With the impeding closure of East Potomac Park in the middle of this month, one might wonder what we are loosing (at least temporarily) and what activities people do there.
What is there to do at East Potomac Park?
People engage in all sorts of activities in East Potomac Park including: golf, miniature golf, biking, running, walking, rollerblading, walking their dogs, picnicking, fishing, plane spotting, bird watching, playing on the playground, writing, cleaning their car windows, tennis, playing soccer, and cherry blossom viewing.
I was there on Friday and actually saw people doing all but the last three. I'm sure there were people playing tennis, but I didn't go by the tennis courts (I'm also not sure if the tennis center will be affected by the upcoming closure). Cleaning car windows is a bit surprising, but the past couple of times I've been there, multiple people have been doing it. I'm not sure what the attraction to it is. Here's the illustrated list. All photos except the cherry blossom one were taken on October 30.
Golf at East Potomac Park is what has been in the news recently. There currently are two 18-hole courses and one 9-hole one. The president has propposed replacing them with a single 18-hole course.
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| Miniature Golf |
The mini golf course at East Potomac Park. Hole 12 has the White House and the U.S. Capitol building. I saw a couple kids playing the course.
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| Bikers gonna bike |
Biking is a very popular activity there and there regularly are large groups of people biking on Ohio Drive. There are also lots of individuals taking a leisurely ride around the park.
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| Running on Ohio Drive |
Runners are a common sight. Lots of them are solo, others are in pairs. When I've been there I haven't seen large groups of runners, but I'm sure at times there are.
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| Walking under the trees |
I see fewer people walking than running or biking, but there out there, enjoying the weather and the views.
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| Rollerblading |
I saw a couple of people out on rollerblades. No one on roller skates or skateboards, but I'm sure people use those here too.
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| Dog walking |
People love their dogs, and this is a great place to take them for a long walk. This person was walking two dogs on the walkway along the seawall. You can see National Airport on the other side of the Potomac River.
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Biking and picnicking These two bikers decided to have their lunch on a picnic table right at the tip of Hains Point. |
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| Fishing in the river |
Fishing is a popular activity here. I always see several groups of people doing it. It looks very relaxing, usually they cast their line then sit back and wait for a bite.
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| Planespotting |
Being directly across the Potomac River from National Airport, this is a great place to watch planes take off and land.
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| Southwest airlines plane taking off from National Airport |
I've gone there a few times to take pictures of planes. It's a very active airport and you never have to wait long. American Airlines has the most flights from National Airport, but Southwest also has a good number of flights.
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| Looking for birds |
Birdwatching wasn't an activity I expected to be done here, but apparently it is. When I was there Friday there was a group of people there with binoculars and cameras because someone had seen a Nelson's Sparrow, which is rarely seen in this area.
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| Playground |
There are a couple of nice playgrounds at the southern end of Ohio drive with a parking lot right near them.
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| Writing |
This is a pretty nice park, and, at least on weekdays, it isn't too crowded. You can find a quiet spot to sit down and get some writing done.
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| Cherry blossoms and the Washington Monument |
Ohio Drive, the road that runs around the perimeter of East Potomac Park is lined with cherry trees. In the spring they all flower and it isn't quite as crowded as the tidal basin. Since it isn't spring, here's a photo I took a number of years ago
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| Collapsing seawall |
Not everything is perfect at East Potomac Park. Around the edge of the park is a seawall and there is a walkway right next to it. The park is sinking. It was built with fill dirt and over time it has settled and compressed, as well as compressing the mud that was already there. The water level has also risen, the two make a bad combination and parts of the park flood every high tide. This is right at the tip of Hains Point, the southernmost spot of the park. Here the walkway has collapsed and the area fenced off. When I took this photo it was after high tide and the tide was still going out.
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| Trailing off into the water |
I'm not sure exactly what is going on here, but I think originally the walkway went down lower here. I don't think this stretch is ever not flooded.
Are there other activities you have done (or seen done) at East Potomac Park? If so, mention them in the comments.
