Bethesda Metro Station closed though September 6

 

From July 6 through September 6, the Red Line is closed between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights. That means Grosvenor-Strathmore, Medical Center, and Bethesda stations are closed. This is so that some track work can be done and so that the a mezzanine at the new south entrance to Bethesda Station can be built.

 Here in Bethesda, the escalators at the bus bays down to the station are blocked off and there are many signs directing you.  There was also a friendly person who gave me a flyer and told me where everything was.

Temporary shuttle stop

There are express buses that run from North Bethesda directly to Friendship Heights and local buses that stop at all the stations.  The shuttle stop southbound (pictured) is at Wisconsin Avenue and Montgomery Lane, where the metro elevator is located and near the old post office building. The northbound stop is at Wisconsin Avenue and East-West Highway, directly across from the station entrance and next to the building with a tunnel to the metro in it. 

Northbound shuttle stop

Here's a Red Line shuttle metrobus stopped at the temporary shuttle stop across from the metro station.  The two people on the left are there to help you find your way.  Not many people got on this bus but a number of people got off, this was on Sunday morning (today)

This was also this morning. The two yellow buses are express shuttles, the sign above the window would alternate between "Red Line" and "Express". on the left you can see a Metrobus that is being used as the Red Line Local shuttle.  This is Southbound on Wisconsin Avenue at Old Georgetown Road.

I took this photo on Friday before 9 am.  This is the temporary bus lane that runs southbound on Wisconsin Avenue.  The bus lane is only active Monday-Saturday, on Sundays anyone can use it. 

 

Washington Monument, late afternoon

 

I was at the Washington Monument a few days ago just before sunset and got this shot of it framed by the trees.  Lots of people playing on the lawn too.

Seneca Creek Greenway Trail

 Yesterday I went for a hike on Seneca Creek Greenway Trail in Germantown, MD. There is a parking area on the northbound side of MD-355 just after crossing Seneca Creek. From there you can take the trail to Watkins Mill Road.  The trail has a few hills on it, but isn't two strenuous.

As I was alking back I noticed this small stream that empties into Seneca Creek. The sun shown on the rock, the water, and some small plants, but there were also lots of shadows.

 

Spiderwebs in the sun

 

This morning I went for a walk on Cabin John Trail between River Road and Bradley Blvd and came across these dew-covered spiderwebs glistening in the sun.  On the way back, the sun had moved and the spiderwebs were entirely unremarkable.

 

UFC Freedom 250 is Sunday

 

On Sunday there will be a UFC (mixed martial arts) event at the White House, the UFC Freedom 250. The arena is currently being constructed, it is large and largely blocks the view of the White House.

 This is from the Washington Monument grounds looking across Constitution Avenue towards the elipse and the White House.  The white stand you see, as well as the black stage behind it (you can only see the canopy of it) is on the ellipse. Behind it you can see a blue and black checkerboard pattern, that is a huge digital screen.  Then, behind that is the arched "claw" of the arena with white stars on a blue background.  You can't really see it in this picture, but the actual White House is directly behind that.

UFC Freedom 250 arena

 It is a bit easier to see things when you are at the top of the Washington Monument looking down.  Now you can see the area with the claw canopy and a bit more of the White House.  In front of the area are three digital screens with checkerboard patters, VL is the Vertical Left one, VR is the Virtual Reality one (just kidding, I'm sure it means Vertical Right), then in the center is ST with a total LED resolution of 3848x1248.

 

 

 

 

Refilling the reflecting pool

 

I heard that they had started refilling the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and on Friday I decided to check it out.

The water is slowly filling the pool, starting from the center, which is the deepest part. There were some people powerwashing to bottom and there were a number of trucks and trailers parked in the pool but out of the water.  There was a group of people in an ATV that seemed to like driving through the water and did it multiple times.  Even at this stage, the pool is reflecting the trees around it (and the Washington Monument if you are directly in line).

Paris Baguette in Bethesda

Paris Baguette, located at 4925 Fairmont Avenue in the Woodmont Triangle part of Bethesda offers coffee and baked goods as well as sandwiches. I went last week and had a croissant with ham and cheese in it. 

One really nice thing about Paris Baguette is they have a large area of self service croissants and other bakery items that you can choose from. After selecting what you want, just bring it to the register to pay.

Sandwiches and cakes are also available, you have to ask at the counter.  One thing I didn't see much of were baguettes, I only saw a single basket of them. 

Outside Paris Baguette. It is located in the Sophia Bethesda building across the pedestrian walkway from Ellis Bethesda.

Painting the Reflecting Pool blue

 

Painting the Reflecting Pool blue

 

I decided to go down to the Lincoln Memorial today and see how the project to paint the reflecting pool blue is going.  It looks like they are over half done.  It is a very dark blue, almost black, much darker than I expected.

 

COMSAT building in Clarksburg being demolished

COMSAT Laboratories demolition

 

The COMSAT laboratories building, located at 22300 Comsat Drive in Clarksburg, Maryland, is currently being demolished. COMSAT (Communications Satellite Corporation) built this nearly 500,000 square foot research and development campus in 1969 and occupied it until 2005. Since then it has been mostly vacant and has been completely unused since 2015.

The building is clearly visible from Interstate 270 just before the exit for Clarksburg Premium Outlets (but on the opposite side of 270).

 The building was designed by architect Cesar Pelli, who also designed  the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. This property was considered for historic site designation but in the end, the Planning Board did not recommend it as part of the 2025 Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan.

I saw this reported by Bethesda Today and took pictures of it today. It doesn't look like much was accomplished in the past few days, but I could only see one side of the building.

Kenwood Cherry Blossoms

 

Over the weekend, the cherry blossoms were at their peak.  No need to go all the way to the Tidal Basin, Bethesda's Kenwood neighborhood has blossoms a-plenty.  I went on Sunday, along with lots and lots of other people.

 

Carter sticks his tongue out at the No Barking sign (thanks Pete)

 

Driving through the neighborhood was possible, but slow and undoubtedly frustrating.  There were also "No Parking" signs posted on many of the streets (and about an equal number of "No Barking" but that didn't seem to be much of a problem. 

 Hundreds of people and families were out walking around, or sitting in the common areas enjoying the weather.

 

There were a number of places that kids were selling lemonade and this one humorous sign advocating a lemonade tax.

 

I also posted about the Kenwood cherry blossoms in 2022.