Rachel Braun's Directions to WES for Virginians
Rock Creek Park/16th Street

From your location in VA, pick the best way to get on Rock Creek Parkway (eg, from the Memorial Bridge, or via 66 into the Virginia Avenue area.

• Take Rock Creek Parkway toward zoo/DC/MD.
• After the exit for Massachusetts Avenue, get into the right hand lane if not already there.
• Take the right fork for Beach Drive.
• Continue 'straight' on Beach Drive, ie, follow the main curvy road without taking turnoffs for the zoo, Porter, and Piney Branch.
• Turn right onto Blagden Avenue. Blagden Avenue continues to 16th Street, south of WES but well north of the most congested parts of 16th Street. There is only a stop sign at the 16th Street intersection, making a left turn difficult, so:
  • Turn left at 17th Street NW.
  • Turn right at Colorado.
  • Turn left at the light on 16th.
  • Continue North on 16th Street. WES is on the left, between Jonquil and Kalmia.
    

To reverse these directions:

• Turn to go South on 16th Street.
• Turn right at Blagden, the first block after the light at Colorado.
• Take Blagden to the end, then turn left onto Beach Drive.
• Follow Beach Drive past the zoo to Rock Creek Parkway. Note that there is sometimes a back-up in the tunnel around the zoo on nice days. It moves, though.
• Left onto Rock Creek Parkway. Note that while there is traffic coming from both directions, the traffic from your right is in its own lane, and you will turn into a lane reserved for Beach Drive entrants. So pay
  more attention to the traffic on your left and don't freak about appearing to merge with traffic from the right. You're not.
• Take Rock Creek Parkway to roads in Virginia: stay in the right hand lane to eventually get to Memorial Bridge, or left hand lane to take Virginia Ave to I-66.