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Discussion on: Anyone impacted by the U.S. government shutdown? Share your story.

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dylan profile image
Dylan

I live in DC, and it's honestly become a ghost town. Trains are maybe half full during rush hour, cafes and shops downtown changed their hours since there are fewer customers. A few days after New Years I saw a lot of tourist groups, school kids and families and the like, wandering around the mall looking for things to do since some of the museums were beginning to shut down.

The weekend nights people still go out since they're mostly younger, but on sunday nights, where you could reliably spot people through the window of a sports bar / pub, there is nothing happening it.

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noblebe4st profile image
Jeff Hall

It's crowded where I live so that actually sounds pretty nice.

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ferricoxide profile image
Thomas H Jones II

It's a comparative assessment. DC area is normally "stoopid-crowded". Right now, it's more like "normal city" crowded. Overall, different things/areas are differently impacted. For example:

  • Instead of it taking 5+ minutes to go a mile on the main driving-routes, it's more like 3-4 minutes.
  • Public transit, on the other hand is disproportionately impacted. Around here, the train-lines are laid out primarily to move govvies from the burbs into the federal buildings inside the beltway. Thus, trains that normally make you wonder when stations will have Japanese-style "pushers", you now have a shot at getting a seat even if boarding closer-in to the city.