Aaron Simpson

Complete with picnic areas, climbing apparatus, slides, monkey bars, swings, and a soft sandy area to fall around on, the Card Pond Playground is a small but charming addition to the 17-acre Card Pond natural park.

I had visited the playground with my wife and stepson during a road-trip to visit with my brother-in-law in Connecticut. During my time at the park, it seemed clear to me that the play area was aimed at younger children due to the size of the apparatus and the limited space around them. Unfortunately for my stepson, this meant that there was little to occupy him beyond using the grass to run and toss a football around, or perhaps the swings. However, those visiting with young families are sure to find the area fun-filled and entertaining.

Those with limited mobility should find little challenge in accessing the park, first crossing a gravel pathway that gives way to flat and even grass that is reasonably well-kept.

Parking is available both on a small section of gravel beside the pond as well as on the grass banks facing Great Barrington Road. During my trip, the park was empty and finding space was no issue, but during busier times - such as the Card Pond Party hosted at the site during the summer - the overflow parking soon becomes useful.

Overall, the Card Pond Playground is a small and quaint play area that suits a small and quaint town and, whether you are local to the area or simply passing through, the views across the lake and peaceful ambience are more than worth the time it takes to stop and look.
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Overlooking the Potomac Parkway on one side, and the Lincoln Memorial Circle on the other, the Arts of Peace Sculptures are a set of fire-gilded, bronze statues representing ‘Music and Harvest’ and ‘Aspiration and Literature’.

From the moment that these statues were dedicated in 1951, they have commanded an impressive silhouette, complementing the nearby Arts of War Sculptures on the Arlington Memorial Bridge.

Designed by James Earle Fraser, the Arts of Peace feature Pegasus as the focal point of the statues, with various artifacts to symbolize music and literature.

Sharing a design history with Leo Friedlander’s Arts of War, the statues were constructed in Italy to avoid the costs of bronze and gold in the United States after the Second World War. ‘Aspiration and Literature’ was cast and gilded in Rome, while ‘Music and Harvest’ was cast and gilded in Naples.

One of the best methods for viewing the Arts of Peace is to drive along the Potomac Highway, or around the Lincoln Memorial Circle to include a view of The Arts of War. If visitors wish to spend a little more time admiring the statues, the most appropriate method would be to find some parking near the Lincoln Memorial and walk along to the Watergate Steps to experience their size and history.

One of the only downsides to the sculptures is that their placement, looking over the parkway, makes it difficult to admire their artistry for any longer than a few moments while passing them. This makes it simple for the sculptures to become under-appreciated and unnoticed.

If the landscape of Washington D.C. was a work of art, then surely the well-renowned Lincoln Memorial would be its subject, the scale of the Washington Monument would command its foreground, and the National Mall would frame its background. However, each landscape painting relies on subtle brushstrokes to make the clouds or the blades of grass that are seldom noticed but masterful upon closer inspection. For me, the Arts of War Sculptures represent precisely this function for the capital: one of several delicate brushstrokes in a larger masterpiece of cultural design. Despite the potential for the sculptures to go unnoticed or under-appreciated by passing tourists, their placement in the city is crucial to the sense of dynamism and layered history.

Commissioned in 1929, the sculptures faced a long and challenging origin, enduring a lengthy design and selection process as well as budgetary restraints, meaning that the sculptures were not placed until 1951.

Designed by Leo Friendlander, the sculptures, Valor on the left and Sacrifice on the right, were intended to command a striking silhouette of fire-gilded bronze against the recently constructed Arlington Memorial Bridge. Receiving support from foundries in Naples and Florence to avoid the costs of bronze in the United States, the successful delivery of the statues assisted in the reduction of military and economic constraints imposed on Italy around WWII.

One of the most direct methods of viewing the statues is to drive along the Arlington Memorial Bridge which permits the sensation of being dwarfed by the presence of the statues. However, visitors that wish to view the statues with patience and contemplation will find a path available to them that leads comfortably from the Lincoln Memorial.

One of the only downside of the statues is that, despite their fascinating history and fine detail, larger and more well-known monuments over-shadow the statues. I would encourage all visitors to the area to spend the additional time to savor the artistry of the Arts of War Sculptures, especially with their placement between the National Mall and Arlington.

Of all the forgotten memorials, monuments, and cultural landmarks in Washington D.C, the Watergate Steps sit among those seldom few that perfectly balance architectural beauty and intriguing history.

Connected to the Arlington Memorial Bridge area, sitting between the Arts of War and the Arts of Peace Sculptures, the steps were originally designed to serve as part of a dock, allowing dignitaries arriving via the Potomac River to ascend into the capital in sight of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

However, the intended use of the steps was never realized and the National Symphony Orchestra utilized the space from July 14th 1935 to host as many as 12,000 audience members for their barge-based performances.

Unfortunately, increased air traffic drew an end to the performing arts space in 1965, where it has since been an impressive, but defunct, staircase used primarily by runners and tourists keen to capture an awe-inspiring view of the river along the steps.

Tourists to the area will find that the forty steps that make up the Watergate Steps may quickly become congested, despite being 230ft wide at the top and 206ft wide at the base. Considering the appeal of the area, serving as a starting (or ending) point for those walking the National Mall, I would recommend visiting the steps during the early part of the day to ensure that the full-experience of the granite steps can be savored with as few other visitors as possible.

One of the only downsides to the Watergate Steps is that the history of the location far exceeds the excitement felt in viewing them. For those uninformed or uninterested in the specific history of the site, the impressive landmarks along the National Mall will outshine the steps and may cause tourists to de-prioritize them, misunderstand their importance, or miss them altogether.

Positioned in the Chesapeake Bay, not far from the coastline of Scotland, the Point No Point Lighthouse stands out as a perfect landmark to point out to friends and family while spending a few hours out on the boat.

During the summer season, the lighthouse attracts a range of local wildlife, including ospreys, other birds of prey, seagulls, and the occasional butterfly that has been carried on the breeze from the mainland.

Despite not being able to formally visit the lighthouse, it is possible for the boldest of visitors - and those willing to risk personal safety - to climb the structure and use it as a diving platform into the river.