Go West (East, North or South)

The personal radius. Home, work, supermarket and all crucial stops in between. It's trod so often you could navigate it with your eyes closed.

With estimated arrival times that fluctuate by the tenth of a second or the length of a motorcade.

With a running commentary on the duration of each stoplight, the depth of each pothole, the paint peeling beneath the eves of that blighted house on the corner. And would it kill them to break out the lawn mower? It's been weeks, for crying out loud!

Right, then. Perhaps it's time for a change of scenery.

Luckily in this region, with its incredibly varied landscapes, communities and characters, you don't have to go far to really get away. But you do have to go.

To that end, we've done some legwork for you. What follows are potential daytrip itineraries to interesting areas of the region. Places that maybe you've wondered about, heard about, seen on the nightly weather map and, in the secret hollows of your heart, yearned desperately to explore. (Or swing by, at least, for an afternoon . . .)

To chart out each journey, we enlisted the help of savvy insiders who gave us the kind of insights only a true local could offer. (Although we're also all for getting lost and tripping into your own treasures -- as long as you report back with your findings: E-mail us at weekend@washpost.com.)

Now, hit the road. The one less traveled.

-- Ellen McCarthy