Virginia really is more than the state where the Rosslyn Metro station lives! Check below for some free activities where you can get your kicks in the Old Dominion State.

Comedy central

Looking for some inspiration for the weekend? Animal House, at the Rosslyn Outdoor Movie Festival this Friday, July 29, is sure to provide plenty of party cues and creative ideas for all those ready to engage in serious debauchery this weekend.

Located just steps across Key Bridge at Arlington Gateway Park, the film festival serves up comedies weekly, all in keeping with this summer’s theme “SNL in the Movies.” The lineup for the next few weeks includes Hot Rod, Mean Girls, Night at the Roxbury and Shrek, with all features starting at dusk. If you are not held up at Dixie on the way, head over early for pre-show games and prizes.

Old Town, new Art

If you are hoping for a more cultured excuse to cross the river, head on over to Old Town Alexandria’s Art League to catch Frances Borchardt‘s “Prints in Pieces” exhibit  before it closes August 1. Employing an atypical, printer’s style display method, this photographer’s work features Maryland’s South Shore in a unique montage format.

The Art League is located at Old Town’s picturesque waterfront, a day trip-worthy location accessible via Metro. See here for other Alexandria activities and museums, such as the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Starting Sunday, the Key Bridge and M Street will soon be finally banish the Blue Bus.

In a rare occurrence of government efficiency, the transition from Blue Bus to Circulator has been moved up from its scheduled September 1^st switch.

Riders shouldn’t notice any real difference between the two because the Circulator route is identical to the current Blue Bus path.

Smartrip users get the added benefit of actually being able to use their Smartrip to pay their fare, which remains at $1 unless transferring from a connector. The transfer fare is only 50 cents.

We know the switch is happening only a few days earlier than originally planned, but Vox still commends the D.C. government for actually being able to finish a project ahead of schedule.

h/t The Georgetown Metropolitan

It’s finally happening, folks. On September 1, D.C. Circulator will replace the Dupont-Rosslyn Metro Connection “blue buses.”

But don’t despair, ye olde nostalgics, because the buses are practically the only thing changing, according to the Washington Business Journal.

Circulator buses will follow the same Georgetown-to-Dupont route, while running every ten minutes. Fare will be $1, although, riders transferring onto the connector buses will only pay 50 cents.

After the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT) takes over the program from Georgetown BID, electronic fare boxes will be incorporated into the system as well.

Let’s chalk one up for streamlined efficiency, Georgetowners!

In a city where a lot of transportation options are subpar (or are being rerouted by neighbors who complain that GUTS buses shake the foundations of their houses but apparently WMATA buses don’t—what?) you can never have too much Circulator.

Clean, reliable, cheap, it’s good to know that the Circulator will soon by doubling down on Georgetown. The District Department of Transportation has already agreed to the Circulator’s takeover of the Blue Bus route that connects Rosslyn to Dupont Metro Stations via Georgetown. Question was, when?

This fall, Georgetown Metropolitan found out with a little digging.

Although John Lisle, a spokesperson for DDOT, said that the new route will not cost the city additional money because it is nixing the smaller Blue Buses, the takeover does mean that the Georgetown Business Improvement District will lose control of the route. Hopefully this doesn’t mean we risk future threats of route cutting to the Georgetown area.

GM also wondered whether the Circulator will follow the same route as the Blue Bus, which stops at N and 19th, several blocks away from the Dupont Metro Station on an out-of-the-way corner. That raises another question—have those Blue Buses ever been full enough to warrant a whole new Circulator route?

Bye bye blue bus?

It’s been a banner month for the Circulator: after the Wisconsin Avenue portion of the Georgetown-Union Station loop was saved from elimination in in the 11th hour by Mayor Adrian Fenty, plans are in the works to create a new line connecting Georgetown with Rosslyn.

According to the Washington Examiner, local officials are pushing for the creation of a new Circulator route that would replace the Georgetown Metro Connection “Blue Bus,” which is currently run by the Georgetown Business Improvement District.

The Blue Bus was conceived of as a way to demonstrate the demand in Georgetown for public bus service to a nearby Metro stop, and currently serves between 35,000 and 40,000 riders per month.  But the Blue Bus was only designed as a temporary solution, and the BID is hoping that the District Department of Transportation will take over the route.

Last week, D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), whose district includes Georgetown, introduced a bill to change the rule preventing the Circulator from running outside D.C. city limits.

Although the BID says D.C. leaders have pledged financial support and Rep. Jim Moran (D—Va.) secured federal money for new buses, DDOT spokesman John Lisle said they “have no plans for a new route at this time.”

With the Wisconsin Avenue Safeway out of commission, are your shopping needs just not being met by Whole Foods/Safeway Delivery/Trader Joe’s?  GUTS has your back!

According to Georgetown’s Director of Media Relations Andy Pino, GUTS will be offering runs to the Rosslyn Safeway on weekends.

The change will combine the Rosslyn and Dupont Circle routes; GUTS buses will go from campus to Rosslyn, stopping on North Oak Street near the Safeway there, back to campus and then to Dupont.  Weekday service will not change.

Next fall, you may be hopping the Circulator for $1 to escape the Georgetown bubble via Rosslyn, as opposed to one of the Blue Buses that currently rumble down the streets of Georgetown.

Why? Well, WTOP reports in vague terms that it has something to do with increased efficiency (Works for me).

The Circulator, which the D.C. Department of Transportation runs, already includes several routes around the city, but adding this one might be tought. According to WTOP:

There are some legal issues to tie up first—crossing the Key Bridge would add buses to what is an already congested Potomac Crossing. The D.C. Council would likely have to weigh in on the proposal before the expansion to Rosslyn could happen.

DDOT replaced the Blue Bus, officially the D.C. Metro Connection, thta runs between Georgetown and Rosslyn with the Circulator as part of a “pilot program” in 2007. Guess it didn’t stick.