This park is a special hidden jewel in Bloomingdale. It is a private park maintained by neighbors…read moreand nestled behind a city block of houses surrounded by ally. It has beautiful landscaping and a number of community events including holiday lights, a community yard sale with food, entertainment and contests. Their is a movie series in the fall and other special events like Pride in the park which brings in thousands of dollars a year for maintenance upkeep and improvements. Bring a blanket and a frisbee and a friendly dog and hang out.

Crispus Attucks Park is a true neighborhood park. It's in Bloomingdale surrounded by rowhomes. If…read moreyou didn't know it was there, you'd easily miss it. Once inside, you'll see a large green space with benches, gardens, and a space for dogs. They sometimes host neighborhood events as well. One of my favorite parts of this park is the guestbook under one of the benches for visitors to sign and share wisdom/thoughts.

This area is markedly elevated above the street and was not a public space of any note until…read morerelatively recently. The area has a playground, a fountain, and some nice views. You could walk down the street and not realize how much space there is at the top of the stairs, but it's worth taking a look.

On the site of the 1905 McMillan Reservoir Sand Filtration Plant that helped purify the city's…read morewater during typhoid outbreaks. Back then, neighbors would walk along its promenade until a fence blocked the area off during World War II. Decades later, after much controversy, people are welcome to walk on the site again. Visiting with my seven-year-old daughter and her friend, they absolutely loved the recreation area of the development. Here's what it has. 1) Playground: Its new, large and comes with equipment for both smaller kids and older. There are two big slides and a sand pit. Although it's open, there are a few places with shade structures. 2) Splash Pads: There are two where kids can run through. 3) Recreation and Aquatic Center: There's a building open with restrooms, rooms, and more. There's also a new swimming pool for people to do laps. 4) Amphitheater: Surrounding the splash pads is a community amphitheater. 5) Walkway: Along the perimeter is a long walkway good for walking and jogging. It goes by a large grass field, workout stations, and a restored Memorial Fountain. 20 silos and two sand filtration are preserved and people can go inside the silos. There's easy street parking nearby.

Bruce Monroe Community Park is a large green space in Park View with beautiful views of Washington,…read moreD.C.'s skyline. There are plenty of benches and green space for kids to run free. There's a tiny playground for little kids, courts, a community garden and a mural on the southwest side. Nearby are plenty of shops including an ice cream parlor (Here's The Scoop0), coffee (Doubles), sandwiches (Heat Da Spot), bagels (the OG Call Your Mother Deli), pizza (Sonn'ys) and Georgian food (Tabla).

Great community space on the line between Columbia Heights and Park View. This park has two…read morebasketball courts, a large shaded gazebo in the center (with a few benches, no picnic tables), and two playground structures. It also has lots of grass space which is pretty sad/beat up during the summer heat. The best part of the park is the attached community garden which is full of gorgeous plants, some of which you are able to enjoy (please note which bins are marked 'private' and which are marked 'shared'). The garden includes a bee hive and the space is partially maintained by Casey Trees.

I grew up around neighborhood parks, but I don't remember them ever feeling quite like Walter…read morePierce Park. There's something about this park that genuinely captures the community around it. What I love most is how completely it changes depending on the hour. Early in the morning, there might be a workout group getting started--or, occasionally, someone asleep on a bench who perhaps did not quite make it home the night before. A few hours later, delivery drivers are taking a well-earned break. In the afternoons, there are families and kids, especially after school and throughout the summer. There's a regular afternoon cigar smoker. I've walked through yoga classes, watched pickup basketball games, and seen the big field transformed for Little League, soccer, and football. By evening, people are sometimes sitting outside having what looks like a little dinner party. It just ebbs and flows with the neighborhood. There's a dog park, although my dog is far more interested in the apparently exceptional sniffing opportunities throughout the rest of the park. And honestly, simply walking through is one of my favorite parts of living nearby because there's always some tiny slice of neighborhood life happening. Walter Pierce Park isn't particularly grand or elaborate, and I think that's exactly why it works so well. It just quietly becomes whatever the neighborhood needs it to be at that particular hour. To me, that's exactly what a neighborhood park should be.

This is a small park with a lot going on inside. Walter C Pierce Community Park is the definition…read moreof a community park. It has something for anyone. Lots of athletic areas for those looking to play a game. You can also enjoy the dog park. It seems most people like to bring a dog. It has one of the largest dog parked around here. The area is large but it feels smaller because of all the dogs and people there. If you don't have a dog you can still enjoy the athletic facilities. There's a few basketball and tennis courts, which always seem to be in use. It's not the nicest park, but it will do for some outdoor activity. Most dog owners are courteous but many aren't. Try going at not as busy times.

This is a smaller park to the west of Glover Archibald park. It's long and narrow in shape and has…read morea couple of trail paths - one lower along a creek (a small section of it has some big rocks) - and one higher with a slight bit of elevation. Mostly quite green with not very tall trees. People in the neighborhood who walk their dogs there tend to have them off leash. End to end from MacArthur Blvd to Nebraska Ave is 1.3 miles. Can get quite noisy with the sound of planes overhead coming and going from National Airport.

Once a Civil War defense protecting the city is now a public park with a small parking lot, trails,…read moreand hills used for winter sledding. In the mornings, dog walkers can be found along the trails. If you want a place to escape the city noise without leaving it, go to Battery Kemble Park.

This is one of my favorite DC areas that I make sure to visit each time I'm in town…read more Great neighborhood vibes all around. The bronze equestrian statue of Major John Logan was dedicated in 1901. He was a senator and civil war general. The park is actually a circle or a roundabout if you will. Lots of places to sit and grab lunch or people watch. Side note-my dog loves pooping here.

It is interesting to walk in a neighborhood and notice the vintage charm and character…read more Logan Circle Park is the only circle park in Washington, D.C. that was designed by Pierre L'Enfant that actually has retained its original intent. L'Enfant was a major architect of the federal capital. He envisioned neighborhood circles as spaces that would serve as open spaces for public gatherings that would be surrounded by homes and communities. It was nice to be able to soak in the ambiance on a steamy summer morning walk in Washington, D.C.

Perfect place to see the cherry blossoms without any tourists (besides me!)…read more Lovely park recommended by a local bookstore owner. Basically if you want to be left alone while still getting a quiet, uninterrupted view of the famous DC cherry trees, this is the place to be! Lots of benches, doggies playing fetch and the perfect light breeze to rain down cherry blossom petals every now and then. Idyllic really. And ten times better than heading to the national mall and watching people just be weird with their selfies haha. I promise I was not one of those people!

I walked this park for over a decade going to Peabody and…read moreStuart schools. Be careful crossing the confusing streets. The play- ground in west section is separated from the east section popular with dog owners. The National Park Service operates strict leash policy and poop rules. Cherry blossoms and Obama townhouse are legendary. Impeachment politics prevented Edwin Stanton from getting a statue. Instead General Greene points way to Capitol. My favorite example of L'Enfant's DC plan to include buildings, parks and street views.

This is a small circle park. Part of the Worthy Ambition heritage trail. They have nice benches to…read moresit in the shade and it's well landscaped. It brings a tranquil beauty to an already beautiful neighborhood.