What would it be like to take the Silver Line to Walmart?

This morning was the first rush hour service on Metro's new Silver Line to Reston.  All the media coverage right now is about how the Silver Line will make getting to and from Reston and Tysons easier.  But I am no longer a commuter.  I live in Herndon, just south of Reston, and as a stay-at-home-mom, I tend not to go downtown much, and when I do, it's more practical to drive.

Now that we have Metro in Reston, I wondered, would it change the way I do things?  I grew up in a family that had only one car (and, for awhile, no car) and we managed to get around by bike, bus, metro and taxi. One of the things that attracted my husband and me to the Reston area when we bought our house was its transit-friendly amenities.  We live 3/4 of a mile to the Reston South Park and Ride lot.  We have a Fairfax Connector that goes down our street (every 20 minutes, starting at 5:40 a.m. until rush hour is over.)   I can walk on sidewalks all over my neighborhood, including to the grocery store and Starbucks.  I can bike on paved trails all over Reston.  I've been known to bike to the library, the Town Center, the Trader Joe's... you get the idea.  I look for ways to get out of my car and practice other means of transportation.

 So I wondered, "what would it be like to take metro to Wal-Mart?"  I had noticed the "urban" Wal-Mart that was built at the west end of Tysons a couple of years ago.  I knew the Spring Hill Station was "right there".  So I decided to let that be my destination today, on my first metro ride of the Silver Line.

First of all, I wasn't sure how to get to Metro.  I knew where the station was, but I also knew that the entrance on the south side of the Toll Road (nearest to my house) was for pedestrians and bus riders only.  I am still grumbling about that one.  So I drove up Reston Parkway to Sunset Hills Road hoping that there was still parking available after 10AM on a weekday.  As I passed the Sunset Hills Road Park and Ride lot (the one by the W&OD trail and Wiehle Ave)  I noticed several empty parking spots.  SCORE!  -- it was free parking, even if I had to walk 10 more minutes to get to the metro.  So I parked and walked.  (I don't know if they were empty because all the media parked there earlier and left, or if its because all the swim teams have finished and EVERYONE is on vacation this week, but I don't often see empty spots there on a weekday!)

Once parked, I followed the sidewalk to the metro - It took a few turns, but I got there.  I couldn't figure out how to get to the entrance from the street, so I went into the garage at the Kiss and Ride - bonus opportunity to scope out where to get hubby if he ever comes home on the Silver Line - and took the elevator up to the train level.

FINALLY I got to cross to the station on the pedestrian overpass which we watched get built for the last ?? (seemed like 100) years.  My old SmartTrip card worked just fine.  I waited 10 minutes for a train, and finally boarded.  Interestingly, the westbound train discharged its passengers, "went out of service", and then switched tracks to the eastbound side before allowing passengers on the train.  This is different than the "terminal stations" at all the other Metro lines.

 It took a few minutes to get to the Spring Hill Station, which was the next stop on the Silver Line.  So I got off and looked for Wal-Mart.  What was "right there" when I saw it during construction, turns out to be about two blocks away from the staircase that you take to get off the platform.  The sidewalks were wide and clear. But the drivers turning right from Westwood Center Drive onto Leesburg Pike didn't seem to be aware of a pedestrian with a 'walking man' signal to cross.  Of course, they didn't even stop for a red light.  Why would they stop for a pedestrian? (Right turn on red AFTER STOP, people. Please.)

So it was about a 5 minute walk to WalMart.  I got my small list of purchases, paid at the self-checkout and headed out.  I took a cruise through the rest of the Silver Line to McLean (still wishing that station was closer to church) and then headed back to Reston.  All in all, it was a pleasant trip on the Silver Line.

So it was an interesting trip.  But was it practical?  Can I do Wal-Mart faster and cheaper on the Silver line?  In a word, no.  Here's the breakdown:

Via Metro:
Parking: Free (because I walked, if I had parked in the garage it would be $4.25)
Metro: $6 round trip, off peak
Time:  15 mins to drive to Wiehle, 10 minutes to walk to Metro, 10 minutes to wait for Metro, 10 minute ride to Spring Hill, 5 minute walk to Wal-Mart:  TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes just to get there.

Driving to Tysons Wal-Mart:
MapQuest estimates 12 minutes and $1.38 in fuel costs.  So to get there and back, $2.76 in fuel plus $4 in tolls makes a total of $6.76. (I did not have to go through the main toll plaza to get to wal-mart, or my cost would have almost doubled.) Parking in the Wal-Mart garage is free for the first two hours.

So faster AND cheaper to drive to Wal-Mart, rather than take Metro.  And if I didn't have access to my car for some reason (perhaps boys are home from college) I'd probably just ride my bike to Target, rather than riding it to the Metro.  So definitely not practical for shopping at Wal-Mart.