As posted in an earlier blog, walking is a great all-around exercise that just about anyone can do, just about anywhere. But did you realize there is the added bonus of learning more about the city you call home? Most of the time we pass by monuments, buildings and other points of interest that we think we see, but walking – and dare I say it, walking without electronic devices – allows you to see your surroundings and more of the details that would otherwise be missed.
I found this out while training for a 60 mile charity walk and my training required me to walk many miles, usually in DC as it offered lots of things to look at and people to watch while putting one foot in front of the other. After many years of driving past and over Memorial Bridge, I found myself looking at it while approaching on foot. Memorial Bridge is considered Washington’s most beautiful bridge and is symbolic in its position linking the North (Lincoln Memorial) with the South (Arlington House). But did you know that capping the masonry arches spanning the river there are six-foot tall bison keystones sculpted by Alexander Phimister Proctor. Also, on the abutments (structures that support the arches) are bas-relief eagles in discs 12 feet in diameter flanked by fasces or a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe blade. Fasces are typically symbols of power and authority.
So, check it out next time you’re driving by; or better yet, take a walk and take a look!
By Leslie LaPlace at goDCgo
