By Taxi, Expanding National Harbor's Reach

If you're looking for the wonder in taking a water taxi across the Potomac, perhaps it is best to look at the journey through the eyes of a 4-year-old.

It was Jasmine Elalaoui's first time on a boat -- that she could remember, anyway -- and she watched wide-eyed as the Miss Mallory, a 65-foot white catamaran, pulled up to the dock. It is capable of carrying 149 people, but on this warm afternoon, Jasmine and her mother, Marla, were two of only four passengers on the vessel. The mother and daughter had made the trip to National Harbor, the massive development taking shape on the banks of the Potomac River in southern Prince George's County, out of curiosity.

"I live five minutes from here," said Marla Elalaoui of Temple Hills. "I thought I'd go down and see what it's about."

Alexandria and Georgetown have long considered the Potomac an extension of their boundaries, using the river to entertain and transport people even as roads and bridges have been built around them. Now, Prince George's, which historically has not had much of a relationship with the river that runs along its southeastern edge, is climbing aboard.

In its quest to link to the greater Washington area, National Harbor in Oxon Hill installed a water taxi service in April to ferry people between the harbor and the marina at Old Town Alexandria. Other trips go to Georgetown and Mount Vernon.

Run by Potomac Riverboat of Alexandria, a one-way trip between Alexandria and National Harbor takes 20 minutes and costs $7 -- saving time, money and the aggravation of driving across the nearby Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Because of the later hours -- 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. -- and the somewhat limited list of destinations, most of the riders seem to be people traveling from conventions at National Harbor to dine, shop and see the sights in Alexandria. The trips are more popular in the evenings and on weekends. The taxi is expected to get between 20 and 45 people a trip at peak times, and even more when convention organizers buy blocks of tickets for riders. But in these early days, the boat can be nearly empty.

"It's not what we'd like, but on the other hand, consistency is good in this business," said Joe Gazzo, the boat's skipper, who wore navy blue shorts and a white shirt with epaulets. And he was nothing if not consistent, leaving the dock at the stroke of 12:30 p.m. with a few blasts of his horn.

"We're moving," Jasmine announced.

Gazzo has been doing this work for 20 years and taught sailing in Annapolis for 15 years, though he started working for the Potomac Riverboat only recently.

"Here I am now for my sins," Gazzo said. He was kidding; even after dealing with the stress of docking the big boat 16 times a shift, he acknowledged his job isn't bad. "I'm not in an office, am I?" he said.

He wasn't, and nor was anyone else on the boat. Two people were basking in the sunshine on the top deck, while the Elalaouis stood in the air-conditioned compartment below gazing out the windows.