Friday morning, I went to the DMV. And it was great.

This should come as no surprise, really, seeing as the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has made great strides in customer service over the past few years.

But the news is that the DMV opened a new service center in April on the unit block of M Street SW. It’s very nice.

Best thing about M Street: plenty of free parking. Used to be if you wanted to park the car you were there to register/entitle, you had to head across the river to Penn Branch (also not a bad facility, incidentally) or take your chances in Georgetown or Judiciary Square. But M Street’s got a nice freshly paved, clearly signed lot out front. Sweet.

Other nice thing: brightly lit, comfortable waiting area with plenty of natural light. Devotees of the old C Street outpost will find this a nice change of pace. And M Street has at least five flat-screen TVs. Unfortunately, all of them display the wait-numbering system rather than entertainment. Hey guys, can’t you put on some Ken Burns documentaries, a la the Superior Court jury room?

My wait, to register a change of address at about 10:30 in the morning, was about 20 minutes, so I wasn’t too desparate for video entertainment.

One thing that hasn’t changed: No service with a smile. Still, the three people I dealt with (one to make sure I had what I needed, one to enter my new address into the computer, one to take my picture and make my new license) were all direct, clear, and efficient.

But if you do know how to smile, take note: They’re hiring.