The DC Traveler » The-DC-Travel http://www.thedctraveler.com A Washington DC insider's travel guide that's full of area information for both tourists and residents. Covers area attractions, activities, events, nightlife, memorials and monuments, historic sites, museums, the Smithsonian... Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:17:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Marathon of the Monuments – The Marine Corps Marathon -– Oct. 29th http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/10/marathon-of-the-monuments-the-marine-corps-marathon-%e2%80%93-oct-29th/ http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/10/marathon-of-the-monuments-the-marine-corps-marathon-%e2%80%93-oct-29th/#comments Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:26:34 +0000 http://www.thedctraveler.com/marathon-of-the-monuments-the-marine-corps-marathon-%e2%80%93-oct-29th/ Post from: The DC Traveler

]]> On October 29th, the 31st annual Marine Corps Marathon will again this year be a huge event in Washington, DC. Last year almost 28,000 participants from over 50 countries and 300,000 spectators attended.
 
Marine Coprs MArathon - Washington DC - Runners near Washingtom Monument Witnessing the mass wave of runners starting the race, even with the two main groups using a 15-minute staggered start, is truly a spectacle.  Starting near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, runners weave their way through suburban Arlington, VA and cross over the Key Bridge into Georgetown. 

 

During the 26.2 mile route, runners pass the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Lincoln, FDR, Korean, Vietnam and Jefferson memorials, the Washington Monument and The Capitol. The race winds through some of the most visually beautiful areas on both sides of the Potomac River, ultimately ending at the Marines Iwo Jima Memorial. 
 
There are numerous official and unofficial places to cheer on the runners or the five “Groundpounders” as they are affectionately called (participants that have run in all 30 previous marathons).  Check out the family-friendly fall festival at the Crystal City Street Spectacular along Crystal Drive from 9:00 am until 3:30 pm. Or watch from the Key Bridge connecting Georgetown to Virginia.  Grab an espresso and a pastry or a gourmet lunch at Dean & Deluca, located just a couple blocks from the Key Bridge at 3276 M Street, NW (opens at 10:00 am).

The marathon is actually a weekend event with music, non-race events, family fun and more. Three stages will be set up along the route with bands playing live music.

Wheelchair participants will begin racing at 8:15 am on Sunday, followed by two waves of nearly 16,000 runners each at 8:25 and 8:40 am.   The slower racers are expected to finish by around 3:00 pm.
 
Visitors to DC visitors should expect some aggravating traffic issues (see interactive map) including major street closures and traffic rerouting between 8:00 am and around 3:00 pm.  Parking in the Arlington Cemetery area and anywhere Marine Coprs Marathon, Washington DC - Finisher Medalaround the National Mall will be very challenging. It’s also probably not a great day to visit either Arlington Cemetery or the Iwo Jima Memorial, unless you enjoy being around thousands of exhausted and sweaty runners and their supporters.
 
A satellite marathon will also be run in Iraq where 22,000 marines are stationed – called the Marine Corps Marathon Forward. 
 
Marathon records: Men: 2 hours and 4 minutes. Women: 2 hours and 15 minutes.
 
Photo 1 credit: flickr, Photo 2: flickr  

Post from: The DC Traveler

]]> http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/10/marathon-of-the-monuments-the-marine-corps-marathon-%e2%80%93-oct-29th/feed/ 1 Getting Around DC – Part 1 – A Bit of DC History http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/10/getting-around-dc-part-1-a-bit-of-dc-history/ http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/10/getting-around-dc-part-1-a-bit-of-dc-history/#comments Mon, 16 Oct 2006 19:27:44 +0000 http://www.thedctraveler.com/getting-around-dc-part-1-a-bit-of-dc-history/ Post from: The DC Traveler

]]> First, I’d like to start with a bit of history about the original layout and design of Washington DC.
 
As the new federal capital was being planned in the early 1790s, U.S. Army Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant, urban planner and architect, was appointed by George Washington to design the initial street plan of a Capitol or Federal City – now called Washington DC.
 
He previously served on General Washington’s staff as well as with him at Valley Forge during the infamous winter of the American Revoliution in 1777-8. He was later promoted to Major in the Corp of Engineers in 1783 due to some rather noteworth accomplishments in building and design.
 
Washington appointed L’Enfant to turn the rolling plantation lands, woods and swampy areas  which were then part of Virginai and Maryland into the Federal City. L’Enfant’s concept was to design a city that allowed for growth of the capital as the nation grew.  He planned for a rather grand main 400 foot wide street connecting The Capitol and The White House with ample space for expansion (now The Mall).  Thomas Jefferson however reportedly preferred a smaller, less grand city plan, with traditional narrow streets.
 
L’Enfant’s initial plans were approved but opposition started almost immediately (some things never seem to change). City commissioners wanted to initially build only part of the city and spend some of the limited budget on government buildings as well, in lieu of streets while L’Enfant wanted to build the entire city’s infrastructure.
 
He stuck to his plan and was became so inflexible and uncompromising that he was eventually fired by President Washington and forced to leave the project in disgrace, and also unpaid.
 
Ultimately, his plan was only partially completed and L’Enfant spent much of his remaining life unsuccessfully petitioning Congress to pay him for the work he had done to design and build the District.  He died in poverty in 1825.
 
In 1909, almost 80 years after his death, the Senate Park Commission, the government body responsible for beautifying the city recognized the brilliance of L’Enfant’s plan calling it “intelligent and yet simple and straightforward scheme.”  The same year, his grave was relocated from Maryland to a place of prominence in Arlington National Cemetery.
 
Today, his accomplishments in designing the layout of Washington DC are recognized and acknowledged by modern urban planners

Post from: The DC Traveler

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