Washington, DC has been a destination for me for many years, as I have had close family members living respectively in Virginia, Georgetown, and Southeast DC.
Sightseeing our national treasures, including the Capital mall, museums of the Smithsonian, the tidal basin, the Vietnam and other memorials, beautiful neighborhoods, the National Zoo, and so much more are all among the wonderful things to do in the Capital. But for this trip, I am settled in the Southeast section of the city.
The Southeast is an often overlooked and underappreciated destination. Just a few miles from the Capital, it offers a splendid river walk on both sides of the Anacostia River, including a rowing club, a yacht harbor, and easy access to Nationals Park and Navy Yard.
My daughter, son-in-law, and four-year-old grandson live just two blocks away from the river, with easy access to the Anacostia River parkway. The grounds, which include meadows, forest, playgrounds, and picnic areas, is managed by the National Park Service. This visit, I have come to provide some support as my daughter recovers from recent knee surgery, and to enjoy my grandson.
Early each morning, as they go off respectively to work and school, I take a walk along the river before the heat settles in. The parkway is mostly flat, totally unlike my San Francisco hills, and the time and miles slip away relatively effortlessly.
People are friendly here. I sometimes stop to chat with a neighbor. People I do not know, jogging, walking, or biking on the pathway, often nod and wish me a good morning.
When I turn south, I walk toward historic Anacostia, the Frederick Douglass house, Navy Yard, and the newish, iconic Frederick Douglass Bridge, which crosses over the river to Nationals Park. The gentle breeze that cooled the area when I arrived has vanished, and the bright sun over unsheltered miles makes this a walk for people who love heat.
My favored direction is north, where the path borders vast meadows, trees and recreation areas. The land is open and free to enjoy, reminiscent of a country walk in the United Kingdom. Crossing a pedestrian bridge over a meadow, one shortly walks through forest land. It seems that the path merges onto a stretch of two- lane closed roadway. This part of the walk is especially ideal for the bicyclists.
I miss my family on this walk. My son-in-law is especially astute at spotting wildlife, including red foxes and deer, still and camouflaged.
If one were to continue north, one would reach the Capital Hill North neighborhood. Further east by about five miles lies the beautiful Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens with their splendid water lilies.
According to National Park Service signage, indigenous people have lived in this area for fifteen thousand years. It is the homeland of the Anaquash-a-tan people, part of the Piscataway Confederacy.
Near home, there is a small playground shaped like a pirate ship, alongside an extensive sheltered picnic area. The playground is surrounded by outdoor workout equipment, all in good working order. Sometimes I stop to use the rowing machine or do chair seated pullups.
The twentyish-year-old men who exercise there each morning could well be built from titanium, so strong and dedicated they are to their workouts. I have never seen one person do so many push-ups with such strength, pausing briefly for rest breaks between sets.
I have to smile to myself, wondering what these young athletes think of me, a grandmotherly, not too athletic woman, stopping to use their outdoor gym.
