How do you tell the inner loop from the outer loop?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in this area for my entire life and I still have no idea.They both seem to be going clockwise to me- one headed toward 6 o'clock, one headed toward 12 o'clock. I also can't tell what is north, south, east or west. To me, north is always straight ahead of me. I am reading these responses to my husband, because he can't believe there are other people out there as directionally challenged as myself

1. To the PP and all others who complain about having a bad sense of direction - this has nothing to do with a sense of direction. Inner and outer are not directions.

2. Ho-lee crap. As others have pointed out, the beltway is a big circle. There are 2 lanes in the circle, one on the inside, one on the outside. The one on the inside is called the Outer Loop, and the one on the outside is called the Inner Loop.

Wait . . . that can't be right. Where did I get that wrong? Oh, yes. The lane on the INSIDE is called the INNER LOOP, and the one on the OUTSIDE is called the OUTER LOOP. Phew.

I simply cannot believe this is that difficult. And if it is, I weep for the future.

I think you don't get what people are saying. I fully understand that the inner and outer loop EXIST. I get that it is a big circle. I get that one is inner and one is outer. NONE of that is confusing. What I don't understand is how you are supposed to tell unless you see a sign or someone tells you.

EX-AC-T-LY!!!

This really is not hard. Really. Here's how you know:

1) You need to know whether your starting point (presumably your HOUSE), is inside or outside the beltway.
2) You need to know if you are turning, essentially, left or right when you get ON the beltway.

If you live outside the beltway and turn RIGHT to get on it... you are on the outer loop. If you turn left, you are on the inner loop.

If you live INSIDE the beltway and you turn right to get on it, you are on the inner loop. If you turn left, you are on the outer loop.

If you are too turned around by cloverleafs and can't tell which way you're turning... then you are beyond hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in this area for my entire life and I still have no idea.They both seem to be going clockwise to me- one headed toward 6 o'clock, one headed toward 12 o'clock. I also can't tell what is north, south, east or west. To me, north is always straight ahead of me. I am reading these responses to my husband, because he can't believe there are other people out there as directionally challenged as myself

1. To the PP and all others who complain about having a bad sense of direction - this has nothing to do with a sense of direction. Inner and outer are not directions.

2. Ho-lee crap. As others have pointed out, the beltway is a big circle. There are 2 lanes in the circle, one on the inside, one on the outside. The one on the inside is called the Outer Loop, and the one on the outside is called the Inner Loop.

Wait . . . that can't be right. Where did I get that wrong? Oh, yes. The lane on the INSIDE is called the INNER LOOP, and the one on the OUTSIDE is called the OUTER LOOP. Phew.

I simply cannot believe this is that difficult. And if it is, I weep for the future.

I think you don't get what people are saying. I fully understand that the inner and outer loop EXIST. I get that it is a big circle. I get that one is inner and one is outer. NONE of that is confusing. What I don't understand is how you are supposed to tell unless you see a sign or someone tells you.

EX-AC-T-LY!!!

This really is not hard. Really. Here's how you know:

1) You need to know whether your starting point (presumably your HOUSE), is inside or outside the beltway.
2) You need to know if you are turning, essentially, left or right when you get ON the beltway.

If you live outside the beltway and turn RIGHT to get on it... you are on the outer loop. If you turn left, you are on the inner loop.

If you live INSIDE the beltway and you turn right to get on it, you are on the inner loop. If you turn left, you are on the outer loop.

If you are too turned around by cloverleafs and can't tell which way you're turning... then you are beyond hope.

Okay. I'm appplying your logic.

I live in Downtown Silver Spring. Inside the Beltway. I leave my house, turn right to get on 495S toward Virginia. So I'm on the inner loop.

But Wait. I leave my house, turn right to get on 495N. toward Baltimore. I'm also on the inner loop?

[Anonymous]

If you are going to VA from Silver Spring you are on the Outer Loop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in this area for my entire life and I still have no idea.They both seem to be going clockwise to me- one headed toward 6 o'clock, one headed toward 12 o'clock. I also can't tell what is north, south, east or west. To me, north is always straight ahead of me. I am reading these responses to my husband, because he can't believe there are other people out there as directionally challenged as myself

1. To the PP and all others who complain about having a bad sense of direction - this has nothing to do with a sense of direction. Inner and outer are not directions.

2. Ho-lee crap. As others have pointed out, the beltway is a big circle. There are 2 lanes in the circle, one on the inside, one on the outside. The one on the inside is called the Outer Loop, and the one on the outside is called the Inner Loop.

Wait . . . that can't be right. Where did I get that wrong? Oh, yes. The lane on the INSIDE is called the INNER LOOP, and the one on the OUTSIDE is called the OUTER LOOP. Phew.

I simply cannot believe this is that difficult. And if it is, I weep for the future.

I think you don't get what people are saying. I fully understand that the inner and outer loop EXIST. I get that it is a big circle. I get that one is inner and one is outer. NONE of that is confusing. What I don't understand is how you are supposed to tell unless you see a sign or someone tells you.

EX-AC-T-LY!!!

This really is not hard. Really. Here's how you know:

1) You need to know whether your starting point (presumably your HOUSE), is inside or outside the beltway.
2) You need to know if you are turning, essentially, left or right when you get ON the beltway.

If you live outside the beltway and turn RIGHT to get on it... you are on the outer loop. If you turn left, you are on the inner loop.

If you live INSIDE the beltway and you turn right to get on it, you are on the inner loop. If you turn left, you are on the outer loop.

