[SkateDC] Today's season-opening skate: surprising and fun!

[Bill English]

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Bill English <english60 at yahoo.com>
To: Emily 
Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2009 8:19:38 PM
Subject: Re: [SkateDC] Today's season-opening skate: surprising and fun!


Emily,

Thanks  for writing the skate report and for showing so much appreciation.

There were a lot of questions about how people can visit the Navy Museum if they are not coming along with a person who has a military ID. I found out from one of the gate guards that all you have to do is go to the Navy Yard visitor center on O Street. You may have to stand in line a few minutes, but you can show a driver's license there and get a visitor pass. You can then drive (or walk/bike/skate) on-post to get to the Navy Museum. It is a good place to visit. The favorite exhibit is a big anti-aircraft gun that you can elevate & traverse with hand cranks while you sit on its seat. Second place goes to the real periscopes which poke through the roof to give you a great outdoor view from inside the submarine display area.

I was impressed by the good natures of all the skaters today in the mixed group of fast and not-so-fast people. The fast people did not seem to mind hanging out waiting at the regrouping points and the slow people did not complain that we were going too fast. Most everyone was cheerful about posing for the photos also. Thanks to all of you. We had quite a few new people along and I think we left them with a very good impression. They all seemed eager to come back next Friday.

Sorry I left Jim Dillard behind at Eastern Market, and thanks to George for finding Jim afterwards and for sweeping. Someone suggested ending the skate next time at Eastern Market, since it is so hard to round people up after a visit there!

I sent a separate message to the list with a link to view the photos from today's skate. Let me know if that does not work for you because I can try another way to post photos other than Facebook. I think you can see the photos without being a Facebook user, but I am not sure.

Bill




________________________________
From: Emily Bennett <citiskate at yahoo.com>
To: Skate List WAR <skate at skatedc.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2009 7:39:31 PM
Subject: [SkateDC] Today's season-opening skate: surprising and fun!

Skate report:  

We had about 25 skaters and perfect Spring weather as we toured the Southwest waterfront and admired the Hains Point cherry blossoms from the Titanic memorial. Then we left for Eastern Market - and took a surprise turn into the Navy Yard!  The gentleman guarding the gate was kind enough to approve our entry, with the requirement that we wore helmets and stayed on the sidewalks. There is a nifty little outdoor museum on the NY grounds, with a WWI railroad-car cannon and some parts from the USS Maine, plus a bunch of other stuff.  But we couldn't stay long as we were due for lunch at one.  

So it was on to Eastern Market and some fancy footwork around the Capitol, and then past the red-rocked Verizon Center to Cap City.  Jennifer Swalwell had arranged to get the upstairs room so all us winter housebound skaters could get reacquainted.  (Eryx, was that really you??)

And then six of us set out for a leisurely tour of the Tidal Basin, which actually turned into a Hains Point loop as the Basin was far too crowded with bridesmaids, tourists, and jubilant Caps fans to safely navigate on skates.  We have good news for the Friday Night Skate - the plaza at the Lincoln Memorial is at long last fully resurfaced with beautiful glass-smooth concrete slabs. And no more jersey barriers or fencing either. Bliss!

I would like to thank Bill English for leading this thoroughly enjoyable season-opening skate.

Thanks again and see you on the streets,

Emily



      
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