D.C. is filled with architecturally interesting public spaces. To get an idea of how people are using these spaces, Curbed writers are spending twenty minutes in a given location and taking note. Want to nominate a place for this series? Hit up our tipline. Here's what happened last night between 2:10-2:30 p.m. today at Farragut Square.
2:10 p.m. — At the corner of 17th and K, a man shakes a Washington Wizards cup and asks for change. He also wraps up a cable of some sort and puts it in his jacket. There's a giant bag sitting behind him that looks like it came from tone of the local grocery stores. The contents aren't visible from the sidewalk.
2:13 p.m. — Although Farragut Square is a haven for food trucks during lunch time, there are only six remaining food trucks: three on each side of the 17th Street split. None appear to have any patrons. The bright pink Tokyo in the City truck doesn't even look open.
2:14 p.m. — Never mind. One person is at Fojol Bros.
2:15 p.m. — The statue of Civil War Navy Officer David Farragut looms over the plaza. It's actually a pretty imposing structure. He faces I Street and in big block letters his name, FARRAGUT, sits on the concrete block below him. There are also brass canons coming out from every corner of the sculpture.
2:16 p.m. — Oh, and by the way, nobody is looking at the statue. The grass next to it is overrun with dozens of tiny brown birds. 80% of of the people criss-crossing the paths are on the phone or wearing headphones. An overlapping 80% are moving very, very quickly. I step back because in staring at the statue, I'm blocking someone's way. One guy in the 20% of people who are not moving quickly (but is still wearing headphones actually takes a minute to stare at me. Note to self: do a better job of blending in.
2:17 p.m. — A man comes through the path on the northeast corner of the square rolling a giant yellow trash bag. He's wearing a neon yellow vest as though he's about to work in traffic that has the Golden Triangle BID logo on it. He does not actually pick up in anything but nor is there anything on the ground in the way of trash other than an errant cigarette butt.
2:18 p.m. — Actually, the visible clear trash bags look pretty new. Not that this is necessarily an issue worth delving into, but why not.
2:19 p.m. — Upon walking to the northwest corner of the square, it looks like someone took a trashbag from their apartment and stuffed it into one of the Golden triangle trashcans. Most of the benches in the square are empty (also...wet) but there's a man sitting by the trashcan with his suitcase. He stares straight ahead.
2:20 p.m. — On the other side of the trashcan a man is lording over his own large black trash bag. He re-wraps it and continues standing.
2:21 p.m. — So, the paths going between the Farragut West and Farragut North metro stations are on a downward slope. Considering how quickly people move across this park, how many people per day just fall down?
2:24 p.m. — A man with a beard walks up to one of the remaining food trucks. He's holding a small plastic bag. He asks them why they can't help him out. He says that he's a homeless man. The two people in the truck start the ignition. "Why you have to close up?" he asks as they start to pull in the window.
2:25 p.m. — The homeless man turns to me and asks me for money instead.
2:26 p.m. — Two dirt areas on the northern and southern border of the statue are roped off with little white flags hanging off the ropes. The flowers and plants will most likely grow within two months, but right now, that does not seem soon.
2:27 p.m. — The Fojol Bros. truck drives off. There's one guy in front of the WasSub? For a change of pace, he's on his phone.
2:29 p.m. — A bus sits on the corner with flashing lights that say "Not In Service" as a woman with a yellow vest stands outside and talks on the phone. One woman looks at the bus routes on the sign next to the bus but does not appear interested in the bus itself. Now, only two of the original six food trucks remain.