Public Spaces
Relive a pretty afternoon on the ballpark ferry
Washington's growing fleet of water taxis are useful as transportation, but they're also a fun and unique way to see the city. I used an American River Taxi to travel to a Nationals game a few weeks ago, and photographed the trip for posterity.
ART ferries sailing to the ballpark pick up passengers at Washington Harbor, in Georgetown. Boats pull directly up to the boardwalk, and passengers simply walk straight on.
All photos by the author.
Inside, the boats have a double row of seats and a crew of 2 or 3. There are no bathrooms, and no vending.
Shortly after casting off from Washington Harbor there are great views of Georgetown and Foggy Bottom.
Washington Harbor.
Georgetown Waterfront Park.
Watergate.
Kennedy Center.
Thanks to calm water and shoreline trails, the river and its banks are multi-modal.
Boats, bikes, cars, and joggers.
The Roosevelt Bridge is the first of many that the ferry passes under.
Roosevelt Bridge, with Arlington Memorial Bridge behind.
Roosevelt Bridge.
Between Roosevelt and Memorial bridges, the monuments of the National Mall are visible.
Washington Monument.
Washington and Lincoln.
Washington and Lincoln, perfectly aligned.
Memorial Bridge is the most ornate of Washington's Potomac bridges.
Memorial Bridge.
Memorial Bridge.
Memorial Bridge.
Monuments continue to be visible as the ferry passes West Potomac Park.
Washington Monument.
Jefferson Monument.
The 14th Street Bridge looks very plain.
14th Street Bridge.
14th Street Bridge.
14th Street Bridge.
Metrorail's Yellow Line bridge is even plainer.
Metrorail Bridge.
Last and oldest of the 14th Street Bridge cluster, the Long Bridge looks ancient compared to any other on the river.
Long Bridge (right), with Metrorail Bridge (left).
Long Bridge.
After crossing below Long Bridge, East Potomac Park becomes visible on the east bank, while Crystal City and National Airport dominate the west bank.
US Capitol visible behind East Potomac Park.
National Airport, with Alexandria's Masonic Washington Monument in the background.
Crystal City.
Looking back upstream, Rosslyn, the National Cathedral, and the Washington Monument are prominent.
Rosslyn, the National Cathedral, and the Washington Monument.
Rosslyn.
At Hains Point the ferry turns to go up the Anacostia River.
Hains Point.
Looking up the Anacostia, the Frederick Douglass Bridge rises, and the baseball stadium comes into view.
Douglass Bridge.
Nats park and US Capitol.
Yards Park becomes visible beneath Douglass Bridge.
Douglass Bridge, with Yards Park.
The stadium looms large above the river.
Nats Park.
Nats Park.
Finally, the ferry docks at Diamond Teague Park, just downstream from Navy Yard.
Diamond Teague Park docks.
For even more photos of the ride, view the complete Flickr set.
 | Dan Malouff is a professional transportation planner for the Arlington County Department of Transportation. He has a degree in Urban Planning from the University of Colorado, and lives a car-free lifestyle in Northwest Washington. His posts are his own opinions and do not represent the views of his employer in any way. He runs the blog BeyondDC and also contributes to the Washington Post Local Opinions blog.   |
Comments
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by Richard Layman on Oct 18, 2012 2:26 pm • link • report
by thump on Oct 18, 2012 2:41 pm • link • report
by Arl Fan on Oct 18, 2012 3:51 pm • link • report
Useful? In what possible way? Getting a few people to Nats games when there are already other cheaper and quicker transportation options?
By the way, I went over the the American River Taxi website and found that they are essentially shut down, with the exception of advance charters and special tours, until next March.
What an incredibly useful part of the transportation infrastructure of this city!
by dcdriver on Oct 18, 2012 5:03 pm • link • report
by m2fc on Oct 18, 2012 5:27 pm • link • report
When I take Metro, I'm always tempted to leave 8th inning or so. But with the water taxi, I relax and enjoy the whole game. Then an easy walk down to the pier, and the ride home is relaxing.
by Jay Roberts on Oct 18, 2012 6:14 pm • link • report
@dcdriver....cheaper in what way? How many billions did it cost to build the ferry a highway or subway tunnel? The infrastructure for ferries is almost free.
by JJJ on Oct 18, 2012 8:34 pm • link • report
by H Street LL on Oct 18, 2012 9:22 pm • link • report
Unless the passengers are storming the beaches a la Normandy, they're going to need piers. And the vessels are going to need Navaids, dredged channels, channel surveys to make sure the channels are still dredged, safety and rescue infrastructure (it's a bit different safety wise if a Metrobus breaks down on the side of the road vs a problem on the water)
The license and certification requirements for passenger vessels are also a lot higher, and a lot more expensive. (than say, for a bus) As is insurance.
Boats are fun, but they are also a heck of lot of work. A Cabi trip from the same point to point that the author took would take about the same amount of time (just under 30 min), and cost $0 (after a membership fee). But would not have as nice views and pix, I grant you.
by Kolohe on Oct 19, 2012 3:28 pm • link • report
by Tim Krepp on Oct 19, 2012 4:09 pm • link • report
by Tina on Oct 19, 2012 4:17 pm • link • report
by Kurt Smith on Oct 21, 2012 8:45 pm • link • report
by Alan B on Oct 24, 2012 10:21 pm • link • report
by Maurice on Nov 1, 2012 5:17 pm • link • report
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