Washington D.C. Future Metro and Streetcar Lines

As a local Washingtonian, many people talk about politics and government but one of the main topics of conversation is "where is development heading?"

The map I created below has the future silver line and the future ("proposed") streetcar lines.  There are more proposed rail lines in the area, but I wanted to focus on the ones primarily in the DC area.  Generally for people who want to buy a new house/ apartment in the Washington D.C. area they want to be close to rail/ public transportation.  Arlington's orange line, Ballston-Rosslyn corridor has benefited from the metro line.  Unlike the bus, a rail line brings businesses and improves the living conditions of an area.  Currently the H Street streetcar will be the first finished streetcar system in Washington D.C. Other streetcar systems, such as the Columbia Pike streetcar will be finished in a few years.
There are many proposed streetcar systems in the area and it may take a few years to a few decades to see all the streetcar lines be built.

Key to Map:
CIRCLES (Metro Stations):
Yellow Circles: Current Metro Stations
Light Grey Circles: 1st Phase of the Silver Line, "Opening Soon"
Dark Grey Circles: 2nd Phase of the Silver Line and Open in 2018, but it will probably be 2019 since metro is always late with construction.
White Circle: Proposed Metro Station

DIAMONDS (Streetcar stations):
Dark Brown Diamonds: Constructed Stations (Currently only on H Street Line)
White Diamonds: Proposed Streetcar Station

Lines:
Yellow: Yellow Line
Red: Red Line
Green: Green Line
Blue: Blue Line
Silver: New Silver Line
Purple: Proposed Purple Rail Line (streetcar)
Pink: Streetcar Lines

Brussels Transportation Map

This is a map of Brussels, Belgium and the surrounding area.  I used to live in Brussels and thought I would upload some major sites, transportation networks, restaurants, and stores that I liked.

This map is good for tourist who are interested in the city but also for people who might move to the area.  

Map of University Fribourg, Switzerland

Below is a map of Fribourg, Switzerland.  I am currently studying at the University of Fribourg and made this map for future students or people that are interested in visiting city/university or attending the university.


Key:
Red Star: Train Station
Red Squares: Additional Information
Grey Polygons: University Buildings
Green Diamond: Park
Green Polygon: Park/Green Space
Purple Diamond: Bar/Club
Red Circle: Student Organization
Purple Polygon: Shopping
Yellow Diamond: Restaurants
Blue Star: Immigration Office
Black Circle: ATM/Bank
Light Green Square: Grocery Store
Purple Square: Tourist Site
Light Blue Square: Ski Resort

Photos from London

Some photos below of London you all to see.

Camden Town market area, this area was great to hang out on a sunny day.  Relax near the river, look at the venders and shop, eat wonderful food and meet new people.

Camden Town market - its a mad house, so many people are on the street.  Its a fun area, you will love the people watching and the experience.

This was the London Ice bar, it is marked on my map. I am sorry it is not the best photo of the bar, but it gives you an idea of how it looks.

Regent's Park- very close to the hostel I was staying in.  After a day in camden come here to lay out and relax or have a picnic!

This was the fish box order from the Sea Shell Restaurant (http://www.seashellrestaurant.co.uk/)
This restaurant has a fancy restaurant area which is over priced and it has a take away area which is the same food but a fraction of the price.  I think the fish box was around 5-6 pounds it was a lot of food! Fish and Chips!

Tower Bridge - Bring good shoes for London, you will be doing a lot of walking! Great views from this bridge. 

Photo of London

I loved walking down this street

My photo: follow my Instagram: st572

Great Map of London, Some Food, Sites and Drinks

I was in London a few weeks ago with a few friends and we stayed at the Phoenix Hostel, which is the star on the map.  The map I created is centered around this hostel since it was were I was staying.  I marked the bus stops and Tube stations that are around the hostel.  The hostel was okay, I would give it 3 stars for a hostel.  It was clean, the people who worked there were not the most friendly but okay, the bar in the hostel was cheap, the beds were nice, rooms were a little cozy.

On the map I made:
I marked a few of the places I went to, the hostel, some of the major tourist sites, some markets, bars, clubs and a few parks.

You must see: Camden Market! (best vender food I have ever experienced) & SOHO (loved this area!)

You must buy: An Oyster Card (for the transport system in London, only buy for zones 1 and 2)
its around 40 pounds or so (for zones 1 and 2), if you are there for around a week its great! It will save you money if you will be taking the tube or bus a lot.  Its good for the night buses too! Everything within the zones you pay for.

London has so much to see and do!

I was only there for 6 days and didn't see half the city.  Take your time here and stay for as long as you can as London has so much to offer!

If you want to know anything else, please comment.

Below is the link to the overall London transportation website:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

Below is the link to the transportation around Phoenix Hostel (located on 6 Daventry Street):
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps?Input=6+Daventry+St&InputGeolocation=-0.166677102446556,51.5213317871094

Getting to Maastricht, Netherlands from Aachen, Germany

Take Veolia Bus 50 to Maastricht it only costs 8 Euros roundtrip for the entire day (more information at www.veolia-transport.nl).  This is a great price and is the same throughout the week so this is a great trip to take during a weekday and go to Belgium on the weekend to be cost effective.  The bus station we took the bus at was Aachen Schanz train station.  There are other bus stations in Aachen that the bus travels to so look on the Veolia website to find out more details.

Some Photos of the city. 

This city is great for shopping, eating and biking.  

Here are some photos of the city that I took:  

Weekend Trip to Liege, Belgium - Cheapest Trip from Aachen

This past weekend I went to Aachen to visit a few friends and went on a few day trips to nearby cities within easy commutes from Aachen.  We went to Liege on one of the days and found a very good weekend travel deal to Liege, called the Euregio weekend ticket. The ticket we bought was a two-person ticket that cost in total for the two of us 18 Euros (more details at www.euregioticket.eu).  The two-person ticket included all day travel between any part of the Aachen, Maastricht, and Liege area.  The ticket also included local public transportation in all these areas.  This is a great deal and you can take full advantage of this ticket if you start your day early.  During the weekday, to go to Liege it would have cost 18 Euros per person so when you go on the weekend it is half the price. In Belgium, you are able to travel to Liege, Spa, Hasselt, Tongeren, Eupen and town in between these cities.

            Go to the main train station in Aachen (Aachen Hbf) and ask the people at the ticket office for the Euregio ticket to Liege.   This ticket is best for two people and will allow you all day travel.  The train to Liege runs every two hours.  Look up the train times on the www.euregioticket.eu, www.bahn.de.  We arrived at the train station in Liege and walked down the stairs to the bus station area.  We took the bus in the direction of the Opera.  We went to the last bus station and walked to the city center from there.  Other major buses to take are bus number 1 and 4 to the city center.  We took bus 4 back to the train station in the evening as it runs more frequent. There are two train stations in Liege, you will arrive and depart from Liege-Guillemins. 

The Montagne of Bueren - there are 374 steps along the staircase - beautiful views from the top

Place du Marché - Perfect place for a Belgian beer and people watching

Croque monsieur with fries and a beer - a perfect snack in Belgium