Leaving the Car at Home
December 23rd, 2010 · 4 Comments · Posted in Blog, Sustainability
Garden not happy with freezing temps
Here’s my gift to planet earth: When I have to run errands, I leave the car in the driveway and walk.
We had a couple of books that needed to be returned the the library. That would be the central library here in the District of Columbia, the Martin Luther King Jr. Library downtown. That’s exactly two miles from our house, or a brisk walk of about 30 minutes for me. I used to drive to the library when parking there was free. But they’ve closed their underground lot to the public and since I started walking everywhere, I’ve found that this is well within my range. Not only do I avoid all the hassles of battling downtown traffic and trying to find a parking place, I get some great exercise and don’t spew carbon into the atmosphere.
It’s a perfect trifecta.
Leaving the house, you can see how our vegetable garden has been flattened by an unusually chilly run-up to winter. We were getting wonderful salads and hearty greens from the garden just a couple of weeks ago.
View from Cardoza High School grounds
Most people think of Washington, D.C., as the nation’s capital and site of monuments and museums. In fact, it is mostly residential, as you can see in this photo from the grounds of Cardoza High School, named after the former Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardoza. (The high school’s athletic teams are named the “clerks.” Seriously.) We live just a block from here in a neighborhood called Columbia Heights, aptly named since it is significantly elevated from the downtown with panoramic views of the capitol dome and Washington Monument. On the Fourth of July, people jam this spot to watch the fireworks displays.
Logan circle, also a place to sit and gaze
Walking down 13th Street toward the center of the city, you enter Logan circle, one of many roundabouts included in the city’s original design. The District is laid on in a grid pattern with alphabetical streets running east-to-west and numbered streets running north-to-south. Avenues, 48 of them named after states (can you guess which two aren’t?) run on a diagonal, which makes for some very interesting intersections, especially when you get to the circles. In some countries, drivers know to navigate circles, simply yielding to the drivers on their right. In D.C., every circle is complicated by a number of traffic signals. It’s much easier to walk.
Mansion at Logan Circle
This circle is named for John Alexander Logan, a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Like many of the other famous circles in the District, Logan Circle was surrounded by grand mansions from the 19th century. Many of the city’s fine old homes were razed to erect office buildings. Logan Circle has maintained its character with several exquisite homes, such as this one. It was boarded up for years, but has since been restored to its original glory.
New apartment buildings near downtown
Policies favoring residential construction in the center of the city have led to a boom in commerce and street life. These newly constructed apartments–just south of Logan Circle–are within walking distance of the city’s business core.
Morning traffic on K Street NW
Here’s a view of the famous K Street, known as home to so many of Washington’s lawyers and lobbyist. The District has a restriction on the height of its buildings, which gives the downtown a pleasant low-rise quality. No Manhattanization here. This time of year, the sun rises from the south, creating stark shadows even at 10 a.m.
Recent office building construction
This part of Washington used to be better known for prostitutes and peep shows. But the city has experienced a boom in construction and commerce in recent decades. Now you see office buildings like this one and streets lines with quality restaurants and shops. Throw in theaters, apartment buildings and a downtown coliseum and you have a first-class city throbbing with activity. It doesn’t hurt that the federal government’s presence here makes the District’s economy fairly recession-proof.
Martin Luther King Jr. Library
The District of Columbia’s central library was designed by architect Mies van der Rohe, which explains its stark, box-like modern appearance. This makes the building practically historic, but there’s been a lot of debate about whether it’s truly functional anymore and should be replaced. For my money, not enough people use it to make replacing it worth the cost. Still, I like that it’s there when I need it. Over the years, I’ve used it mostly for the children’s section. Today our daughter had requested a book called Once Upon Curse, or book three in the “Tales of the Frog Princess” series.
Cowgirl Creamery on historic F Street
Around the corner from the library is an historic block of F Street, not far from the Ford’s Theater where Lincoln was shot. One of the best little shops is Cowgirl Creamery, a great place to sample artisanal cheeses from around the country and the world. We eat a lot of cheese, and if the Whole Foods weren’t so much closer to where we live, I would do more of my cheese shopping here. I spent some time sampling a number of soft and semi-hard varieties–cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, goat. I walked out with three I had never tried before.
Whole Food on P Street
On the walk home I did stop at the Whole Foods on P Street. My wife had requested some parchment paper. Despite its rap for high prices, I’ve grown to appreciate Whole Foods as one of the best grocers in the city. They carry almost everything we need and I especially like the bulk section. Their prices on fresh produce are not out of line with other supermarkets and frequently are cheaper than the local Safeway, I’ve found. They also have a great selection of affordable wines and an extensive cheese shop. Their meats are far and away better than at any other grocery in the city. I should stop–I’m starting to sound like an ad for Whole Foods.
Source theater at 14th and P Streets
This used to be an area of Washington avoid, especially at night. But now 14th Street has become extremely trendy, with high-end apartments, cutting-edge restaurants, wine shops, clothing boutiques and hip furniture stores. It’s also now home to the city’s art house theater district.
From here, I walk another mile to get home, passing U Street, another of Washington’s newly famous restaurant districts. None of this was here when we bought our first house in 1987. I suppose it’s true what they say: Good things come to those who wait.
Or is it those who walk?
Yes walking is great, but with with so many shops in reach, I will need a wheelbarrow to go back home. Specially with Wholefoods close by, I always buy a lot when I get to one (every 2 years!), so many cool stuff, but no raw milk yet!!! I get raw milk here in France in our bio coop, and raw cream and butter in our local cheese shop.
Happy new year.
What a great love letter to walking in the city! (One nit-pick: the old homes were razed, not raised to make home for office buildings, eh?) And just think how much more cheese you can eat after that calorie burn! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you all, give Lane a hug from me. <3
Thanks for the correction, Dana. One thing I miss is not having any editor any more. I urge readers whenever they see a mistake to let me know immediately so I can fix it. Community editing is slower, but can get us to the same place.
I loved that, Ed. I couldn’t wait to see what was around your next corner. I passed some of those things when I took the city bus to see you and your garden this summer, but I didn’t know the backstory about them.