In May we noted some major progress at the once weed strewn concrete lot – now it might be the best pocket park in the District. (Next up – fixing his dilapidated home nearby.)
9th and Rhode Island Ave, NW
More photos after the jump. (more…)
parks
Turkey Thicket Recreation Center located at 1000 N Michigan Ave, NE
“Dear PoPville,
Just saw this on the Brookland Listserv. Insane:
Turkey Thicket bans children from the pool from 6:30 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 8 pm Monday through Friday (pool is closed on Sunday). This policy even affects the children’s pool – which has been empty since the policy was implemented. The pool claims it gets too crowded yet instead of implementing a first-come, first-serve policy, the pool has decided it is best to ban families. Families who go to the pool to teach children to swim are told to use the splash park. When temperatures rise to dangerous levels – especially for young children – families are told to go outside and use the splash park. No other D.C. public pool has this policy. Turkey Thicket is one of the few pools easily accessible by metro & bus.”
Via email DPR says:
“We are evaluating our popular summer programming at the pool. We will alert residents with any changes and updates.”
Ed. Note: A couple years ago we spoke about a swimmer who was banned for wearing a swim shirt here.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Phil
From a press release:
“Four new postage stamps featuring the water lilies of Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens are springing up in homes and businesses across the country. Issued this year by the U.S. Postal Service, each stamp depicts a midsummer close-up of one of four classic garden water lilies cultivated at Kenilworth’s gardens.
“These stamps, like the lilies themselves, are more than simply stunning,” National Park Service Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail said. “They shine a spotlight on more than a century of plant propagation and wetlands protections in the northeast corner of Washington, DC. You really have to visit this national park in person to gain a full appreciation for the innovative work taking place here.”
The water lily stamps are available in booklet form online and at post offices across the U.S. See the originals in person now, as the bloom season enters full swing at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens. Water lilies are aquatic herbs that live in both temperate and tropical climates around the world; they are found in still freshwater habitats.
The blooms are still spectacular in early July, making this a great season to visit. On July 11, the National Park Service will hold the annual Lotus and Water Lily Festival with support from our cooperating association Eastern National and park partner, Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. The festival showcases the spectacular display of lotus and water lilies in full bloom and the cultural connections that these plants foster. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can take part in a day of free music, educational programs, art, hands-on activities, and more. The water lily stamps and other products that showcase those stamps will be available for purchase at the festival. Find more information at www.nps.gov/keaq.
Public transportation is the best way to get to the Lotus and Water Lily Festival. A free shuttle service will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from the Minnesota Ave Metro station on Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. Parking at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is very limited; satellite parking and a free shuttle service are available at Kenilworth Park and Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation Center.
The only National Park Service site devoted entirely to the propagation and display of aquatic plants, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens is known worldwide for its unique landscape and botanical, educational, and recreational contributions. Ongoing programs introduce visitors to the lush aquatic vegetation and habitat thriving along the marshes just east of the Anacostia River. Find Your Park at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Kenilworth Ave NE, Washington, DC, 20019.”
A reader writes on Saturday:
“I was just laying out in meridian hill park today at 4pm with a male friend. I am a female in a bikini. This man was hiding behind this tree, laying out long on his stomach like a sniper so he couldn’t be seen from my angle, taking photos from the ground in between my legs and of my butt. A group of women saw him. I confronted him and he ran away. I chased him across the park and got a few good photos. This happened in a very public area. Has anyone else reported this creep? What can I even do about this?”
“Dear PoPville,
On Sunday (5/17) around 8:15 p.m. a man fell from the upper level of Meridian Hill Park, on 16th Street just south of Crescent Place. He landed on the concrete wall next to the sidewalk on 16th. According to witnesses, he was breathing when he landed and then stopped. I saw someone give him CPR until emergency services arrived and there were a number of shocked witnesses standing around – it was a grim scene. He was eventually taken away in an ambulance.
I can’t stop thinking about the victim and wondering whether he made it. :( There haven’t been any news reports as far as I can find. The drum circle was still in full swing up there at the time of the accident – did anyone else see it happen?”
On Sunday a reader tweeted us the photo above:
“16th St by Meridian Hill Park, 830pm. DCFD rescuing someone from terrace below big retaining wall”
9th and Rhode Island Ave, NW
From a concrete patch to this – nice! Now if they could just fix the house…
Hurrah! The Meridian Hill Park fountains are filled again. Though the pressure seems lower again like it was last year:
Also the restoration of the 16th Street entrance/retaining wall has been completed:
But the Washington Meridian marker plaque is gone!! Let’s hope it doesn’t got the way of the Armillary Sphere.
