Halloween Mural Tour of Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, U Street Corridor, Shaw, and Downtown! – eWheel Going Out Group
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*** It’s a great day for a Halloween e-wheel tour. See you there! ***
UPDATE #5: The email with my cell no. has been sent to the yes RSVPs (to the email address associated with your Meetup account). TEXT me if you need to. If you do not see my email, check your email’s spam folder, and also make sure your email and Meetup settings allow for you to always receive messages from the organizer. If you can’t find it, send me a message through my Meetup profile with YOUR CELL NO. so I can text you back. See you there!
UPDATE #4: Weather.com is currently forecasting temperatures in the upper-70s with an 85% chance of NO RAIN (or from a glass half empty perspective, a 15% chance of rain) for the entire duration of our tour for our location’s zip code. Having hosted over 1000 events since 2007, when the percentage chance of rain is below 35% for the location’s zip code at the event start time, I’ve observed that 95% of the time, we’ll end up with no rain. Per the “Rain” section of the full event description, this event is a “go.” This UPDATE has been sent as an email to the yes RSVPs. See you there!
UPDATE #3: Don’t forget to account for Metro, traffic, and parking delays (see the “Metro & Parking” section of the event posting for full details).
UPDATE #2: If you plan to rent an e-wheel, some members have run out of charge in the past. I recommend trying to find one with as full of a charge as possible. Please see the “eWheel Rental” section of the event posting for full details.
UPDATE #1: Just a reminder to RSVP if you plan to join us, as I typically send out an email to the yes RSVPs with my cell phone no. a few hours before the event start time in case you need to reach me on the day of the event. Make sure your email and Meetup settings allow for you TO ALWAYS RECEIVE messages from the organizer.
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Let’s put on our best Halloween costume and get together for our FINAL tour of the year!
Fun fact: There are roughly 150 murals, 500 outdoor sculptures, and 75 historic landmarks in Washington DC. Let’s go explore some of them! (Dress code includes costumes, did I mention costumes, just to be clear costumes.)
I’ll hand out swag items to everyone that attends and RSVPs for the tour (a different item on each tour)! A raffle item will be raffled off to the best costume at the end of our ride. New riders, come join us for the first time! Riders from previous Meetups (Adolphus, Adrian, Aian Neil, Aiden, Alejandra, Alina, Alphonso, André, Anibal, Arturo, Ben, Benen, Benicio, Bird, Bob, Brandon, Brooke, Chad, Chris, Christina, Clarissa, Connor, CY, Dave, Declan, Denis, Diane, Dilraj, Don, Ecca, Edwin, Eli, Emmanuelle, Erwin, Gary, Gav, Geoff, Greg, Francis, Haitao, Heather, James, Jan, Janis, Janovah, Jason, Jeff, Jenna, Jennifer, Jeremy, Jessica, Joe, John, Johnny, Jonathan, Kevin, Kris, Lam, Laura, Lauren, LeRoy, Loren, Lori, Lutalo, Maggee, Mark, Mayu, Megan, Melissa, Michael, Mikel, Nancy, Nathalie, Nick, Olga, Phil, Rakesh, Rahul, Raul, Raymond, Ricardo, Richard, Riley, Rob, Robert, Rodney, Ron, Saphal, Sasha, Sergey, Shelly, Steven, Tim, and Zobair, Zoltan), come join us again!
Don’t own an e-wheel? You can rent one (e-scooter, e-bike) using a micromobility app (e.g. Lime, Bird, Spin, Helbiz, Capital Bikeshare). Capital Bikeshare offers an e-bike Day Pass option that will end up costing an estimated $25 – $30 for our tour length ($8 day pass + a discounted rate of $0.10 per minute); Lime and Helbiz also off Day Pass options (as of the date of this event announcement). Since the tours are free, the cost is significantly less than a comparable Segway tour (that uses older technology). Join us for some or all of the tour! See the “eWheel Rental” section of the event posting for full details.
