Yards Park in SE DC

This week we drove over to our old Capitol Hill neighborhood. It was difficult to actually get in to our usual parking place by our old house because the barricaded Capitol also cuts you off from Independence Avenue. After another twenty minutes or more we finally figured a route. This time we wanted to take a morning walk along the Anacostia River, Nationals stadium, and Yards Park. When we first moved to Capitol Hill fifteen years ago, none of this massive building boom existed. Now it looks like another arm of downtown filled with high rises, metal, glass and NOISE. The construction has hardly stopped and makes for a very loud environment. I was also trying to get images for the 52Frames photo challenge this week - “details.” Ever since we moved to northern Virginia almost two years ago we are less impressed with the old neighborhood. It might be that the pandemic has definitely changed things, but the barricaded blocks with barbed wired fencing takes away from the whole vibe. We thought about renting an apartment in the Yards area before we bought our condo and I’m glad we decided not to. I think we have outgrown the hassle of living in a busy place without the benefits. It was nice while it lasted especially when I was working. Now it’s close enough to visit and that’s good enough. Driving home along the GW Parkway was an unexpected sight - 3 park police on horseback. We oftentimes see them in the city, but never along a busy road way. 

Yards Park Construction

I read or heard somewhere that the Yards Park/Navy Yard neighborhood is supposed to become the most populated neighborhood in DC. By looking at it you can see why. Twelve years ago when we moved to Capitol Hill nothing really existed on that end of town. Now, once you walk just past the freeway overpass there has been an explosion of development. It started with the Department of Transportation, Nationals Stadium, and a Marriott. Then came the apartment buildings, townhouses and condos. A few months ago the Whole Foods store opened and it is surrounded by three huge apartment buildings - the last one is planned to open by the end of the year. At every turn, view and angle there are cranes and construction and noise all the way down to the Anacostia River. We are certain every square inch of real estate will be taken over leaving little, if any, green space. On this side of the overpass it’s like a suburban neighborhood with low rise, very old and original structures. Which one do you prefer? High rises, modern and noisy? Or very old, quaint and closer to the Capitol? We are still trying to figure it out. 

Yards Park and the Anacostia River Views

Every once in a while we head south towards Yards Park, Navy Yard, and the Anacostia River for our morning walk. This time was because we needed to stop at the new Whole Foods store to pick up some lettuce and odds and ends. When we moved here twelve years ago, none of it existed except for the Department of Transportation and one Marriott Hotel. Nationals Park soon followed. The construction is mind boggling and it will become one of the must populated neighborhoods in DC. So we reached the Anacostia and saw all the pop art presidents portraits on one of the restaurant walls. The sun was in just the right spot - the river was sparkling and shimmering on a crisp clear day. The seagulls were hanging around the dock where a navy battleship used to moor. I had never noticed the sign by each of the manhole covers - “confined space entry by permit only.” Someone obviously tried to get into one so now we all need reminders. A rainbow was reflected on the gravel cement path and our shadows looked as interesting there as well as on the river by the tunnel. Passing the baseball stadium the construction was suspiciously quiet because of the holiday but the cranes were moving at a brisk pace overhead. My husband says whenever he walks this way it feels like “our” neighborhood compared to the National Mall that is “everyone’s” neighborhood. I suppose you could look at it that way. And it keeps getting better. 

Anacostia Riverwalk 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqc3792huRw/

Yards Marina 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqc4L9aBXDG/