Unique Places in Washington D.C.

Mike and I escaped the frey and walked around the quiet marina. There is not much open in the morning. Walking around was quiet and scenic. The fish markets were just setting up, so I guess we were there pretty early. It was a nice walk and along the water are restaurants and clubs. Phillips all you can eat seafood buffet is here, and a huge club call H2O. We saw some lucky people getting up off their boat and riding their bike to work. Cool.

If you travel to Washington with children, the National Zoological Park is a "must see" activity. Even if you don't have children, it's a "must see". The beautifully landscaped park covers 163 acres in an urban area & is an innovative center for animal care & conservation.

There are more than 4,000 animals who live at the zoo in habitats that allow natural behavior.
This zoo was opened in 1889 & was the 1st in the world to adopt a goal of preserving endangered species.

Since school groups come in the mornings, wait until about two in the afternoon to make your visit. That is especially true if you want to see the giant pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian.

I love all kinds of cats, so I was thrilled to see the extremely endangered Sumatran Tigers that have been successfully bred at the National Zoo.
I am always mesmerized by the antics of the Western Lowland gorillas such as the ones housed in the Great Ape House.

The American western grasslands are exhibited in The American Prairie in a recreation of their complex eco-system. Bison graze while prairie dogs cavort around. It's a "riot" to observe!
You can even watch an on-going research study of the cognitive & language abilities of the Orangutans in a building they term the Think Tank.

One of the National Zoological Park's most successful conservation efforts has been with the Golden Lion Tamarins who are squirrel-sized primates. In the warm-weather months, these Lion Tamarins run free in the trees around Valley Trail.

At the Great Plains exhibit, Cheetahs actually wander around a recreation of the grasslands of their native African habitat.

Don't miss the Komodo Dragons (rare lizards that grow up to 10 feet & weigh up to 200 pounds...they are the 1st to be born in captivity outside of Indonesia.

To avoid an uphill walk, use the Cleveland Park Metro Stop, which is most convenient for the Connecticul Avenue entrance.

3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Free Admission

"Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again." Henry Ford

In the 1800s, Georgetown was a major port with a huge slave and tobacco trade, commercial wharves, unattractive, cheap housing...a slum.

Once the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal & its competitor, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad arrived, they brought money to Georgetown; suddenly, it was "exclusive". All went well until the canal began to fail because of flood damage, and, yes, the slum conditions returned.

It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who rehabilitated the area, but it was during the Kennedy era when Georgetown became "hip".
Allan and I visited Georgetown at night to take Ian Vasquez, a former student of mine, to dinner. He gave us a fast tour before dinner.

Georgetown Universtiy sits on its hill which overlooks Georgetown & the PotomacRiver. With its stone towers, it almost seems that it belongs to the Middle Ages. Visitors can obtain campus maps & suggestions for strolls from the booth at the main gates.

Right in the middle of the shopping area, you can see and tour Old Stone House (1766). The National Park Service provides tours and demonstrations. (3051 M St)

Oak Hill Cemetery has a Gothic Revival chapel & the Van Ness Mausoleum, which are on the National Register of Historic Places. (R & 30th Streets, NW)

In the summer, mule-drawn barge rides are offered with expert guides at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. Visitor Center: (1057 Thomas Jeffereson St. NW)

A wide variety of shops & restaurants make their home on famous Wisconsin Avenue.The gold dome of Landmark Riggs National Bank is at the junction of Wisconsin Ave. & M St.

I just have to mention when I arrived in Maryland my sister wanted to drive me around right away, so off we went:-) As I notice right away, these very colorful Panda Bear Statues every where and I mean every where. I kept asking my sister what was up with that and she said what on earth am I talking about. So when we finally hit a red traffic light there was a beautiful display of art on a Panda Bear on a corner, my poor sis said, "Oh, my goodness I never notice them before!" Well, I did one of those three stooges slap over my face and said Good Lord!....LOL! You gotta to love her..LOL!

There are over a 150 of these wonderful designed works of art all over the city. On street corners everywhere. There are on display from May till Sept 2004. There are very impressive and I had such an appreciation for them and the time to create such beauty. Once the exhibit concludes they are to be auctioned off and the proceeds used for future artist grants and art education programs!

Oh I picked up a map at the metro station that gave all the location to where the Pandas are located.

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For anyone that has ever seen the movie The Exorcist, a visit to The Exorcist Stairs is a must. This narrow and fairly long set of steps is where the priest rids himself of the devil by hurling himself to his death down the formidable passageway. Today, the same steps serve a more functional and less scary purpose: it is used by countless Georgetown athletes to get into great shape as the 75 steps is the equivalent of a 5 story building. Ten trips up and down should get your heart rate going if you run them. We just did them once for posterity but I can imagine if I lived in the neighborhood (and I wouldn't mind that one bit) I would use them as part of my workouts too.

Connects Prospect and M Street in Georgetown. Easy to stumble across but hopefully not down. ;)

The Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel is in the Gothic Revival style and was designed by Frank Renwick Jr. in 1850. Set on the highest ridge of Oak Hill Cemetery, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and perhaps the most visited site in a very impressive and scenic cemetery.

We unfortunately had only one afternoon in lovely Georgetown and by the time we got to the cemetery, it was closed for the day. I grabbed this shot though the fence and later learned that photography was not permitted in the cemetery, a tough thing to abide by with such beautiful structures as this within its confines.

Near the intersection of 29th and R Streets, Northwest

To get from the DuPont Circle neighborhood to Georgetown on Q Street you will cross over Rock Creek on the Dumbarton Bridge, nicknamed the Buffalo Bridge, the reason why should be obvious. :-)

I thought the bridge was named after someone named Dumbarton but after doing a little web surfing it appears that the bridge and the nearby Dumbarton House were named for as a tribute to the property owner's homeland of Scotland, Dumbarton is a town near Glasgow.

The sculptor of the buffalo on the bridge was Alexander Proctor, the bridge was built in 1914.

Near Dupont Circle at Q and 23rd St.

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Though not an Ivy League school, Georgetown University certainly has much of the air of one and alumni that are prosperous in a similar fashion. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States. Healy Hall is the cornerstone building of the old quadrangle which makes up a classic college grassy area for students to relax and soak up all that Georgetown atmosphere.

I love checking out high end schools since I never could afford to attend one and Georgetown did not disappoint. It was nice for Doreen who is from Germany to see up close one of the United States' more renowned schools too.

Prospect & 35th Street NW.