If you are too turned around by cloverleafs and can't tell which way you're turning... then you are beyond hope.

Okay. I'm appplying your logic.

I live in Downtown Silver Spring. Inside the Beltway. I leave my house, turn right to get on 495S toward Virginia. So I'm on the inner loop.

But Wait. I leave my house, turn right to get on 495N. toward Baltimore. I'm also on the inner loop?

Perhaps. But this is exactly why "North" and "South" don't work so well. If you're turning right, and you live inside the beltway, you are indeed getting on the inner loop. (Imagine, you are basically at 12:00 if the beltway were a clock, and in both cases you are heading right (clockwise). So, when you get to 2:00 on the clock, you can split off and take I-95 towards Baltimore (North), or you can continue around the clock. When you pass 3:00 you are indeed turning south, and heading towards Virginia.

But there are two ways to get to Virginia from where you are in Silver Spring. One is to go Left (outer loop) and head towards Virginia by way of the American Legion Bridge and Tysons's Corner. The other is to go Right (inner loop) and head into VA via the Wilson Bridge and Alexandria. Truthfully, although you can go two different directions from Silver Spring on the Beltway... they are BOTH essentially SOUTH. (Because you are at the Northernmost part of the beltway).

So to answer your specific question... yes. if you turn right, you are getting on the inner loop. And yes, it will take you towards Baltimore (it is actually taking you EAST to I-95, that you then take NORTH to Baltimore). It will also take you to Virginia if you keep going PAST I-95 and stay on long enough that it turns South.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are going to VA from Silver Spring you are on the Outer Loop.

Not true. The whole point is, you can get to VA from Silver Spring going either direction. You can go right (inner loop) via Alexandria. Or you can go left (outer loop) towards Tysons.

Both ways will eventually get you to Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


Inner loop? Outer Loop? Which side?

I'm guessing the traffic on the left is the outer loop somewhere in Mont. Co.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is cracking me up!

To the posters who keep saying the inner loop is closer to DC - that only helps if you know this area pretty well. It's not like you can actually see DC from the Beltway.

To the posters who can't tell which loop they're on - I get it. This confused me to no end when I first moved here. What helped me was just learning the geography of the area and looking at maps and then figuring out which loop it would be.

Maybe I've lived in DC so long I dont understand but generally the road does curve around DC so you should be able to tell by the direction the road is bending. Of course if you're only on for one exit I suppose you may not be able to detect the curve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are going to VA from Silver Spring you are on the Outer Loop.

Not true. The whole point is, you can get to VA from Silver Spring going either direction. You can go right (inner loop) via Alexandria. Or you can go left (outer loop) towards Tysons.

Both ways will eventually get you to Virginia.

This is ridiculous. Of course you can get there in both directions, but who in the world would travel on the inner loop to get to VA from Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This really is not hard. Really. Here's how you know:

1) You need to know whether your starting point (presumably your HOUSE), is inside or outside the beltway.
2) You need to know if you are turning, essentially, left or right when you get ON the beltway.

If you live outside the beltway and turn RIGHT to get on it... you are on the outer loop. If you turn left, you are on the inner loop.

If you live INSIDE the beltway and you turn right to get on it, you are on the inner loop. If you turn left, you are on the outer loop.

If you are too turned around by cloverleafs and can't tell which way you're turning... then you are beyond hope.

Sorry, this doesn't work either. There are way too many beltway entrances where the entrance ramp to both loops is on the right. Nice try though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if you know where you are when you enter the beltway it makes easier to guess which loop you're following.

if you're coming from the burbs towards DC and look at the beltway the outer loop runs to the Right side and the inner to the Left.

if you're coming from DC to the burbs the inner goes R the outer goes L.

now another way. if the exit # increases as you go you're outer if it reduces you're inner.

signed:
FBFNFTM

I meant...

[Anonymous]

Okay, here's the thing. Sometimes you are going to a new destination. Say, a doctors office you have never visited. If you get lost, it doesn't help, because your point of reference is the "lost" point and just exacerbates the situation!

Sometimes you can be almost equidistant from your "new" point to your destination ("old" point). In which case, the signs don't help. Should I go the direction of Baltimore? Is that necessarily "north" form my point of reference? It may or may not be. If you do not have GPS, and it is a cloudy day (ie: can not match time with sun to determine direction) then you are screwed.

All they need is a sign saying "you are here". Inner vs. outer doesn't help me if I am already in unfamiliar territory!

You can be quite bright and still get lost on the beltway. Its not a crime.

[Anonymous]

This thread is hilarious!

Everyone with issues should get the ADC DC atlas - covers the whole area.

[Anonymous]

Ikea College Park, Outer Loop.
Giant Mormon Temple, Outer Loop
NIH, Inner Loop
Clara Barton Pkwy toward DC, Inner Loop
GW Parkway toward DC, Inner Loop
Tysons Corner, Inner Loop
I-66 where it is wide, toward Fairfax, Outer Loop
I-66 where it is skinny/HOV, Inner Loop
Arlington, Inner Loop
Merrifield/INOVA FFX, Outer Loop
Fairfax, Outer Loop
Annandale, Inner Loop
Etc.

[Anonymous]

PP you messed it up a little

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you know where you are when you enter the beltway it makes easier to guess which loop you're following.

if you're coming from the burbs towards DC and look at the beltway the outer loop runs to the Right side and the inner to the Left.

if you're coming from DC to the burbs the inner goes R the outer goes L.

now another way. if the exit # increases as you go you're outer if it reduces you're inner.

signed:
FBFNFTM

I meant...

THIS!