The Metro is basically the Bay Area BART transferred across the country, with carriages of the same vintage and staff of the same surliness. The entrance gates are identical, but I will admit that the all-vinyl seating probably accommodates fewer exotic fauna than SF's fabulously stained cushions. Such happy antibiotic-resistant memories.
In Brookland is Filter Coffehouse and Espresso Bar, which appears if you search for "best coffee in washington dc". Dunkin Donuts thankfully does not. It's a bicycle-themed coffee place, which is bizarre in itself but also because Musette Caffe, which was the first place in Vancouver I had a good coffee, is also bicycle-themed. When Hannah's job moves again I'll obviously be looking for bicycle-themed coffee shops in Kazakhstan, Dubai, or New Mexico.
Anyway, Filter turned out to be worth the trip. I went for a latte, still wary of heading straight for the tricky cappuccino, and was pleasingly assured by the barista that it would contain a double-shot. I chatted about beans and optimal milk volumes as he steamed away, and the resulting drink was nutty with decent strength, exciting nose and good finish, although the milk-texturing was not quite what I would have hoped. I passed on some notes for next time.
Pete glugged down a hot chocolate and demolished a lemon poppy muffin in short order and soon we were on a train for the few stops home, back to the land of Starbs and Dunkin. Perhaps there's an opening for me to set up a mobile gourmet espresso cart at the station entrance during rush hour. Davies & Son Coffee. Hmm.
Going down into Wheaton station on the longest escalator in the western hemisphere! Yep, a true claim to fame, although it adds several minutes onto any journey.
A typical commuter.
Here we are.
Yum.
That one please.
What the..? Wait. What if it's not?