We’ll tour the Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, U Street Corridor, Shaw, and Downtown neighborhoods and stop numerous times along the way for photo-ops and to enjoy the sites, memorials, neighborhoods, landmarks, and to also let some of the slower riders catch up (if some of us decide to go at a quicker speed). Note that this route contains 90% bike lanes. I’ll read aloud the description of each site, memorial, neighborhood, and landmark along the way so that we all know what we’re looking at, and so that we can also learn more about the awesome treasures that exist in our own backyard! Ideally, we’ll all ride together and at the same speed, but that may or may not be possible with other pedestrians, bicyclists, cars, etc. sharing the same paths, but let’s do our best please. In total, it’s a ~6.2 mile trip that’s sure to be enjoyable!
We’ll meet up at Hahnemann Memorial at 2pm. Then we’ll ride east on N Street NW for 1 block, at 2:30pm. Once we reach 15th Street NW, we’ll make a left and ride north for ~0.8 miles.
When we arrive at V Street NW (10 blocks), we’ll turn left and travel west for 0.3 miles. When we reach Florida Avenue NW (3 blocks), we’ll turn left and travel west for 171 feet. When we come across Champlain Street NW (1/2 block), we’ll turn right and ride northwest for 0.1 miles. When we arrive at at Kalorama Road NW (1 block), we’ll turn left and travel west for 269 feet. When we hit 18th Street NW (1 block), we’ll turn right and ride northwest for 0.2 miles. 18th Street NW will turn into Adams Mill Road NW where we’ll continue for 171 feet. When we reach Cincinnati Alley NW (1/2 block), we’ll turn right and travel northeast for 0.2 miles.
Along the way (1/2 block, Cincinnati Alley NW, right-hand side), we’ll come across the mural Un Pueblo Sin Murales. The title of this mural translates to: A People Without Murals are a Demuralized People. In both English and Spanish, “demuralized” is a pun on “demoralized.” The piece was created by artists Felipe Martinez, Carlos Salozar, Carlos Arrien and Juan Pineda in 1977. As the oldest mural in DC, it is the only mural in the neighborhood created by Latino immigrant artists, at a time when thousands of immigrants from Latin American converged on the neighborhood to seek political asylum. At the top of the mural a small Washington Monument establishes the setting, but the action clearly takes place far from the Federal City. The ghost-like figure with the center eye in the upper left represents the omniscient, oppressive presence of immigration authorities. The upper right contains monstrous figures gathered around a table, playing monopoly under an unshaded light. The image symbolizes the real estate speculation that decimated affordable housing in the area, with bankers financing the conversion of historic apartment buildings into condominiums. Below, cubist-style figures, perhaps the artists themselves, work with paints. The mural was revitalized in 2005 by Sol & Soul, a local arts organization, in collaboration with one of the original artists, Juan Pineda, and renovated again by Pineda in 2011 after an earthquake in DC.
We’ll continue northeast on Cincinnati Alley NW for 0.2 miles. When we reach the end (1/2 block), we’ll turn right and ride for another 203 feet.
Along the way (1/2 block), we’ll come across the Building Together mural. The Building Together mural was created by artist Aniekan Udofia in 2010. Located on the side of a Safeway, the mural depicts diverse faces of smiling children on the right side. In the upper left, their hands are holding pieces of the Washington D.C flag and building it together. Also depicted is an assortment of healthy fruits and vegetables. Aniekan Udofia, a local portrait artist who lives in Adams Morgan, is known for his large-scale paintings and murals in the D.C. area. His art work, familiar to the community of northwest D.C, came to prominence after a mural tribute to American icon Duke Ellington. Udofia garnered national attention with his caricatures and photorealistic illustrations for publications such as XXL, Vibe, DC Pulse, and The Source. His murals share the rich history and culture of the different communities they are created in, whether it’s the gagged George Washington on 15th and U Street or the very bright and colorful Marvin Gaye in the Shaw area of Washington DC, and his most famous Ben’s Chili Bowl mural, Udofia’s public works speak for themselves.
When we arrive at Columbia Road NW (1/2 block), we’ll turn left and travel northeast for 0.3 miles. When we arrive at Harvard Street NW (3 blocks), we’ll make a slight right and ride for 0.2 miles.
