🏞️ Visiting all 683 parks in DC

What's CITY Talking About?

Crime Lab Refuses To Be Transparent

D.C.’s troubled crime lab pushed out all the members of the Science Advisory Board after they raised concerns regarding evidence collection techniques. The Board was gathered by Mayor Bowser to keep tabs on the crime lab and help address problems. However, the crime lab has done nothing but stonewalled their inquiries, accused them of unethical behavior, and made them resign. [City Paper]

• This is nothing new for the troubled crime lab that embarrassingly lost its accreditation last year. [City Cast DC 🎧]

DCPL HR Director Caught Triple Dipping

D.C. Public Library’s HR director resigned after it was discovered that she also worked as a doula AND had another full-time remote human resources job. She performed both extra jobs on city time – an ethics violation that resulted in a $17,500 fine. DCPL employees often complained the HR director was hard to reach, which is not surprising since she was literally delivering babies at the same time. [Washington Post 🔒]

Keep The Circulator!

Mayor Bowser is getting some backlash after announcing that the Circulator will be cut to help close a big budget gap next year. Several residents expressed frustration and anger that their most used bus line will be nixed. The Circulator has five routes throughout the city and costs only a dollar (Metrobus starts at $2). However, the Mayor says its ridership hasn’t returned to where it was pre-pandemic. [NBC4]

Urban Almanac: The Ultimate DC Parks Quest

It’s no secret Washingtonians love their parks, and we have a LOT of them. The Trust for Public Lands counts 683 parks in the District, which is probably why we’re consistently ranked the nation’s best big-city park system. But with so many, it’s impossible to see them all … or is it?

The Mission

We’re working with environmental reporter Jacob Fenston to explore all 683 parks in D.C. and catalog them. WAMU laid off the talented reporter last month, which — lucky for us and you — frees him up to bike, walk, Metro, and even kayak to the four corners of our city diamond, with his trusty Hey DC mug in tow.

And he’ll report back! Which park is the hardest to get to? Which has the coolest programming? Which best suits your birthday picnic, bird watching, tree climbing, or quiet reading adventures? We’re here to find out.

What’s The Point?

We’ve already delved into our fair share of park coverage. We chatted with the person who created Crispus Attucks Park, and learned the history behind one of D.C.’s largest parks. But we want to know more. We're creating a public database that helps you find D.C.’s weirdest, smallest, and most underrated parks.

Progress So Far

Jacob kicked off the project by kayaking 10 miles to Oxon Cove park, a small, completely overrun “park” at the very southern tip of the D.C. diamond. From there, he has visited a total of eight parks so far throughout SE D.C. (only 675 left!)

Along the way he has found lots of trash, thickets of invasive plants, and even an abandoned CaBi bike. But he has also seen an epic fight between a bald eagle and two ospreys, unusual wildlife, and a secret sandy beach.

Jacob is also searching for D.C.'s boundary stones along the way (marked in purple). There are 40 total, but 26 on the D.C. side of the Potomac. So far, he's visited four. He even had to wade through the swamp behind the fence of the D.C. impoundment lot to find one. This is not for the weak!

Follow Along

We’ll be tracking Jacob’s progress on this page and our social media accounts — updating them as he checks parks off his loooooong list. And check back here for articles he’s going to write along the way. Plus! If you’ve got D.C. park questions, we’re determined to get you answers.

What To Do

Today on City Cast

DC is Upping Its Public Restroom Game

Throne Labs, a high-tech toilet company, is bringing public restrooms to five different locations in the city as part of the D.C. Public Restroom Pilot Program. But D.C.’s track record with public restrooms has been iffy at best. Jonathan Katz joined us to explain why this is a big deal for everyone.