Ride In 11/8

I saw it yesterday, but it didn't fully register and then when I saw him again today I realized that the CaBi rider coming down my street was wearing a red helmet with a yellow Bikeshare logo and I have no idea from whence he got it.  It looked far too "professional" to be a home-made jobber (I overuse the word jobber in real life, too) Did he win it in a contest? Is this one of the presumed elusive 500 helmets? When and how were they distributed? Maybe Mendo can hold a hearing.
Treated to another delightful morning and foliage, which comes later in Washington than in real foliage places (I'm a foliage snob) and the leaves are mostly still on the trees, with only some, comparatively, in the leaf depository lanes. Along with the earlier darkness, leaves, especially wet ones, are a hazard to bicyclists during this time of year and I urge caution. There's an infuriatingly large pile of leaves at 15th and Q that cyclists have turned into a leafy pulp after riding over and through it for the past couple of weeks. I can't imagine that makes anything safer.
I'm noticing more cyclists riding through the Capitol grounds of late. Maybe it's just because I'm riding through them, not that more cyclists are. I wonder how long until someone decides that we're a menace and gets out the caution tape. It's already fairly tricky getting past the parked cars and planters and security gates, but at least there's some acknowledgement that cyclists might be riding through based on a sign that I saw that said path users should watch out for bicyclists, amongst other things.
FBI headquarters: modernist disaster or modernist monstrosity? I report, you decide.
I elected to ride to the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue today, riding directly in front of the White House, which always seems closer than it should be given the ludicrous securitization of everything else. Pennsylvania Avenue from 17th to M was stop and go, but fairly accommodating due to the width of the roadway. If building a second/continued cycletrack isn't on the agenda yet, it ought to be. I saw many more bicyclists heading in the other direction than going west, but there was at least one intrepid Bikeshare rider who shared my route. I don't remember where she turned (I think before Washington Circle) because she wasn't on M when I got there. M was fine, but could be better. I suppose "fine, but could be better" is the unofficial motto of #bikeDC.
A pleasant not-really-suprise greeted me at 33rd. I saw on Twitter the other day that DDOT had striped some bike lanes on this street thanks to the tweet of Chris Hamilton, the Commuter Services Chief of ARLINGTON COUNTY! Come on, DDOT- you've got to trumpet these things! Bicyclists will be so grateful, but you've got to announce them! Anyway, here's my picture of the bike lanes:

Line-y.

Due to the everlasting streetcar project, the lanes stop and restart after a two or three block break, but once that's done, they'll run from M to Wisconsin, along a bicyclist to head uptown on residential streets rather than ride the more commercial Wisconsin. I don't know how useful this will be (bike infrastructure kind of dead-ends there, so it's not like there's a much larger network that this figures in to), but it's appreciated.
Thereafter I was back on my old route through Glover Park and up New Mexico. Man, that kicked my ass. I guess it was hillier than I remember. Still no bike infrastructure improvements along there, but maybe some day.