Interested in checking out some of DC's historic neighborhoods while visiting Washington?  Consider the vast resources of Cultural Tourism DC and their extensive network of self-guided walking heritage trails.

If you're in town on Saturday in advance of Rail~Volution, consider joining a group to check out the unveiling of the most recent addition to the DC heritage trail network, the Georgia Ave/Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail. 

Cultural Tourism DC, the Georgia Ave./ Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail Working Group, and Howard University Hospital will host the trail’s official unveiling and neighborhood celebration on Saturday, October 15 at 11 am on the front lawn of the Howard University Hospital, at 2041 Georgia Avenue, NW. Howard University Hospital will host a Health and Wellness Fair with blood pressure screenings and information about hospital services and other free screenings offered by appointment, and the opening of a Griffith Stadium Exhibit.

What: Unveiling Ceremony for DC's newest Heritage Trail: Georgia Ave/Pleasant Plains

When: Saturday, October 15 at 11 AM

Where: The front lawn of the Howard University Hospital, at 2041 Georgia Avenue (a few blocks north of the Shaw Howard Metro on the Green/Yellow Line)

What You'll See: Countless dreams and memories reside in this short stretch of Georgia Avenue. Follow Lift Every Voice: Georgia Ave./Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail to relive the heyday of Seventh and T and the Howard Theatre. Make the acquaintance of the musicians and impresarios, shop-keepers and barbers, intellectuals and activists, and all who built a thriving community along one of Washington’s oldest thoroughfares. As you walk Lift Every Voice: Georgia Ave./Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail you’ll find 19 poster-sized street signs combining storytelling with historic photographs and maps. The first sign is at Seventh and S Streets, NW, just outside the Shaw/Howard University station on Metro’s Green Line. The two-hour, self-guided tour follows Seventh Street/Georgia Avenue, with a couple of detours, to the Georgia Ave-Petworth Green Line Metro station at the intersection of Georgia and New Hampshire Avenues. As always, you may start your tour at any point along the trail. If you prefer to walk downhill, start at the top, at Sign 19.

More Info: http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/things-do-see/trails-tours/neighborhood-heritage-trails/lift-every-voice-georgia-avepleasant-plains-  

Well before “Transit Oriented Development (TOD)” became the rage, Crystal City was already into its second generation of smart growth and development, with rail as a centerpiece.  Comprised of more than 11 million square feet of commercial space, 11,000 residents, and nearly 5,000 hotel rooms all connected to Reagan National Airport, Metro’s Blue and Yellow lines, Virginia Railway Express, commuter bus lines, and regional cycling trails, Crystal City provides area commuters and travelers easy access to all of Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia, Pentagon, and other major population and employment centers throughout the region.  This forward thinking has resulted in a greater than fifty percent modal split to non-single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips.

Arlington County government and area developers have committed to continue this valuable association with transit through the development of the Crystal City Sector Plan (large PDF file) which will guide development and investment in the area for the next 40 years.  The plan calls for significant additional density in a way that is oriented to the pedestrian’s and transit-user’s perspective.  To start, two new lines, the Crystal City-Potomac Yards Transitway and the Columbia Pike Street Car, are planned to further enhance accessibility and are close to breaking ground.

As Crystal City’s transformation is being planned, the Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) is working to enhance the transit experience today and for riders in the future.  For all area events, the Crystal City BID actively promotes and encourages the use of alternative transportation, especially rail, by providing clear wayfinding for transit users.  As a result, most attendees at area events travel by a mode other than private automobile.

In September of 2010, the Crystal City BID also participated in the roll out of the largest bike sharing system in the nation, further connecting Arlington with DC. Crystal City has enough stations bike sharing stations to extend the Metro’s transit shed beyond the traditional half-mile.

The Crystal City BID is also working to enhance the arrival and departure experience from the Crystal City Metro station by redesigning the Metro entrance plaza.  Partnering with property owner, Vornado/Charles E. Smith, the new plan features more open space, more attractive landscaping, and enhancements to the infrastructure to encourage people to sit and enjoy the new plaza.  The space will also be activated with colorful artwork visible immediately as riders exit the station onto the plaza.

Art has also been used to enhance the experience for Crystal City residents and workers taking advantage of the area’s famous interior walkways.  Seen as a valuable extension of Metro’s reach, more than 100 pieces of engaging, thought-provoking artwork, curated each year through a partnership with FotoDC, line the walkways and transform the experience.  Another annual art project welcomes the thousands of daily riders of the Virginia Railways Express (VRE).  Each spring, the Crystal City BID unveils a new series of sculptures in the VRE station area, bringing added interest and enhancing its attractiveness to the transit riders passing through.

As the transformation of Crystal City progresses, continued investment in transit and accessibility will be an absolute necessity for the area’s success.  With the support of the area property owners, the Crystal City BID, and the County government, transit in the Crystal City area is sure to play a major role. 

Angela Fox is the President / CEO of the Crystal City Business Improvement District

History buffs, take note! Crystal City: Then and Now shows through old photographs how Crystal City has developed over the decades, and sketches help visualize what we may see here soon.

Check out the rest of the series to find out: 

·         How Crystal City got its name from a chandelier

·         Not only planes and trains, but canal boats were also part of Crystal City

·         Capital Bikeshare made its historic debut in Arlington in Crystal City