When we arrive at 14th Street NW (1 block), we’ll turn left and go north for 0.2 miles.
Along the way, we’ll come across the E=MC^2 mural (1 1/2 blocks, Columbia Road NW, left-hand side). Artist Nessar Jahanbin’s “E=MC^2” mural is a delightfully subversive work showing Albert Einstein wielding a can of spray paint, his formula for the theory of special relativity written as graffiti. Completed in 2018 in the district’s Columbia Heights neighborhood, Einstein is known mostly for developing the equation E=MC^2. (First published by Einstein in 1905, the equation means energy equals mass times the square of the speed of light. Essentially, the equation explains how the mass of atoms can be converted into energy, which in practice is used to create nuclear reactions that generate electricity or, at the end of World War II, to explode the atomic bomb.) In fact, Jahanbin’s mural depicts Einstein writing his equation— but not with chalk on a blackboard. “It’s a famous picture of him at a blackboard,” Jahanbin explains. “Instead of the chalk, he’s holding a spray can and he’s writing graffiti that says E=MC^2.” “Having Einstein be a tagger is just brilliant,” murals project coordinator Nancee Lyons said, referring to one of her favorite works.
We’ll continue north on 14th Street NW and along the way come across the You Are Welcome mural (1/2 block, left-hand side). The You Are Welcome mural was created by local artist Cita Sadeli aka CHELOVE. The 4-story floral designed mural painted on the side of the Unity Health Care building “[…] spotlights the cultural diversity of the area. This area of Washington D.C. in Columbia Heights doesn’t have a lot of large-scale murals, so we have rich florals and bright colors to convey a sense of hope and a sense of a brighter future,” said Sadeli. This mural exemplifies MISS CHELOVE’s careful consideration of local surroundings in her site-specific works. Three smiling, multi-generational figures greet passersby. The luminous sunrise and bright flowers suggest renewal and growth. “Welcome” appears in five languages (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Swahili, and Amharic) on the woman’s headwrap, greeting the diverse cultures and peoples sharing the neighborhood. Immigrants and people of color enrich our communities with invaluable cultural depth, extending our awareness into the broader world outside of our borders. Without these populations, the American tapestry simply would not exist.
When we arrive at Irving Street NW (1/2 block), we turn right and go east for 0.3 miles. When we reach 11th Street NW (2 blocks), we’ll turn left and ride north for 0.1 miles.
Along the way, we’ll come across Felipe’s Story mural (1 1/2 blocks, Kenyan Street NW, left-hand side). Joel Bergner is the lead artist who painted the Felipe’s Story mural on the side of BloomBars (a non-profit community arts organization). He also painted the original three versions on this wall. Since that first mural Joel has traveled across the globe painting murals in at-risk communities through the non-profit he founded, Artolution. The mural is a true community mural project in that several local artists of all ages participated, including third graders from Harriet Tubman Elementary. And the six faces on the upper portion all represent leaders in the local community, and people who have helped BloomBars from the beginning, including Baba Ras D, Marta Bohorquez and Gowri Koneswaran. The old man at the end is the father of BloomBars founder John Chambers. A tribute to the seed he planted in his son and BloomBars.
We’ll now head south on 11th Street NW for 0.9 miles. When we arrive at U Street NW (11 blocks), we’ll turn left and travel for 0.1 miles.
Next, we’ll come across The Swimmers mural (2 blocks, Vermont Avenue NW, left-hand side). Artist James Bullough picked a rear courtyard in Washington’s U-Street for this mysterious work. The realistic portrayal of the figures is tarnished by minor fragmentations and irregularities and challenges the viewer to focus on the content due to the lack of resolution. Are they swimming? Where to? Is that water? The slight shifts in the light blue and white texture are reminiscent of reflections of the light as it passes through the rippling water. Its weightless state contrasts with the tension that is evident on the faces of the figures and belies the assumption that the medium is water. Born in America, James Bullough has been living and working for many years in Berlin. His paintings and monumental site-specific murals are phenomenal combinations of realistic painting technique and graphic punctuation. An artist from Washington, DC, he was inspired in his early years particularly by dark graffiti. Bullough exploited its energy in his work and perfected the realistic technique of oil painting by studying the Old Masters.
