Bashing Washington and Washingtonians is a favorite fall sport for politicians. We are the whipping post for senators and congressmen and now, of course, the two presidential candidates.
Let’s put aside the fundamental hypocrisy of such rhetoric. Nah. Let’s pound it home: How can John McCain and Barack Obama make sport of running down Washington when both are creatures of Washington and its culture? If Washington is corrupt, as they say, then both are captains of corruption by association. Both deplore the cronyism of the capital city. Both need to look no further than their top staff to find members in good standing of lobbying firms and think tanks who supply us with our best crop of cronies.
But I digress from the point of this Sunday’s column. You will never hear this from the presidential candidates, but Washington is not only full of fine, hardworking, honest, red-blooded Americans; it is also one of the best places to be on a sunny Columbus Day weekend.
The good news for us Washingtonians is that the campaigns are filling the air with bluster and bombast in the hinterlands, not in our midst. The candidates figure D.C. and Maryland are blue and safely in the Obama camp; Virginia is in play, but for the most part, the campaigns are plying the uncertain waters of the Midwest and South.
Which brings me to the heart of this column: We are free to romp around our region and enjoy its mountains and valleys and waterways free of presidential pestering today and tomorrow. What better way to forget about the global financial meltdown than to hit the great outdoors?
It is easy to be lured from the capital core to wend one’s way through Skyline Drive or play in Annapolis. Why leave town? Here are my favorite places to walk or bike or play in easy reach.
FDR Memorial: Tucked away on Ohio Drive and easily overlooked because of its more dramatic neighbors, the homage to Franklin Delano Roosevelt sprawls enough to give one a decent workout. At a time when money and morals are on our mind, FDR’s wisdom can be both centering and calming.
Hains Point: Golf, tennis, hiking, facing the wind off the Potomac – what more could one ask of a point of land a short drive from downtown?
Rock Creek Park: Beech Drive will be closed off to cars all weekend, which makes for safe biking and walking. The park is also laced with trails, and the creek is great for finding a rock and lounging. Start at the Nature Center, grab some maps and explore.
Potomac River: For the best of this river you might have to venture to Fletcher’s Boat House off Canal Road. The flat urban waterway becomes wild and scenic right quick, with soaring bald eagles and great blue herons galore.
The best thing about politicians bashing Washington is that it might keep out the riffraff, so we can better enjoy its jewels.
