[SkateDC] Visiting skater

[Jubran Selim]

Bill,

Last year you were complaining about skating too slowly.  Did you finally clean your bearings?

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Sent via Blackberry 7.5 year old Gateway desktop.




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill English" <english60 at yahoo.com>
To: "George Marinkovich" <skatewash at yahoo.com>
Cc: "WAR Listserv" <skatedc at skatedc.org>
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 9:39 PM
Subject: Re: [SkateDC] Visiting skater


George,

It is amazing how much art you have noticed along our skate routes. I had no idea. I should try skating slowly sometime!
Bill




________________________________
From: George Marinkovich <skatewash at yahoo.com>
To: Rodney Friedman <san_diego_city_skaters at yahoo.com>; patchc at mindspring.com
Cc: dch4 <dch4 at yahoogroups.com>; skatedc <skatedc at skatedc.org>
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 9:47:26 AM
Subject: Re: [SkateDC] Visiting skater

Carol's right about the WAR Friday Night Skate route (aka the Monument Loop). With a little modification it goes by a lot of public art (more sculptures than murals). There's Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Ave. and some nice sculpture along the avenue including "Man Controlling Trade" which is by Michael Lantz,
the brother of Walter Lantz of Woody Woodpecker fame, outside the
Federal Trade Commission HQ (http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/hq_building.shtm). The Navy Memorial nearby is also worth a stop. The Sculpture Garden outside the Natural History Museum is worth a quick skate through (quick because skaters aren't really welcome there). It's possible to skate around the New American Indian museum and I believe it's possible to skate through the Hirschhorn outdoor sculpture garden unaccosted, if you don't mind descending some stairs. The Smithsonian Castle (which itself is very handsome) has some beautiful gardens that are nice to skate through. There's art around if you take the time to notice. For example, outside the Holocaust Museum on 15th St. (aka Raoul Wallenburg Place). Later on there's the relatively new George Mason Memorial near the Jefferson. It's possible to skate through the entire FDR Memorial. Not to mention all the memorials near the Lincoln (Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials which you can see at
a distance, but will have to remove your skates to get closer). Don't forget the nearby Einstein Memorial on Constitution Ave. at 21st St.

Friday Night Skate description:
A beginner level street skate of 8 or 10 miles, which finishes around 9 pm. This social skate keeps a leisurely pace on moderate hills and generally flat terrain through light traffic, but also includes a downhill from the Washington Monument down 15th St. to the Jefferson Memorial. The route (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2639579) is always the same. 

And don't forget the only skating-related work of art that I'm aware of in the DC area up at the Wheaton Metro Station (The Commuter): http://www.publicartinla.com/other_cities/dc/commuter.html, http://tinyurl.com/oozzrp, and http://tinyurl.com/rchw4c.

Enjoy,
George