Your List for Enjoying Spring in the Neighborhood

From Mathew Harkins. Email him at mharkins[AT]borderstan.com.

The spring equinox may have come and gone back on March 20 but the recent spate of days in the 80s and upper-70s has unofficially confirmed that spring has arrived. Hopefully it’s not raining while you’re reading this, as that can be and has been an unfortunate component of spring in the city.

But that rain and these temperatures have allowed for the beauteous growth of the trees and flowers in our parks. So before any dark clouds come back, head outside and take a swing around the neighborhood.

Places to Enjoy Nature

• Meridian Hill Park — one of our largest parks, this is a great place to just wander around on a sunny afternoon.
• Logan Circle — a shady, quiet park to relax with friends, have a picnic or take a nap.
• Dupont Circle — is it more about relaxing or about people watching? Who says you can’t do both? This may be the most popular/best known of all the parks/circles in DC.
• Thomas Circle — there isn’t much nature to take in here, but come by on any weekday and you’ll see the base of the statue covered with office workers taking in the sun.
• Spanish Steps — a great gem tucked away where 22nd Street should be between Decatur Place and S Street. The Spanish Steps were built in 1911 and stand today as a testament to some of DC’s more beautiful city planning.

Places to Play

• Shaw Dog Park — the larger Dog Park in the area. The location may not be as convenient as the S Street Dog Park, but if you’re looking for a big space where your dog can get in some good running, this is your place.
• S Street Dog Park — the more centrally located Dog Park. It may not be as big as the above site, but the turf and the address make this a great spot for playing and socializing (for both humans and dogs).
• Stead Park — a local favorite, this is a great place to bring the kids or for organized sports.
• Cardozo Playground — located next to the Shaw Dog Park, Cardozo features both a skate park and a large field for team sports.
• Rock Creek Park — there’s no way to avoid this behemoth in a list like this. Rock Creek Park is a great park for both taking in nature and engaging in any sort of play or exercise.

Let us know which is your favorite place to enjoy Spring around the neighborhood?

Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.