In January, our club will visit the sites around the Old Post Office and Clock Tower.  This is a wonderful winter destination for urban landscape, architecture, and street photography.

We’ll begin our tour by gathering along 12th Street NW in front of the Woodrow Wilson Plaza where some may find their first shots of the morning.  Following our usual meet and greet, we’ll move indoors to escape the cold January morning.  We’ll enter the Old Post Office using the public entrance on 12th St.  A hallway outlining the history of the building will lead us to an elevator that will take us to the top floor of the main building with a view of the renovated hotel atrium.  The exhibit continues to the clock tower elevator where we’ll go up to witness the views from on top of the third tallest building in Washington DC.

When we’re done peeping at rooftops and the outdoor temperatures have warmed up, we’ll return to the street for some external shots including views of The Capitol down Pennsylvania Ave.  We’ll also go on the hunt as we wander our way around the Woodrow Wilson Plaza picking out the nooks and crannies created by all the paths in and out.

Depending on the outcome from our meet and greet discussions, we may decide to visit one of the nearby restaurants for lunch.  There is also an indoor food court in the Reagan building.

A lot of renovations have occurred since our last visit in 2008:

https://nvps.smugmug.com/NVPSGallery/Field-Trips/2007-2008-Field-Trips/Oldpostoffice/

Equipment:

  • Standard and wide angle lenses will work well for those who want to focus on architecture and street photography. Consider a longer lens if you want to pick out some city landscape details.
  • Tripods are welcome though it may be a little tight inside the clock tower.
  • It’s January in DC, dress accordingly for outdoor exploring. Sidewalks may be icy in the morning as the low Sun will likely be blocked by buildings.

    
When:

Saturday, January 21, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Rain date on Sunday, January 22, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Where:

We’ll meet near the elevator access to Federal Triangle metro along 12th Street NW. 

Directions:

The Old Post Office and Clock Tower (aka Waldorf Astoria) is located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. in Washington, D.C.. 

The metro has a blue/orange/silver line station (Federal Triangle) located directly across the street from the Old Post Office and should be strongly considered. 

Parking and tickets:

You’ll find multiple parking lots off 11th St, 12th St, and E St. one block North.  These lots can be considered pricey at $12+.

The Old Post Office Pavilion and Clock Tower are all free to visit and do not require tickets.

COVID precautions:

This event has a mix of indoor and outdoor photo opportunities.  We anticipate the risk will be relatively low.

We hope you can join us!

Rena Schild and Steven Glintz
Field Trip Coordinators 2022-2023

* Photographs courtesy of Rena Schild

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