Wonderful community center. I go for the tennis courts but there is basketball, baseball, and…read moreplaygrounds. A wonderful green space in the middle of the city. The tennis courts are good fun. Lots of community spirit, music, and local flavor. Usually can be a waiting line but the courts are decent and also well lit

I've been a resident in this neighborhood for 13 years and just started using the Fitness Center at…read moreTakoma. I've had good experiences for the last few weeks, until today. It's the first time I've walked in and multiple residents are having problems scanning in or the woman working the front desk "can't find" multiple accounts. Longest line I've seen yet. I haven't had problems scanning in until today and my ID has been scanned each time by other employees (who were courteous and pleasant). Gabrielle lectured me on creating an account, then gave very confusing and contradictory directions on how to unlock the account. I finally left, sat in the car, and figured it out myself. I went back in and she just wanted to see confirmation and didn't even scan me. She was condescending, rude, and lacked basic customer service skills. Do what you can to avoid Gabrielle! She clearly doesn't know how to do her job and likes to create drama for residents. What a waste of everyone's time!

Some do gooders put up this tree swing on the big oak tree here. The swing is beautifully…read moreconstructed with a nice piece of sanded and finished oak, connected to the tree with hemp rope. Your classic tree swing. The oak branch it's situated on is a nice horizontal thick branch. This combination creates an ideal swinging setup. Neighborhood kids and adults are often seen swinging. This is a great short stop after visiting the Takoma Farmers market on Sundays. To let your kids swing for a few min. Or go for a swing yourself and let out your inner child!

What a neighborhood gem! Master craftsmanship by locals make this a truly special spot.read more

It was a nice little garden while it lasted. Was not super noticeable though. Inventa turned it…read moreinto a small park.

An extremely well kept green space at the corner of Georgia and Wayne that also borders the Green…read moreTrail, I've walked past it a couple of times between my hotel and my customer's office. The garden is surrounded by an imposing steel fence but the sign clearly notes that this is open to the public during daylight hours. Stone borders keep the dirt tidy for the trees and provide a shady spot to sit and enjoy the greenery. There's also a small playground area in the shade. Neat spot. Maybe I'll bring my lunch here this week...

Before leaving the city through the 16th Street artery, be sure to notice how the names of the…read morestreets blossom into semi-alphabetically listed fauna. This is a sure sign that you have entered Shepherd Park. The area is filled with children who go to the local Shepherd Elementary School, adults who frequent the neighborhood's listserve, and teenagers who take advantage of the basketball courts and other open spaces to pass the time. Also, neighbors are friendly and active in the community and enjoy keeping the area clean and safe (just look at the way they cut their grass every weekend). Unfortunately I cannot yelp about everything there is to know about the area because this neighborhood deserves variegated representation. In other words, I'll leave it for someone else to yelp about (the garden tour, the school, the yard sales, etc.). What I will talk about however is Shepherd Park's hilly setting and how it makes for a great jog for anyone willing to sweat. For me, jogging around Shepherd Park is a task that starts at Eastern and Georgia Avenue and takes me around the triangle that many define as the boundaries of Shepherd Park. The boundaries are actually larger than the three sides of this massive triangle (Alaska Ave., Eastern Ave., and 16th St.) but for my purposes it's nice to see a clearly defined shape that gives me a good sense of how far I have to jog. I go down Eastern first because it's downhill and gives me a good warm up. After this it's pretty much all uphill. Climbing up 16th Street and swimming against the current of oncoming traffic can be mentally and physically tiring (but that's the point). After finally getting to Alaska Ave. & 16th St. (all the way from Eastern Ave. & 16th St.) I make a sharp left turn and breath heavily up the part the neighborhood that boarders Walter Reed Army Medical Center until I finally get back to my original starting point on Eastern Avenue. I've run this route backwards and forwards and both ways are pretty tough (although I think the one I just mentioned is tougher). This route provides joggers with the beautiful scenery that is Shepherd Park. From the large houses and synagogues on 16th Street to the trees and plants that make the area worthy of the fauna-inspired street names that make this neighborhood special, Shepherd Park is a great neighborhood for a refreshing jog at any time of the day (it's safe too). Take my word for it, Shepherd Park's hilly geography and well paved sidewalks are a hardcore jogger's best friend. I've finally been able to run this route without stopping for rest. Perhaps I'll take on Rock Creek Park now. P.S. For an easier jog, I recommend the track at Shepherd Elementary School's lower field. P.P.S. While jogging this route try to spot the dinosaur skeleton in the yard of a local resident

Jesup Blair Park is a large park on the D.C.-Silver Spring border and has something for everyone:…read more 1) Trails: A paved trail weaves through the park perfect for walkers and joggers. 2) Playground: There's a medium-sized one that younger kids will love. 3) History: It has Civil War connections and a historic house remains on the grounds.

