Here’s a blog-review of a book called The Great Society Subway, about the origins of the Washington DC subway system. It’s sounds kinda interesting, if you’re into city transit politics in a wonkish sort of way, which I could imagine myself being in a parallel universe. Mostly I link to it only as an excuse for pointing out that I think the DC Metro is really cool. I always enjoyed riding on it. It goes lots of places (including under the Potomac, past the Pentagon and right up to Washington’s domestic airport, which all subways should do), and it’s just really neat being in there. I’m not ususally much for semi-brutalist cement based urban architecture, but whoever designed the Metro made being in it a hell of an experience. Descending into it’s huge ovoid vessicles makes you feel like you’re on a tour of the beating bloodstream of a massive concrete beast with slightly less dystopian Bladerunner-ish aesthetic sensibilities and a nice sense of proportion.

If you’re going to dump oodles of public money into aggrandizing something, I think the public transit system is an entirely appropriate choice. So it’s nice when all that cash and vision pays off.