While wandering through Bethesda this weekend, we were delighted to find these whimsical benches marking stops for the Bethesda Circulator (a free trolley service running through downtown Bethesda). The benches are the work of Bodil Meleney, a Norwegian-born artist who lived in Bethesda for 24 years before moving to nearby Takoma Park...
Meleney was one of 500 contestants who submitted proposals when Bethesda Transportation Solutions and the Bethesda Urban Partnership decided to spend $30,000 to attract more attention and riders to the Bethesda Circulator. The benches feature lines of poetry by local poets who competed to participate in the project.
There are 20 benches in total, though we only came upon these five during our rambles. The installation of the benches began in late 2002, but we have somehow never noticed them before (possibly because we don’t ride the trolley). We found ourselves captivated by these artful bus-stops, and wish neighboring jurisdictions would consider similar installations.
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Comments (12)
Stuff like this is why I love living here - you turn a corner and there's something totally unexpected.
ugh, i can't stand bethesda. my aunt lives there, so i visit a few times a year. we rarely venture outside her awesome compound, but when i go into bethesda proper i find it so unbelievably and painfully yuppie-suburban. and as much as i love poetry and bus stops and benches, i only see this as a pipedream of culture.
omg, rant over. sorry about that! i'm just being city-centric/suburb-phobic. but i am a poet, so yay to public poetry! poetry in motion (any motion!) is one of the best ideas ever :)
I love these benches, though I've only ever seen three of them- I guess I need to wander around looking for the rest! They are such a unexpected bright spot of color and whimsy on the street. If I ever have a garden, I'd love to make something similar for the seating...
I´m going on the trolley just to find the other ones!
Watch out while driving in Bethesda....
People walk right in front of your car! It's their planet, you just happen to be driving there at the moment.
I agree with kdkaboom. I love DC but not sure I love visiting Bethesda. Especially considering it is 30 minutes outside of the district on a good day without traffic.
Isn't this supposed to be about DC? I would be somehwhat disappointed to see the Washington DC blog turn into a MD blog.
Will AT NY posts soon cover New Jersey? Not that this article is bad, more of an observation since the entries are usually tied in more to the location shown.
I love the one with the shoes!
I think Bethesda is a neat area that still has lots of great small stores tucked away on the sidestreets. It has grown a lot in recent years, but parts of it remain relatively unchanged.
CS54- I think the idea was that the DC page would cover the mid-Atlantic region not just Washington DC. I certainly hope it will at least cover the greater metro area and not just stick inside the strict city limits- Bethesda is only a 5 minute drive from the border!
First off, the blog post was of good quality so please whoever wrote it do not think that this is against your writing or blogging abilities in any way.
mcq...Mid-Atlantic? wth? haha
So now I can expect to see Delaware under a title of Washington DC? Should they change the title from "Washington DC" to DC Metro Area, Delaware and Virginia an whatever other states make their way to the ocean??
If I were on a blog with the location stated as NY or NYC and started reading about things to see in other Atlantic states like Pennsylvania I would be a bit confused and probably just leave to never return.
Perhaps that takes it a little too far but back to my other point - (Washington DC vs a DC Metro blog) New Jersey is over a bridge ride away from NYC not even a few blocks but you don't see posts about events happening in New Jersey on a NYC blog.
The point is that Bethesda is no more "Washington", DC than is Silver Springs, MD or Vienna, VA which are both on the metro line.
Perhaps there is not enough to look at in Washington DC alone. I will just have to remain disappointed if this is what I can expect from a blog entitled Washington......dc.
Sorry one last thing.. I am not trying to be super difficult but if its been blog post 10 or so of the DC blogs and we are already leaving the District........ I dunno.. just kinda depressing because I was really looking forward to the Washington DC blog.
I think this was a great - and relevant - post. What's wrong with having a post set within 5 minutes of DC? CS54 clearly isn't familiar with Bethesda if he/she thinks it is 30 minutes outside of the District. However, I agree - Bethesda is no more DC than any other outlying community - but what is wrong with a post on any of those communities? As a resident of Bethesda, it's nice to see a post in my neighborhood but I would also love to see posts about Silver Spring, Vienna, etc. If it's in the metro area, write about it!
Who cares if there are no posts about NJ on the NY blog - this isn't NY. Excuse us, CS54, if some of us prefer to live outside of the District along Metro lines. I suppose life outside District borders is too depressing for you.
Colleen, keep up the great work!
Rush- I agree! Some people are just city snobs. I have lived in larger cities than DC and have been pleasantly surprised by what the 'burbs have to offer now. Additionally, DC is a commuter city. The city fills up with 100,000s of people during the work day and then everyone goes home in the evening. So a lot of people get the benefit of knowing and exploring several areas in the DC/NOVA/MD area.
jlg-
i have to disagree w/ you. Downtown fills up during the day and then empties but not the other neighbors like Dupont, Georgetown, Eastern Market, Chinatown. I think what CS54 meant is Washington DC is a great city with tons of resources... since AT DC is brand new, we really haven't even touched the surface of what the city has to offer. There is little reason why multiple posts (not just one) are already popping up.
I think the post was unique and worked fine but I personally would enjoy seeing city stuff.