Wed, 05/30/2007 - 3:14pm

From the sidewalk, I wasn't sure what to make of it. With its high stone walls and towering staircases, it looked so far out of place in downtown D.C. I knew it had to be worth exploring.

Meridian Hill Park is tucked into a long, meandering hill that slowly tops out in D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood. Its 12 acres of northwest real estate stretch north to south from Euclid to W Sts and east to west from 15th to 16th Sts. The product of early twentieth century landscape architects George Burnap and Horace Peaslee, the nearly 100-year-old park was named after its location along the exact longitude of D.C.'s original prime meridian, which runs directly through the center of the White House.

Meridian Hill Park was designed to conjure up images of classical Italian landscape and architecture. With tiered gardens, cascading water basins and dozens of stone and marble statues, the Renaissance feel of the grounds pervades almost every corner.

The park is divided into two main areas: the lower grounds at the bottom of the hill, which consist of a large reflecting pool and an upward view of the interlinking water basins, and the upper grounds, which culminate in a flat, wooded mall area that overlooks the lower park and provides a panoramic view of the capital city.

Last time I visited, I made the trek to the top of the hill and took my time just standing there, surveying the city I’m proud to call home. As I listened with eyes closed to the sounds around me, I remember feeling like I was in a small-scale version of New York City's Central Park, a place that strikes an ironic balance between the serenity of nature and the bustle of city life.

That's actually one of the things I enjoy most about Meridian Hill -- it allows me to escape the city without really losing it: K Street's skyscrapers become the backdrop for towering pines; the songs of blue jays compete with the distant wailing of police sirens; and the ebb and flow of the water basins sets a slow, steady rhythm for the buses and cars crowding the surrounding streets. It’s at once peaceful yet lively, secluded yet central.

Meridian Hill also provides an escape from the hoards of bustling tourists that descend on the District in droves each summer. The park is somewhat off the beaten path, a place for the community, so it’s not a prime tourist attraction – and I think that’s one of its strengths. Because the park is just a stone’s throw from some of the best neighborhoods D.C. has to offer, including Adam's Morgan, the U Street Corridor and Dupont Circle, it’s a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon or share a late picnic lunch before hitting the town at night.

Meridian Hill Park is fixture of the local community without really being a fixture of the city. It has all the charm and history of the capital’s traditional tourist attractions without the long lines for the bathroom. Well, not really. I don’t remember seeing a bathroom in the park – but either way, you get the picture.

About the author
Emily Leaman is 23-year-old aspiring writer who has lived in Washington, D.C. for almost two years. In addition to contributing to DCGuide.com and other local publications, she maintains a personal blog here: http://paper-white.blogspot.com/ Emily lives in Logan Circle with her husband, Chris, and her one-year-old puppy, Scout.

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• Attractions