Here’s what it used to look like:
Photo by flickr user David
“The inscription reads: THE STONE MARKING THE WASHINGTON MERIDIAN WAS FORMERLY LOCATED 52 FEET 9 INCHES WEST OF THIS TABLET WHICH WAS PRESENTED BY THE ARMY & NAVY CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1804 1923
L’Enfant planned Washington around a right triangle, having its 90° vertex at the Washington Monument, its eastern vertex at the Congress House, and its northern vertex at the President’s House, now called the White House. The west side of L’Enfant’s triangle forms a natural prime meridian passing through the President’s House. The following five features on this meridian are listed from south to north. In 1793, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson surveyed and marked with a wooden post the southwest vertex of L’Enfant’s triangle, establishing the second Washington meridian, the one through the President’s House. The wooden post was replaced by the Jefferson Pier in 1804, while Jefferson was President of the United States. After removal and replacement several times, it was permanently replaced in 1889 by a two foot (0.7 m) square, two foot tall granite pier, now 119 m WNW of the center of the Washington Monument. Its longitude is 77°2’11.56″W (NAD 83). In 1890, the Meridian Stone was placed at the center of the Ellipse on the same meridian. It is an 18 inch (45 cm) square granite post set flush with the ground. In 1923, the Zero Milestone was placed on the same meridian on the north side of the Ellipse, intended to represent the zero mileage point for all United States roads (but never was). It is a granite pillar about 18 inches (45 cm) square and about 3.5 feet (1 m) tall. The most prominent feature on this Washington meridian (besides the White House) is 16th Street, which extends due north from the White House. The last feature on this meridian no longer exists. It was a small freestone obelisk placed in 1804 on top of a hill 1.5 miles (2.5 km) north of the President’s House, hence the name Meridian Hill. It was at the northern end of 16th Street, north of Florida Avenue, before 16th Street was extended northward soon after 1900, covering it up. Now adjoining the east side of 16th Street where the obelisk once stood is Meridian Hill Park.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user John Reinhardt
Bummer for volleyball players. From NBC Washington:
“Now he and hundreds of other players will have to pay a $30, non-refundable fee online for two hours of play and reserve a court.”
From Change.org:
“The sand volleyball courts next to the Lincoln Memorial are Washington D.C.’s most valuable public volleyball resource. If you have been there, you know that individual players, teams, and friends of all ages and experience levels are welcome to play at the open-access courts FOR FREE, whenever they want. For the past 40 years, hundreds have played each week as soon as the weather is warm (and sometimes even when it’s not!). (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.
Great news via Frozen Tropics from the USDA:
“On April 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) U.S. National Arboretum (USNA) will once again be open to the public seven days a week, its original operating schedule. USNA continued a full research schedule but reduced the public schedule by three days a week in 2013 due to reduced funding, closing to the public Tuesday through Thursday. The Arboretum is operated by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency.
“We are very pleased that the U.S. National Arboretum will return to its normal operating schedule on April 14,” said Chavonda Jacobs-Young, ARS Administrator. “In addition to the vital plant research conducted there, the Arboretum is also a source of relaxation and enjoyment for the public and visitors to Washington, D.C. We are thankful for the support of the Friends of the National Arboretum in helping us to restore the Arboretum’s normal operating schedule. It is a great example of well-functioning private/government partnership benefiting the public.”
Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) is the principal private, nonprofit partner of USNA. FONA began raising funds following the 2013 schedule reduction to facilitate resuming USNA’s seven-day schedule. The funds raised by FONA will help pay for custodial, security, and public information services for the three days of operations over the next three years. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Phil
From the National Parks Service:
“The National Park Service is accepting comments from the public on a proposed plan to relocate geese from parts of the National Mall using environmentally safe and humane methods. The project would use border collies at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Washington Monument grounds and John F. Kennedy Hockey Fields to haze the Mall’s large and growing Canada goose population into moving to other parts of the park. Comments are being accepted online through April 22, 2015.
Large flocks of resident Canada geese around the National Mall leave excessive goose droppings, as much as 2-3 pounds per goose per day. More than a nuisance to pedestrians, the droppings damage the pumps and filters of the Reflecting Pool;degrade the park’s natural and cultural resources;and their feces have potential to create a public health hazard. With the assistance of the border collies, which are bred to herd sheep and have a natural instinct to round up flocks of geese, the geese will be encouraged to abandon the lawns and water in these areas and relocate elsewhere. No birds will be physically harmed during the hazing process.
How to Comment (more…)