parks

Stumbling Upon Rock Creek Park

By Prince Of Petworth

Last weekend I had one of my usual cravings for Taco Bell. Instead of hitting my usual spot on 14th Street I decided to hit the one on Connecticut Avenue in Van Ness. I had a beef mexi melt and a nachos supreme washed down with a Dr. Pepper. Delicious. But I mention this because I ended up stumbling down Tilden Street in post T-bell ecstasy. What amazed me was that ten minutes ago I was on busy Connecticut Avenue and the next thing I knew I wound up in beautiful Rock Creek Park. I often hit the park in the warmer months but it was so refreshing to explore a bit in near solitude. The creek itself was amazing. I even spotted a little waterfall that had me mesmerized.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Meridian Hill Park Renovation Update

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks a million to a reader for sending the following response to his inquiry:

All of the necessary infrastructure work, as well as construction work on the entire lower level of the park, were completed over a year ago.
Construction of the lodge house on the upper level has been completed and was inspected last week. That inspection revealed a few items that need to be corrected by the contractor before the Park Service accepts the building. Until these corrections have been made and the building is occupied, the fencing and plywood around the lodge house will remain in place to prevent vandalism.

The lawn areas on the upper level of the park have been regraded and sodded, and are under contractor warrantee. This means that the contractor is responsible for maintaining the lawn areas for 1 year and turning over a well established, lush lawn to the Park Service at the completion of the contractor maintenance period. The contractor has the option of leaving the snow fencing up during this maintenance period, and we expect them to do so since the contractor will face a substantial financial burden should the lawn areas be damaged.

If you are concerned about the amount of available space, the lower level is open and has not been affected by construction on the upper level.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Coleman
Superintendent, Rock Creek Park
National Park Service

Raymond Park has Banned Dogs

By Prince Of Petworth

From a reader:

“Just thought you’d like to know, I happened to see someone posting a sign prohibiting dogs on the field at Raymond park (between 9th St. NW, Quincy St. NW, and Spring St. NW – the park a block away from the GA Ave/Petworth Station). This is a popular spot for off-leash play and it’s not uncommon to see people walking dogs there at various times of the day, so it gets a lot of use from the canine community. While I’m sympathetic to dog owners in the neighborhood (I use this park to walk my dog once in awhile as well), I guess we should also take into account the fact that there had been a sign stating that all dogs must be on a leash and owners must clean up after their dogs. The majority of owners seem to clean up after their dogs, but unfortunately the leash rule was often ignored. Hopefully the new dog parks planned for the area will fill the void, but in the meantime we dog owners should try to be exemplary citizens when it comes to dog walking etiquette in order to avoid more restrictions and to endear ourselves to our non-dog-owning neighbors and the rest of the community.”

It’s Official – Columbia Heights Gets an Unofficial Dog Park at 11th and Park

By Prince Of Petworth

Last Friday I wrote about the coming dog park at 17th and S Street, NW. In the comments section a reader wrote:

“For a variety of reasons, the Park Road space will not be an “official” dog park anytime in the immediate future (if ever). However, dog owners may note the improved layout of the space (there should be gates going in to fill those two spaces in the fence at some point) which happens to be conducive to use by dogs, and should feel free to congregate, informally, accordingly. Hopefully, regular users will take an interest in keeping the space clean, tidy, and green.”

I spoke with some folks today that confirmed the above comment. The space is owned by Metro and the gate will be intentionally unlocked so that folks can bring their dogs there. MPD won’t bother you because it is Metro land but I agree with the original commenter that it will be up to the community to keep the space clean. I think Councilman Graham probably deserves a fair share of credit as he did quite a bit to make this an official park but it seems to me an unofficial park should be just as good. From what I understand it’s good to go right now. So for folks with dogs be sure to write me and let me know how it goes.

Anyone Have An Opinion On The Meridian Hill Vs. Malcolm X Park Name Debate?

By Prince Of Petworth

So from time to time when I write about Meridian Hill Park people get a bit upset because they believe the true name is Malcolm X park. But I just noticed walking by the other day that it has Meridian Hill etched into the stone on the border of the park. So is that a recent addition? When did the name change occur? Anyone believe one name is more appropriate than another?

More Dog Park News

By Prince Of Petworth

Sorry I forgot to mention this – “DPR To Make Improvements To Dog Exercise Area at Walter Pierce Park”:

“The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) announced today that they will be making improvements to the dog exercise area at Walter Pierce Park, located at Adams Mill & Ontario Roads, NW.

Weather permitting, the dog exercise area is scheduled to close and work begin on January 22, 2009. Once underway, work is expected to last approximately three weeks. The rest of Walter Pierce Park will remain open.

Improvements to the dog exercise area include the installation of new five-foot high perimeter fencing with a double gate, and installation of a new dog exercise surface, which will be 6 inches of compacted stone.”

For more on Walter Pierce Park you can read a profile here.

Speaking of dog parks – the park at S Street and 17th, NW is also slated to become a dog park.

More photos after the jump. (They also have some cool sculptures that I’ve never photographed before I hope they remain after the renovation.) (more…)

Park at 14th and Girard Getting Fixed Up

By Prince Of Petworth

I’ve received a few emails about this but just walked by and spotted this sign. Looks pretty cool:

I’m psyched it’ll have a fountain.

This is what it currently looks like:

New Dog Park at 11th and R, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

I finally walked past the new dog park at 11th and R streets last week. I have to say it seemed kind of drab. There were pebbles on the ground instead of grass which I also found curious. So for the dog owners out there – is this a good dog park?

What’s A Millennium’s Wait For A Cool Park?

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks to a reader for sending in this photo.

The reader did add:

“I’ve gotta say the delays in final renovation, primarily landscaping and grass seeding, is a major point of frustration for the immediate neighborhood. I know the park service is trying but it always seems to be two steps forward one step back.”

Fortunately, there are other parts of the park that have some nice grass. Remember folks were sun bathing just a week ago.Hopefully there’ll be some progress grass seeding the rest of the park between now and the next thousand years or so…

Banneker Swimming Pool (and Tennis Courts)

By Prince Of Petworth

Well this is sweet! Someone mentioned it in the comments last week and I’d actually never checked it out. (Julian may do a more detailed post later on put I wanted to get something up quick so people could take advantage of it.) Located on the 2800 block of Georgia Ave. the pool is open 1pm-8pm on weekdays (closed on Thursday) and 12-6pm on weekends. It is a huge pool and people seemed to be having a blast. So if you’re looking to cool off in August this seems like a great option. Anyone a regular? Tennis courts after the jump. (more…)

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