This is a green space that seems like a part of Montgomery COllege but isn't. I found its lack of…read morefacilities for the public and general abandoned vibe odd (I don't think I've ever seen more than one or two people there despite having passed the area regularly over the years), but it isn't a bad space if you find yourself there. Having said that, I stopped for the briefest of picnics and was mobbed by biting insects so that was not great. Wrapping up quickly, I found a pedestrian bridge over the Metro that leads one in the direction of Takoma Park, and my day improved there. I note that there is a lot of signage about the history of the Blairs; it's one of those things that a lot of people never really think about but the name Blair is prominent in the area and I never had any idea why.

Acorn Urban Park is a tiny park in downtown Silver Spring with a big history. On this site is where…read morePreston Blair, a newspaper editor, discovered a mica-flecked spring that inspired the name Silver Spring. The land was part of Blair's plantation. On it, he built an acorn gazebo in the middle of the 19t century in honor of where he proposed to his wife. The gazebo still stands in the park today. There are murals along the park that depict the history of Silver Spring. There are a few benches to sit and enjoy the small park.

A little piece of Silver Spring History: This is all that remains of Francis Preston Blair's summer…read morehome, "Silver Spring". You are probably more familiar with his winter home, the Blair House, which is now Obama's famous "guest house" across from the White House. This just may be the smallest park in the U.S. at just 0.12 acres. You read that right! In 1840, Blair discovered a mica-speckled spring on his property, hence the name Silver Spring. In 1842 he built the acorn gazebo which has been restored over the sight of its discovery. Now this little park is surrounded by high rise condos and is adjacent to the Discovery building adjunct building (formerly Caldor's department store). It was the Caldor Company that commissioned the murals on the now Discovery building and they were the ones that paid to restore the gazebo and this tiny slice of Silver Spring history. Don't blink, or you'll miss it off East West Highway, just down from the NOAA building on your right.

It's not the best, but not the worst! It feels slightly small and can get crowded, but it provides…read morewhat you need which is a space for your dog to run around. I appreciate how they have plastic bags for clean up available! There are water bowls, but no water so would recommend you bring a bottle incase you are there for a longtime. I don't have much experience with dog parks as we just got a dog, so this may change over time.

It's not *the worst,* but it's very dry and dusty. No water. It might be OK for a winter day if…read moreyou're desperate for your dog to socialize. My dog is whining and begging to leave right now. Just hot and dry.

Today, Fort Stevens is a tiny green space in semi-urban DC, good for jogging and dog walking. But…read morein 1864, it was the site of a little known battle which almost changed US history. Knowing President Lincoln's sensitivity to any threat to Washington DC, General Lee ordered Jubal Early to attack the US capitol, gambling an attack here would scare the Union Army sufficiently to abandon its siege of Petersburg. Early outflanked Grant's army by moving thru the Shenandoah Valley and Maryland, surprising the depleted line of forts which surrounded the city. Union militia and trainees rushed to the defenses and stopped Early's advance, possibly saving the capitol. "We didn't take Washington," Early told his staff officers, "but we scared Abe Lincoln like Hell." He probably didn't realize how true those words were. While visiting the fort, Lincoln attracted the attention of Confederate snipers - becoming the only sitting US president to come under fire from an enemy combatant. A monument explains how close we came to losing him, just months before the next election. While the northern side of the fort is completely gone, the walls and dry moat of the southern defenses are still in decent condition. A few cannon are also on display. There is plenty of street parking in the surrounding area. A few minutes drive away, a few of the soldiers killed here are buried in Battleground National Cemetery. http://www.nps.gov/cwdw/learn/historyculture/index.htm

People pay big money to see history like at Fort Stevens Park and true to its DC roots, this park…read moreis FREE! It's a small green space in NW DC that saw the only Civil War battle in Washington, DC. It's a fort and you can tell that by the ditch surrounding it. Once you jump over the ditch, you'll see several cannons and plaques explaining the battle and why this fort exists. It's also speaks to the woman, a freed slave, who owned the property before it was taken from her by the US government to protect the capital. Fascinating!