When we reach 9th Street NW (1/2 block), we’ll turn right and ride south for 0.4 miles. Upon arriving at Q Street NW (4 blocks), we’ll turn left and travel east for 0.1 miles.
Along the way, we’ll come across the Elizabeth Taylor mural (1 1/2 blocks, 8th Street NW, left-hand side). The glamorous 3-story 50-foot-tall pink mural of the legendary Elizabeth Taylor, created by artists Byron Peck and Ivo Koytchev in 2013, is located at the Dacha Beer Garden in the Shaw neighborhood. Voted the best mural in DC by Washington City Paper readers in 2014, it honor one of DC’s true friends. Elizabeth Taylor was a British and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. She then became the world’s highest paid movie star in the 1960s, remaining a well-known public figure for the rest of her life until her death in 2011. Taylor co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), and became an HIV / AIDS activist and fundraiser. She raised over $270 Million for AIDS causes, and also founded the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1993. In 1993, the Whitman Walker Clinic opened the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, offering DC residents a variety of clinical services. DC Council Member Jim Graham noted in his dedication speech, how through Taylor’s generosity, “many lives in DC were saved… and many people where helped through a difficult time for the city.”
When we reach 7th Street NW (1/2 block), we’ll turn right and go south for 0.1 miles. When we arrive at P Street NW (1 block), we’ll turn right and travel west for 0.1 miles. Upon reaching 9th Street NW (1 block), we’ll turn left and ride south for 0.5 miles. When we reach New York Avenue NW (6 blocks), we’ll turn right and go southwest for 0.1 miles. When we arrive at I Street NW (1 block), we’ll turn right and travel west for 0.5 miles.
Our next stop is Franklin Park (2 blocks, 13th Street NW, right-hand side). Franklin Park is a square purportedly named after Benjamin Franklin. There is a fountain in the center of the park and a statue of Commodore John Barry dedicated in 1914 honoring the American Revolutionary War Continental Navy hero on the west side of the park. Franklin Square was originally the site of several natural springs. During the Civil War, the park served as an encampment for soldiers. Men “gathered about the park’s famous old springs; here could be heard bugle-calls and sentry orders, and also presently the moans of passing wounded soldiers.” In 2021, Franklin Square reopened after a year-long, $21 million renovation. 63 trees were replaced, and new landscaping, a children’s play garden, flexible seating, and art exhibit spaces were added. A new cafe building with public restrooms was also added to the southern end of the park. Across the street on the east side of the square is the historic Franklin School, which was a model of advanced design in its day and the scene of Alexander Graham Bell’s first wireless message. One Franklin Square, directly north of the square, became home to The Washington Post in late 2015. It is the tallest commercial building in DC. To the north also stands The Hamilton Hotel, which is a member of the Historic Hotels of America. Built in 1921, it was renovated in 2013.
When we reach 15th Street NW (2 blocks), we’ll turn right and travel north for 0.4 miles. Upon reaching N Street NW (4 blocks), we’ll turn left and go west for 250 feet back to the Hahnemann Memorial.
Come join us as we spend an afternoon together exploring the murals, sites, memorials, and landmarks Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, U Street Corridor, Shaw, and Downtown have to offer. Also, please help spread the word of our group and the tour.
I look forward to seeing you there!
– J.T.
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METRO & PARKING
We’ll meet at the Hahnemann Memorial. The closest Metro is Farragut North (Red line) and McPherson Square (Blue, Orange, Silver lines). I suggest taking Metro / taxi / ride-share services if you can. I also recommend using wmata.com for travel planning. Don’t forget to account for Metro, traffic, and parking delays. If you are driving, you will need to find street parking or a garage. For Sunday events, street parking is typically free in DC. I recommend using parkopedia.com for garage parking planning.
