DC Art Ride

 Laurie, Deidre, and I went on a little adventure in DC today. The aim: complete a 38 mile tour of public art. We didn't quite hit the goal - 28 miles total, if we're rounding, which we always are. We were out there for 4 hours - but it was a great adventure. Just so much stopping, navigating, and picture taking. We will have to go back to finish the other 18 miles (I think we only completed 20 miles of the cue sheet). 

We took off from Haines Point.

The first bit of artwork came up on us immediately, in the Fish market in the Wharf, just over the Anacostia river from the golf course. Not only was it Kamala with one of her best lines for Trump, but it was crocheted! 

Next up a bike shop with portraits of Anthony Bowen (civic leader and abolitionist who won his freedom in 1830 and went on the become the first African American employee at the patent and trade office), Benjamin Banneker (free African American born in 1731 who was an author, surveyor, landowner, farmer who authored a series of almanacs), Marvin Gaye (no explanation necessary), and the Edmonton sisters (two abolitionists who gained their freedom in 1848). This was cool because I learned about some people I hadn't heard of before.  

I accidentally went through a light as it was changing, leaving Laurie and Deidre waiting behind.

City neighborhoods are so interesting. In one place trash and glass. In other trees and shade and quaint houses. And so segregated. This was so evident on this ride.

Then the next surprise was that the ride went right by Devon's hair salon. It was so cool to finally see it!

This mural was next to her salon. The artwork in front promoted statehood. The one in back I thought was cool alongside the salon, but Deidre pointed out the controversy that the neighborhood has been increasingly gentrified, so a big mural of a rich white woman is in poor taste. 

This was the beginning of the Anacostia River trail/walk. 

Then we rode through the Navy Yard and Laurie got to see Nats Stadium. A game was in progress, and we were riding among the fans when I said, "Oh, is there a game?" Just a little clueless.

This is the walkway on the being renovated Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge going over the Anacostia River to the Navy Yard and Nats Stadium. The walkway did not appear to be renovated yet. You could see under the railing to the river below. If you dropped something, it would roll right off!

The view from the bridge.

Then we followed the Anacostia River Trail further to another Deidre haunt, the Anacostia Skate Park. Deidre comes here to practice her roller blading.

We wound our way along the Anacostia River, then when we came to the overpass over Kenilworth Avenue, Deidre spotted this mural. I think it was the whole reason we looped through here, so it was a great catch.

Then we started winding through some neighborhoods. Some colorful and artsy, some pretty run down with lots of trash and glass. We were lucky not to get a flat tire. 

We had to use a combination of the cue sheet and the gps to find our way. Sometimes the gps would get screwy and we needed the turn-by-turn, other times the cue sheet was useless because it said to turn left on a particular street but that street was unmarked, a bike path, or an alley way. The below alley was "Linden Street." Never would have found it without the gps.

Lots and lots of emphasis on statehood. It's just crazy that DC still isn't a state. Almost all of the neighborhoods felt friendly and welcoming. There were just a few blocks where I thought perhaps we were out of place. 

I thought this old firehouse was really quaint with the big old doors.

Just after the firehouse, the gps turned us in circles. There was a problem between Levi Street and Orren street on the cue sheet and the gps. This would be a place to look at if we did the ride again. Eventually Deidre got us out of there by finding a cross street a few turns down in the cue sheet.

This was pretty wild.

And then it feels like a city again.

We finally stoped to eat and pee at REI co-op near 2nd street. There was a brewery there too, but I can't find it on the map. From here, we decided it was time to abandon the ride. I think we were at about 21 miles (we had cut off a few miles earlier as well). So we mapped out our way back to Haines point, which was actually only a few miles away.  On the way, we had to ride right by the capitol, and actually got some nice views of it, but the time for pictures had passed. We were busy navigating home.

We got a nice view of Kamala on the way in with the redbuds in the foreground.

And then over the Francis Case Memorial bridge to Haines Point. The bridge is nothing special but does give a view of the Washington Channel, which connects to the Potomac River. 

As Deidre said when we got back, in looking at the map it almost looks like we knew where we were going! 

Distance: 28 miles

Speed: 8.4 mph :)