Spring Valley / American University (July 13, 2019)
We continued our discovery of Spring Valley. Today we walked along a number of streets that include much larger houses. Many had country flags flying out front, suggesting that they are embassy residences. We particularly like the residence of the Korean Ambassador with it’s distinctly Asian design.
A small creek flows down along next to Glenbrook Road so a number of houses have small stone bridges giving street access.
Dotted throughout Ward 3 and the rest of the District are the red cast iron remnants of emergency call boxes. These boxes were first installed in the 1860s but have not been used since the 1970s. The call boxes were connected to a central alarm center. If a person saw a fire nearby, they could open the door of the box and pull a fire alarm lever and operators would dispatch trucks to the right location. There are also blue call boxes, allowing police officers to check in with their precincts. Many of the boxes have now been transformed into art or historical markers.
We made our way up the hill and onto the American University campus. We were surprised at its extensiveness, having never wandered through the whole grounds. A quick google search informed us that the main campus actually spans 90 acres, serving over 8000 undergraduates and 5,500 postgraduates.
Walking The District 