Metro crawls and Little Free Library hikes: Readers' best D.C. challenges
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We asked for your D.C. challenges — and readers, you delivered!
Why it matters: It made us grin big time to see our inboxes full of emails outlining all the cool ways you explore this area we call home.
State of play: Last week, we wrote about the trend of D.C. challenges, aka a competition that gets you out and about in the DMV. (Like the dude ran every street in D.C.)
- And then we flipped the script on you all, asking readers to send in challenges they've done or would like to try.
Here are some of the awesome responses we got:
Axios D.C. reader Brandon Pytel and his friends do "Metro Crawls," where they take the Metro to the end of a line, have a drink at the nearest bar, get back on the train, and repeat this at all the stops until they make it back to downtown D.C.
- Pytel says they've done 11 crawls and hit 78 stations so far.
- "It makes for some fun and memorable experiences, like taking over the TGI Fridays in Herndon, walking into the airport for a drink at Dulles, or having morning beers with regulars at the Stained Glass Pub in Glenmont," he writes to Axios.
Another Metro-related challenge: Reader Luis Granados walked the Metro system during Covid — he'd get off at a station, walk to the next one, then Metro home. The next day, he'd walk from his last stop to the next one on the line. Rinse and repeat for all the stations, including the Purple Line.
- "I've thought about doing the Silver Line extension, but walking to Dulles is problematic," he writes to Axios.
"Amazing Race" inspo: Reader Nicholas Thomson's friend group has organized D.C.-centric scavenger races around the city, with tasks like:
- Serve ice cream out of a food truck on the Mall
- Roll a die and eat that corresponding number of items from the Eastern Market farmers market
- And, make a replica of the Capitol from tin foil while on the Capitol steps.
Reader Akiva Fishman has assembled a map of all the Little Free Libraries he's encountered during his walks in the District — over 440 in total.
- His challenge to you: Hit them all up in a month.
The bottom line: Damn, you guys are cool — we really need to ask you to write our 1 Big Things for us more often!