Block-by-Block Biking: Block 37, Connecticut Avenue from Woodley Road to 24th Street
Distance: About 285 feet
Biking Conditions: A short, flat block that ends with a light. Traffic can be a bit stop-and-go around here based on light timing, but usually it flows pretty smoothly.
Favorite Feature: The Marriott Wardman Park hotel, which perches over the west side of Connecticut Ave:
Historical Context: In 1916, developer Harry Wardman started building a 1,200 hotel here. According to Images of America: Woodley Park the move was met with skepticism -- it was called "Wardman's Folly" because many locals thought Woodley Park was too far into the countryside for a hotel to be successful.
The part of the hotel that's visible from Connecticut Ave is known as Wardman Tower. It was a 1928 addition built on the site of a house Wardman himself built in 1909. It's the only part of the early hotel that remains -- the main building was demolished and replaced in 1980.
Another great fact about the Wardman Park hotel, from Images of America: Woodley Park: during the 1920s it hosted the Washington Cat Show, delightful photographic proof of which exists in the Library of Congress archives:
Most Festive Sticker: This one, on a sign on the 24th St median:
Least Useful Bike Lock: This one on the east side of the street:
Pagoda Panda: This guy is set up near the Metro elevator -- the "Home Rules" bear was painted by Anne Marchand as part of DC's Pandamania public art project:
Street Name Deconstruction: 24th St is the first time in a while that my route intersects with the numerical part of D.C.'s grid system. A couple facts about the number 24: it is the number of letters in the Greek alphabet and it is considered unlucky in Cantonese culture because its pronunciation is similar to the Cantonese term for "easy to die," according to Wikipedia.











