Sandwiched between West End and Foggy Bottom, at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue, is Washington Circle. Two concentric circles of sidewalk ring the equestrian statue Lieutenant General George Washington that stands in the middle of the park. Benches line the sidewalks and trees provide shade for pedestrians and students from nearby George Washington University.
In a small park at the intersection of Constitution and Virginia Avenues stands one of the early leaders of South American independence, José Gervasio Artigas Arnal. Crowned by a copse of trees and frequently flanked by tour buses, this 9-foot bronze statue is often overlooked despite the heavy traffic that swarms around it.
In the middle of a crescent-shaped park in South West D.C., a 30-foot granite sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr. rises above its surroundings and peers south across the tidal basin. At all hours of the day visitors come to the park to pay their respects to the man who helped lead the civil rights movement of the 1960s and to learn why his legacy is so important to the United States.
Perched atop the dome of the Capitol stands one of the most misinterpreted statues in all of Washington D.C. Often confused for a Greek goddess or a Native American woman, the truth is, it is Freedom personified, although its design was inspired by both classical motifs and Native American culture.
On warm days, the park between Connecticut Avenue, M Street NW, and 18th Street NW is full of D.C. residents and tourists stopping for a rest beneath its trees. The neighborhood around it is filled with restaurants and bars, making it the perfect place for an outdoor lunch. In the middle sits the bronze statue of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, seated with a book in his left hand, chin resting on his right.
In a triangular park between Massachusetts Avenue, 22nd Street NW, and Q Street NW stands the statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, founder of Czechoslovakia. Nestled between Dupont Circle and Sheridan Circle, it sits in the heart of Embassy Row. Though thousands of commuters pass by it on a daily basis, few know the history behind the statue or behind the man.
Thomas Circle sits on the intersections of 14th Street NW, M Street NW, Massachusetts Avenue, and Vermont Avenue. To the north are the trendier blocks of 14th Street, and to the south is the heart of downtown D.C. While Thomas Circle doesn’t define its neighborhood the way Du Pont Circle or Logan Circle do, it has its own personality. The National City Christian Church dominates the circle while the rest is ringed by businesses and hotels. Visit the rooftop bar of the Donovan hotel for an amazing view of the circle and the District.
