The
October field trip will be held in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC. Fall leaves should be at or near peak at this time and offer a colorful accent to other interesting sights such as the waterfront, Key Bridge, the C&O Canal, and historic homes and buildings around Georgetown University.
We will plan to meet at Georgetown Waterfront Park on the benches near the intersection of Wisconsin Ave and Water Streets at 7:15AM. Sunrise occurs at 7:27AM and this should give us time to capture Key Bridge being lit up by the morning sun. There are many interesting photo-ops in and around the waterfront including the beginning of the C&O Canal and a few remaining large smokestacks from long ago. Later we will relocate around the GU campus and see the medieval style of the main buildings including the famous clock tower. Then we will walk the residential areas and see historic and colorful homes with fall decorations.
As Georgetown “wakes up” on Saturday morning, opportunities for street photography should also be available.
There should also be plenty of parking along Water Street. Remember to bring many quarters since the meters are checked on Saturdays in this area. Also note that in most residential areas a special DC permit is needed to avoid ticketing.
This will be a walking tour, so please wear comfortable footwear.
Additional Information as of October 12, 2014
- Meeting Location: As mentioned above, plan to meet at 7:15AM at the Georgetown Waterfront Park – (http://www.georgetownwaterfrontpark.org/), near the intersection of Wisconsin Ave and K. St. NW (aka Water Street). If you are coming from Key Bridge, make a right on M Street. Go 0.4 miles and make a right onto Wisconsin Ave. Go 0.2 miles till the road stops at K St. The park is right there in front of you. We will meet at the benches near the fountain.
- Parking: I would suggest parking in the metered spots along K St., right there under the bridge. The meters become active at 7:00AM and cost $2/hour with a 4 hour maximum. Bring mucho quarters. If your space has a meter you will need 32 for the full 4 hours, otherwise pick a spot that use the kiosks and insert a credit card. There are also some nearby parking lots, however, they may be more pricey (than meters) and open later. Here is more information on Georgetown parking (http://www.georgetowndc.com/parking/). Note that in most residential areas you can park without a DC parking permit for up to 2 hours.
- Likely Route Plan: We will start the tour at Georgetown Waterfront park at sunrise. Here you will see the sun lighting up Key Bridge, and Roslyn. There will likely still be some water activities happening on the Potomac river. Next we will walk up 30th to the beginning locks of the C&O Canal. We will walk along the canal to Potomac St. and stop briefly at Dean & DaLuca for coffee and bathrooms. Time permitting, we will walk along busy M Street for ¼ mile and stop at the Old Stone house (oldest standing building in DC). Next we will walk back to the waterfront where we started. This morning loop will cover about 1.5-2.5 miles and should finish in about 4 hours. If there is interest, we may continue the field trip into the afternoon.
- Example Photos: Here are examples of photos taken at the Waterfront Park and C&O Canal over the last several weeks: https://www.flickr.com/photos/21507571@N04/sets/72157648597867916/;
- Equipment: A normal zoom and a telephoto zoom (200-300mm max) lens would be desirable. A tripod would be useful in the morning light.
- Rain Date: If rain is likely on the morning of October 25, check the NVPS website that morning to see if this field-trip has been postponed due to rain. The rain date will be rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 1. Same time and place.
- Sign-Up: If you are interested in this field-trip, please send me an email ( field-trips“at”nvps.org ) in advance of the trip and include your cell phone number – I need a way to contact you in case of last minute changes. I will also email you my cell-phone number.