Tag Archives: favorites

Five Favorites, The Features
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Five Favorites: Swimming Pools

Photo courtesy of
‘Swim’
courtesy of ‘dansteeves68’

Here in DC, we’ve got a good thing going: all of the District’s swimming pools are free and open to DC residents. Other cities make you purchase pool passes or pay each time you go to a pool, but because of the “DC Free Swim” program sponsored by Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, we don’t have to. And not only do we get free pool access, there are also free swimming lessons available at many pools. And whether you’re a triathlete looking to get a good workout, or you just want to splash around and pretend that it’s summer, there’s a pool for you. So what are you waiting for? Head out to one of these year-round DC pools today! Here are my picks for the best pools in the District:

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The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Neighborhood Superlatives

Photo courtesy of
‘Foggy Bottom NH Ave.’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

When I first started writing the Where We Live feature back in April, I didn’t know all that much about DC’s neighborhoods.  I’ve had a lot of fun exploring DC’s neighborhoods and learning more about how they evolved into the great places they are today.  So to wrap up the year (not this feature, don’t worry– we’ve got several more DC neighborhoods to profile and then we’ll be heading out to the suburbs in 2010!), I thought it’d be fun to share some of the most interesting parts of some of the seventeen DC neighborhoods I’ve checked out.  So read on to learn about the most controversial Where We Live, the bloggiest neighborhood, the one thing that every person I’ve interviewed tells me they love about their neighborhood, and more!

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The Features
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DC’s Great Streets: Part 1


View We Love DC’s Favorite Streets in a larger map

The District’s Great Streets Initative aims to revitalize selected corridors in the city by focusing funding on streetscape improvements, economic development assistance, and public safety initiatives.  The program was started back in 2005 and it’s probably too early to tell how successful it has been.  But that program really focuses on streets that need revitalization– areas with little pedestrian activity, not a lot of walkable attractions, and pretty bleak streetscapes.

What about streets that are already great?  Streets that are pleasant to walk down, with lots of shade and benches and a mix of uses to walk to– DC certainly has some pretty fantastic streets already.  I set out to ask our authors about their favorite streets, and here’s the first half of their picks for the District’s greatest streets:

Tom: Pennsylvania Ave SE & 7th Street SE.  From this corner, you can see so much of the city.  Just north of here on 7th is Eastern Market, to the northwest along Pennsylvania are the Library of Congress (my favorite DC Landmark) and the Capitol.  Large trees stand along the sidewalks, and in the medians, and while cars traverse the neighborhood, the sedate pace feels like that of a county seat, and not the nation’s capital.  Seward Square has beautiful residential spaces just a block away, and the small businesses that dot Pennsylvania and 7th are some of my favorite. Montmartre is a great place to get lunch, and Peregrine Espresso is one of my favorite cups of coffee in the universe, and Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery is just a couple blocks away.  Shade and comfort, right in the middle of our busy city.

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