Happy Anniversary GW Parkway!

On June 29, 1929, the federal government announced plans to construct the George Washington Memorial Parkway from Memorial Bridge to Mount Vernon.

Happy anniversary, GW Parkway!

The parkway is dotted with memorials and places with nationally significant history – the Alexandria waterfront, Fort Hunt, Jones Point Lighthouse, Memorial Bridge, the Netherlands Carillon and the US Marine Corps War Memorial.

I have driven a car (and once pushed a car), pushed a stroller, jogged, biked, hiked, walked with my dogs, friends and family along the parkway hundreds if not a thousand times and I’m still smitten with its beauty and the view across the river.

I especially like the view of Georgetown University from the Virginia side at dusk. To this day, I look at the three large rocks in the Potomac River near that spot that my dad told me were called the “Three Sisters” and remember his words.

Sure, the parkway has problems – flooding, blocked traffic lanes due to infrequent exits when the tree branches come down or the occasional car crash along with stopped traffic during a snow. 

But the parkway always gets me there.

So happy anniversary, GW Parkway.

What’s your favorite parkway memory? Share in the comments section below.