Dust off your “We Are Georgetown” shirts, my fellow Hoyas: it’s BASKETBALL SEASON! For those of you all who are not super D.C. savvy, getting to Verizon Center can be a little nerve-wracking. But don’t worry, you can always count on the D.C. Travel Companion (DCTC) to help you out!

Basketball season creates a sort of “mob mentality” (full of all types of Hoyas) when it comes to getting to the game. Going to Verizon Center is always exciting, but it isn’t always easy. You don’t want to be that one lonely Hoya who gets lost on the Metro as you head to a basketball game. People might laugh, and one of them will likely be me. So, to spare you any embarrassing moments, here is what you need to know to get to the game in one piece:

Option 1: Metro

Step 1 — Getting to the Metro

In order to get to the metro, you can take either the Rosslyn G.U.T.S. bus or the Dupont G.U.T.S. bus to get to the Rosslyn or Dupont stops, respectively. The shuttle service is free, which is always a plus for college students. (Estimated travel time: 10 minutes.)

Step 2 — Taking the Metro:

If you are departing from the Rosslyn Metro station, take either the Blue line (toward Largo Town Center) or the Orange line (toward New Carrolton) to Metro Center. (Estimated travel time: 7 minutes.)

From Metro Center, you can either take the Red line to Gallery Place (estimated travel time: 5-10 minutes) or just walk the short distance straight to the Verizon Center. From personal experience, it is often much quicker to walk — Verizon Center is only four short blocks from the Metro Center stop (see below)!

If you are departing from the Dupont Metro station, take the Red line (toward Glenmont) to Metro Center (estimated travel time: 4 minutes) or Gallery Place (estimated travel time: 6 minutes). Once again, you can either walk from Metro Center or take the train directly to Gallery Place.

Each of these trips costs $2.70 using fare cards and $1.70 using SmarTrip cards.

Step 3 — Walking to the Verizon Center from Metro Center or Gallery Place:

From the Metro Center station, walk east down G Street until you see the beacon of hope that is Verizon Center. It is about a five-minute walk.

From the Gallery Place station, go up the 7th and F Street escalators and you’ll be at Verizon Center. It’s as easy as that.

Total travel time: 30-40 minutes.

Option 2: Taxi

If you choose to take a taxi to Verizon Center, it usually takes around 20 minutes if you leave from the front gates and should cost around $15-20 each way.

Option 3: New Georgetown Shuttle 

Starting this season, Georgetown is offering a shuttle service (departing from McDonough parking lot) to Verizon Center. This shuttle will only be available for transportation to games (not from them) and will leave 1.5 hours before the start of the game. The shuttle will be available for games against High Point University (Dec. 5), Colgate University (Dec. 7) and the Big East conference home games against Seton Hall, Marquette, Villanova, Butler and Xavier. All student season ticket holders are eligible, and those who will be able to use this service will be notified 3-5 days before the game. There are more specific eligibility requirements and information on how to receive your bus passes here.

Option 4: Metro Buses

The Georgetown-Union Station circulator route is also another transportation option for Georgetown students. You can pick up this bus at N and Wisconsin Avenue (near The Daily Grill) for just $1. The travel time for this trip is about 40 minutes, and the bus drops you off at Massachusetts and 7th Street. From there, it is a four-minute walk down 7th Street to Verizon Center.

Remember, Hoya basketball games can get packed, so be sure to budget a little extra time to arrive early and get great seats. Generally, it’s a good idea to leave approximately an hour before game time. Now get up, get down to the Phone Booth and cheer on your fellow Hoyas! You know what they say: “New Big East, Same Old Beast!”