Last month, my daughter and I made our annual spring trip to visit my parents in Washington, DC. Bearing my new FitBit, I spent much of the week exploring the city on foot. Washington is a multi-faceted place and reasonably accommodating to pedestrians, as long as you don't mind hills. Despite growing up nearby, there are still sections of town I don't know especially well, or at all. In total, I logged 111,390 steps for the week, including four days of 12k or more. I walked 55.87 miles in all. Included below are a few of the highlights from my trekking. All photos are my own.
Tuesday
Monuments and Memorials
Steps: 22,378
Miles: 10.5
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| FDR Memorial |
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| Korean War Veterans' Memorial |
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| Turtle in the Tidal Basin |
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| George Mason Memorial |
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| Jefferson Memorial |
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| Women's Titanic Memorial |
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| U.S. Navy Memorial |
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| National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial |
Wednesday
Capitol Hill and Georgetown
Steps: 24,622
Miles: 12.31
One of many things I like about
Lonely Planet's city guides is the neighborhood walks. On Wednesday, my most ambitious day, I tackled not one but two of the latest guide's walks: "Cap Hill Crawl" and "Genteel Georgetown."
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| Eastern Market |
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| Folger Shakespeare Library |
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| Library of Congress |
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| U.S. Supreme Court |
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| Union Station |
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| National Japanese American Memorial |
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| Oak Hill Cemetery |
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| Georgetown |
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| The famous staircase featured in The Exorcist |
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| Watergate and The Kennedy Center |
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| Georgetown's Waterfront |
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| C&O Canal |
Thursday
Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail
Steps: 20,385
Miles: 10.85
The city of Washington is working hard to clean up its own image. In an effort to enhance civic pride, the tourism department has developed walking tours. Signs are posted along each path with local historical information. Adams Morgan is my parents' neighborhood so we spend most of our DC time there but I am by no means an expert.
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| Malcolm X Park |
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| All Souls Church |
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| "Un Pueblo sin Murales es un Pueblo Desuralizado" (translation: a people without murals are a de-muralized people) by Carlos Salazar and Felipe Martinez |
Friday
A Fitting Tribute: Logan Circle Heritage Trail
Steps: 12,790
Miles: 7.13
This area includes what was, until fairly recently, the city's most notorious red light district. The signs do nothing to hide this colorful past and even include the history of cleaning it up.
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| The messy aftermath of all those flowering trees |
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| Vermont Avenue Baptist Church |
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| Logan Circle |
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| Luther Place Memorial Church |
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| House of the Temple - not on the tour but on the walk back to my parents.' I've long considered it one of the most eye-catching buildings in a city overrun with them. |
Hey AS. This is the first time I've seen a good photo essay on Washington DC. Very informative. I like the Lonely Planet's walking guides too. I wish they made them detachable. Thank you for the stroll!
ReplyDeleteDetachable - that's a brilliant idea. One thing I have done when I didn't feel like lugging the book around was to take a photo of the page with my phone.
DeleteYou walked a lot! I've never been to DC but it's on my list...
ReplyDeleteAmazing city.
DeleteI've only been once, and I didn't get to see much while I was there. We're making an effort to explore more of San Francisco, these days.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have only been to San Francisco once - college choir tour.
DeleteWashington is a good city to walk--great photos, sounds like you had a good adventure even if it was a place you grew up in.
ReplyDeleteI did.
DeleteWow! How many miles did that add up to be? You saw so much!
ReplyDelete55.87 miles for the week.
DeleteI enjoyed living close enough to D.C. so we could drive in for exhibits or special events. It looks as if some monuments have been added since I was last there. I miss Maryland.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
That was actually my purpose for Tuesday: visit the newer monuments that weren't around in my childhood. FDR is lovely.
Delete