Painfully Slow iPhone 5 LTE Speeds On Verizon in DC

Just got my iPhone 5 on Verizon (I switched from AT&T finally) and been testing it out over the weekend here in the DC Metro Area. I must say right now, I couldn't be more disappointed. I never seem to have more than 2 bars of LTE service even standing outdoors. I was in a building yesterday and couldn't even get 3G let alone LTE. I am stunned how often the phone reverts to 2G or 3G service. I understand it in the subway tunnels to a certain extent, but standing in an open field with 300+ feet of open space in every direction and having barely 2 bars of LTE seems really subpar. I even ran a speedtest right now sitting in my office with 2 different apps and even though I have 2 bars of LTE neither of them showed speed of over 1 Mbps. I don't know if it is my phone or if its the network but I am not happy with my experience right now so far. I'll give it a few more days, maybe try restoring and setting up again or a trip to the Genius Bar later this week, but if this is what I am getting for my money, I will either go back to AT&T or go back to my iPhone 4. Is anyone else having poor LTE experience/speeds, especially on Verizon or in the DC Metro Area?