Weaving into the city and back into Maryland, the Washington Metro’s Red Line travels through a variety of different neighborhoods, from the bustle of Union Station and Metro Center to the calm environment of Grosvenor Square and Wheaton.

The Red Line connects to 27 stations and four universities, including American University. While the inside of many of these stations looks similar, the outside of each station has its own, unique atmosphere.

Despite their differences, each station features an elevator and long escalators. In fact, the Red Line’s Wheaton station has the longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere.

Due to the dim, repetitive and brutalist ambiance of the stations’ inside, it can be difficult to know what to expect when reaching the street level outside the stations, especially those that are unfamiliar. Taking a second to observe the stations’ differing environments and all the people coming in and out of the Metro stations allows a person to appreciate the city and its transit system.

North Bethesda

Van Ness – UDC

Cleveland Park

Woodley Park / Adams Morgan

Metro Center

Gallery Place / Chinatown

Judiciary Square

Union Station

NoMa – Gallaudet U

Silver Spring

Wheaton

Glenmont

This article was originally published in Issue 35 of AWOL’s magazine on November 19, 2024. You can see the rest of the issue here.