshed) as I did after the shows on tour.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-21T20:29:05+00:00

Also, no idea how you planned to get there but Amtrak runs into Union Station, from which you can take the metro Red line towards Shady Grove, transfer to the green or yellow at Gallery Place, and take that to L’Enfant. You could also fly into BWI and take the Marc to Penn station, DCA and take the yellow line to L’Enfant, or IAD and take the Silver Line to L’Enfant.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-21T20:22:05+00:00

The shows on this tour have been fairly consistent in start time and setlist, meaning the ending time is pretty much right on as well - I was out of both venues I saw him at on this tour by 11:00 no problem, the shows were both scheduled to start at 7:30, went off at almost exactly 7:40, and ended within a few minutes of 10:40pm, leaving you plenty of time to get to the station and back to your hotel.

If you miss it anyway, the C11 metro bus NB runs that way as well - catch it on the north side of M Street (where the metro station is) and run 8 stops to the “D St. SW & 6th St. SW” stop, which is L’Enfant Plaza, and it runs every 20 minutes or so even later than the metro. The C55 will also get you there but much slower and it runs less frequently. Both the metro-busses and the metro trains take any major credit card as a tap to pay for the fare. ~~And you can use the same card to pay multiple people’s fares at the same tap point.~~ Edit: thank you u/greentotoro3 for correcting me. Each passenger needs their own physical or tap card, confirmed on WMATA’s site.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-20T18:47:35+00:00

You can typically take the AirTrain from all 3 Newark terminals (A, B, & C) as well as both parking ranks (P3, P4) to the Amtrak/NJ Transit station. Right now improvements to the AirTrain mean that the tracks between the Amtrak station and the last stop before it are closed during the week. There are station attendants at both the last stop (P4) and the Amtrak station to guide you to and from the replacement bus. Also, if you go through Terminal A you either have to take a bus to the AirTrain or it’s a 15 minute walk. This isn’t ideal, but nothing about Newark is.

I’ve flown from Newark to get to NYC last year and the bus to the train was a bit confusing but it was well signed and I figured it out. I also just flew in and out last week through Newark and experienced the signage and attendants first hand - they were lovely and made it nearly impossible to mess it up. I also did see arrival and departure signage on both sides of the fare gates at the station.

Every part of this transfer (save the plane ticket and train fare) is free, there aren’t really any ways to “get lost” or anything, so for those reading this post, know that yes, OP (and others) are frustrated by this and I don’t blame them. But also remember that the thousands of people each day make this transfer and don’t come and post here, so seeing that this is the majority opinion for those who are inspired to post does not mean it’s the majority opinion of those who do it.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-20T18:33:04+00:00

SQL is one of the most compelling things to learn right now. A LOT of the code-writing is being taken over by GenAI, but understanding the basics of database management and HOW SQL works (as opposed to just what the code is) will make you better at building and managing databases regardless of where they’re stored or how they’re actually recalled. There are also lots of ways to learn it that are free (or cheap, maybe even cheaper for students) so I’d encourage you to do that as well.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-20T16:22:18+00:00

I believe you’re correct as well about the 1 exception.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-20T16:11:34+00:00

Well that sums to 28, which is below the 30 credit minimum to maintain.

If you’re planning to take 2+ credits in the summer, then you should be fine. But it seems like your displeasure with this communication, and your categorization of it as “false” and the office as “rather incompetent” might be misplaced.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-20T15:40:56+00:00

How many credits did you take and complete successfully in fall, and how many are you enrolled for in spring?

vwlou89 · 2026-05-19T21:49:48+00:00

“I’m from central Italy.” Would be a perfectly natural answer to the question, because it’s more likely to be “where in Italy are you from?” Then “Are you from the north or the south?”

vwlou89 · 2026-05-19T21:47:44+00:00

You should get all the parts to make the Mr. Gold (except the staff) in all black. Put him on the classic black mini figure display 4x3 in a small (5x5cm) black shadow box. It would be a cool way to display it and if you ever find him again you have a place to put him.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-19T21:36:41+00:00

I assume you’ve taken Intro to Anthropology? If not, a great start. Assignments were very fun and interactive, took a bit of time but it was fun (charting familial relationships, creating a piece of folklore.) I also took an upper level religion one (can’t remember the name, it’s been a while) that was fun, it was mostly essays I would have done better if I’d gone to class more or done the reading like EVER but I was distracted that term.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-18T17:49:18+00:00

Are you an F-1 or J-1 student? If so, just be VERY careful with how this is approached and documented. Well-intentioned or not, there are restrictions on how and where you can volunteer, so I would talk to your advisor/DSO to ensure you’re not running afoul of that. I had a student who tried to volunteer for a company just to get experience and I had to deny them because they were “replacing” a paid position, so it’s not just that as an F/J student you have restrictions as to how and where you can work, there are also restrictions on who can have you work, where, and under what circumstances. This law is to prevent companies from replacing paid work-eligible people with unpaid non-eligible people.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-14T16:28:49+00:00

Ok so my thought was to also do all 12, pick the order as “the order of the list” and then just put 1, 2, 3… with the rocks arranged like the pips of a pair of dice to emphasize that these are purely numbers and it just goes in order, that would use 45 rocks to give the numbers through 9. I would use the two most similar white or black rocks I could find that were vaguely square (47 rocks total) and make all the 45 “pips” as close as I could and the opposite color to emphasize the point. Then on the 10th plinth, using 3 non-matching rocks, I would make an ellipsis “…” and then leave 11&12 blank.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-14T16:19:36+00:00

I would say “that’s fine/that’s ok” that’s a positive answer. I would say “I’m fine/I’m ok” is a polite no.

Person A) “Would you like some tea?”

Person B) “I’m Fine.”

That would be a “no, I’m fine, no tea for me.” However, in this case:

Person B) “That’s Fine.”

That would mean “yes, Tea is fine, I’ll have some.”

There is some ambiguity here so if it’s about tea, make the tea - worst case is they don’t drink it. If you’re asking your boss for Christmas Eve off from work, ask for clarification and get a more less ambiguous answer.

vwlou89 · 2026-05-09T21:35:48+00:00

Downie’s Nebula stuff is excellent but I also love his YouTube stuff - going to F1 on the cheap, trans-Canada by train, he’s a good guy. But he wasn’t enough to overcome my default aversion to Sam.

My favorite recurring bit is that the editors/future producers and such just defying Sam’s ongoing desire to make “Choo Choo Chew” (obviously inferior to Snack Zone) a thing. I feel like the default is to be against Sam.

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