Thursday, August 21, 2008

Post Offices

I got to the post office a lot. at least twice a week. My wife and i both sell stuff online via commissions requests and etsy.com.

It is rare that i go to the LeDroit Park Post Office.

For one, the hours suck.
8:30-01:00PM
2:00-05:00PM
monday through friday.
is this still 1975?

also, its dangerous to get to.
walking across florida and rhode island avenue during those hour is taking your life in your hands.
driving to the post office, you must enter by going east on florida. turning into the lot on florida while cars are closing in on you at 50 mph is not my idea of civilization. exiting is equally tricky.

Nor is entering the post office fortification. The bullet proof glass decontamination chamber feels cold war/ crack war era.

I went yesterday. no one was in line, i had two packages. it took 45 minutes.
apparently a guy there turned off the computers while the clerk was in the middle of scanning my packages in.
while the computer was blank, but my packages were on the other side of checkpoint charlie, mainly stood by laughing and talking about their job benefits.

That was maybe the fifth time i've been to that post office in the five years its been my closest post office. i hope i remember to never go there again. in fact, i quite hope that it closes allowing that whole clusterfuck on an intersection to develop into something less wastelandlike.

i would like to point out that the next two closest post offices to me, Brentwood and Union Station are the to BEST post offices in the city, staffed by friendly and very professional clerks.

At least once a month i am moved to compliment them. Brentwood is generally quicker and easier since there is a parking lot, but the hours at Union Station and the ease of public transportation are terrific.

no berlin wall at either, to boot.





2 comments:

Mari said...

I go to the LeDriot/TC Post Office because it's like 2 blocks from my house. I too mail off things (ebay/ half.com) and my experiences have been non-eventful. Not horrible, not great. Maybe it's better when you're on foot. I've never tried driving.

Sean Hennessey said...

glad its been non-eventful.