Tour of the City: Georgetown Waterfront
I went out today and took a number of photographs. I’ll be releasing them over the next few days (instead of one day of blogging).
Towards the end of my tour of the District (and about ten minutes before a massive downpour) I walked down along the waterfront in Georgetown. It’s a quiet, albeit somewhat touristy section, of Georgetown.
Certainly, there are a few noticeable landmarks along the waterfront. The Watergate Hotel, pictured on the left, is located here. Most renown for helping to take down a president, the Watergate, like so many other properties in the District, is being converted into condominiums. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, on the right, is located next door. The Kennedy Center is one of the cultural landmarks of the city, and the associated Kennedy Center Honors give tribute to the lifelong career of so many in American entertainment.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal is also located near to the Waterfront area in Georgetown. George Washington himself ordered the construction of the canal, since the Potomac river is not navigable past Great Falls, just west of the District. The canal began operation in 1836 to ship goods and services to Cumberland, Maryland, where they could continue their journey west. The canal was plagued with problems and ceased operations in 1924. Justice Douglas helped motivate a campaign for the restoration of the canal as a recreational area with an 8-day hike up the entire length of the canal.
Of course, not everything in the District is as it should be. Like many cities, the District has a problem with pollution. What is particularly disgusting about the District’s pollution problem is the sewer system. The sign in the photograph above says it all. I’ll make two comments about the photo: (1) the photo above was taken about ten minutes before a massive downpour; (2) the kayakers in the background are paddling upstream, away from the dock. Yuck.
Thus ends my brief tour of the Georgetown waterfront. Stay tuned for other aspects of the city.