EWHEEL RENTAL
Don’t own an e-wheel? You can rent one (e-scooter, e-bike) using a micromobility app (e.g. Lime, Bird, Spin, Helbiz, Capital Bikeshare). Capital Bikeshare offers an e-bike Day Pass option that will end up costing an estimated $25 – $30 for our tour length ($8 day pass + a discounted rate of $0.10 per minute); Lime and Helbiz also off Day Pass options (as of the date of this event announcement). Since the tours are free, the cost is significantly less than a comparable Segway tour (that uses older technology). Join us for some or all of the tour! See the “eWheel Rental” section of the event posting for full details. If you plan to rent an e-wheel, some members have run out of charge in the past. Please try to find one with as full of a charge as possible.
DRESS
Please dress appropriately for the weather. For those with problems having their feet go numb or tired during long rides, I recommend wearing shoes with a stiff and flat sole.
RIDING ETIQUETTE / RULES
Since e-wheels are relatively new technology, please be as courteous as possible to other pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. Based on personal experience (I’ve been riding daily since 2015), I’ve noticed some general good practices and rules to follow. 1) ALWAYS give pedestrians the right of way. 2) When riding on a narrow sidewalk, and you’re coming up behind a pedestrian and you need to pass them, either a) wait until there’s an opening, or b) clear your throat and say “excuse me” or “on your left” in a *gentle* manner (I’ve noticed people tend to get startled / surprised when they see and hear a tall figure behind them on a wheel) before passing them. 3) SLOW DOWN to a pedestrian’s walking pace (until you are completely clear of them) whenever approaching or passing (whichever direction they are walking). Only after passing a pedestrian for a little distance is it a good idea to go faster than walking pace. Whatever you do, please do NOT wiz by them. 4) Thank the pedestrian as you are passing. 5) Slow down as you are going around a turn (whether there are other pedestrians in sight or not) with a lot of bushes or other obstacles next to the sidewalk, as they can be coming from the other end of the turn (and not be visible initially). 6) Ride single file whenever pedestrians are around (on the sidewalk), or cars are around (in the bike lane). 7) Dismount when in the official memorial areas, such as the FDR Memorial (it’s the law). 8) Please stay behind me since I know the route and may be turning left or right at any time.
RIDING SKILL
For the safety of others and ourselves, we will all be required to be able to: (1) comfortably balance on the wheel while riding straight and turning left or right (2) ride at a snail’s pace and (3) start and stop comfortably without the need to hold onto any wall, post, or similar structure.
LEGALITY
People have asked me questions regarding the laws pertaining to riding our e-wheels in the DC metro area. I did a lot of research before purchasing my e-wheel to ensure I could make use of it. In short, they are generally considered Personal Mobility Devices or Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Device. (1) Virginia: “An electric personal assistive mobility device or motorized skateboard or foot-scooter may be operated on any highway with a maximum speed limit of twenty-five miles per hour or less. An electric personal assistive mobility device shall only operate on any highway authorized by this section if a sidewalk is not provided along such highway…” See link here. (2) Washington DC: “Personal Mobility Device (“PMD”) means a motorized propulsion device designed to transport one person, OR a self-balancing, two non-tandem wheeled device, designed to transport only one person with an electric propulsion system. Permitted on Sidewalk – Yes, except PMDs are generally not permitted on sidewalk space in the Central Business District. Permitted on Bike Lanes – Yes.” See link here. (3) Maryland: “‘Bicycle’ means […] an electric low speed scooter […]” and “has the rights and is subject to the restrictions applicable to pedestrians […]: (i) on a sidewalk or sidewalk area; or (ii) in or through a crosswalk[…]. At an intersection, a person […] is subject to all traffic control signals […].” See link here and here. “Green” devices for the win!
RAIN
If there’s a greater than a 35% chance of rain, we’ll cancel or reschedule. Having hosted over 1000 events since 2007, when the percentage chance of rain is below 35% for the start time of the event at the location’s zip code, I’ve observed that 95% of the time, we’ll get no rain. I’ll post an update to the top of the event posting by 11:30am on the day of the event, and also send an email out to the yes RSVPs.
< Click here to go back to RSVP page
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