Silver Metal Face Sculpture With Black Metal Rim Glasses

This 6 foot high metal face sculpture is attached to the brick on the second floor of the building located at 1615 17th Street NW, Washington, DC. The sculpture includes silver metal lips, part of a chin, the nose, cheeks, eyes and eyebrows. There are also black metal glasses frames and gray lenses made of plastic or glass. At the top and taking the same shape as the tops of the eyebrows is a line of neon lights.

Metal Face Sculpture - Second Floor, 1615 17th Street NW

The building is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Corcoran and 17th Streets NW. The sculpture is on the side of the building facing Corcoran Street.

Located on the second floor of 1615 17th Street NW is Dupont Optical. And in the windows of Dupont Optical’s offices are two quite interesting sculptures. In the window closer to Corcoran Street is a white hand holding an eyeball with a hazel or brown iris. In the next window is a black hand holding an eyeball with a green iris with a touch of yellow toward the pupil.

Disembodied Hand Supporting an Eyeball with a Brown or Hazel Iris

Disembodied Hand Supporting an Eyeball with a Green and Yellow Iris

Also located on the first floor of the building is Prego Again. According to the signs in the windows, Prego Again is a gourmet deli with beer and wine available.

The Metal Face Sculpture is locate on the Corcoran Street side of 1615 17th Street NW, Washington, DC. Click Here for Google Map showing the location of the Metal Face Sculpture.

Closest Metro Station: Dupont Circle is the Metro Station nearest to this sculpture.

Dupont Circle Mural by G. Byron Peck

This Dupont Circle Mural is painted in trompe l’oeil style which tricks the eye and gives a feeling of real depth. The three dimensional effect is apparent in the carved figure in the base of the fountain, in the red/orange marble column and in other features of the painting.

The carved figure is part of the base of the Dupont Circle Fountain. This same fountain is featured in another work by the same artist, the Metro Center Mural.

The spherical mirror in the image below adds to the 3-D effect by reflecting images on what looks very much like a realistic three dimensional curved surface. The buildings of Dupont Circle, the ornate border at the top of the mural and the base of the fountain are all set off against a clear blue sky highlighted by a bright white sun.

Dupont Circle Mural - Close Up of Mirror Ball From the Upper Left of the Mural

There is a second representation of a fisheye or ball shaped mirror located in the upper right portion of the mural. The distorted images of Dupont Circle buildings in the center and on the right are balanced against images of yellow, gray, black and orange that are reflected from the mural itself. Both spheres serve to join the outer reality of Dupont Circle in the form of buildings and sky with the less prominent painted reality of the mural.

Dupont Circle Mural - Close Up of Mirror Ball From the Upper Right of the Mural

This mural as well as the one at Metro Center were both painted by G. Byron Peck who has painted a number of murals in Washington DC as well as others around the world.

This mural is painted on the northwest side of 1736 Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington, DC. The Polo India Club Restaurant is located in this building. And the mural is above the Bistrot du Coin located at 1738 Connecticut Avenue NW.

The Dupont Circle Mural by G. Byron Peck is on the northwest side of 1736 Connecticut Avenue NW where Polo India Club is located. The mural is above Bistrot du Coin.

Click Here for Google Map showing the location of the Dupont Circle Mural by G. Byron Peck.

Closest Metro Station: Dupont Circle on the Red Line is the nearest Metro Station to this mural.

John Witherspoon Statue Near Dupont Circle in Washington DC

John Witherspoon signed the Declaration of Independence as a member of the Continental Congress elected from New Jersey. He was a Presbyterian Minister born February 5, 1723 in Scotland. He died in 1794 in New Jersey.

The sculpture by William Couper of New York was unveiled at a ceremony held on May 20, 1909. A plaque on the base of the statue reads:

For my own part, of property I have some, of reputation more. [period added] That reputation is staked, that property is pledged on the issue of this contest; and although these gray hairs must soon descend into the sepulcher, I would infinitely rather that they descend thither by the hand of the executioner than desert at this crisis the sacred cause of my country.

The John Witherspoon Statue is located on a small triangle created by the intersections of Connecticut Avenue NW, N and 18th Streets NW near Dupont Circle. Click Here for Google Map showing the location of the John Witherspoon Statue.

Closest Metro Station: The Dupont Circle Metro Station on the Red Line is nearest to the John Witherspoon Statue.

House of the Temple, Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, Mentioned in The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Sphinx Guarding Entrance to the Temple, Notice the Cobra

This huge Masonic temple acts as headquarters for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. It is also known as the Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction.

This building, completed in 1915, was modeled after one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. John Russell Pope was the architect for this building and for the Jefferson Memorial, the National Gallery of Art and the National Archives.

Two sphinxes guard the entrance to the building. The one on the left, carved from a single block of stone, represents power. Its eyes are open and there is a cobra around its neck.

Guided tours are available for the House of the Temple every 15 minutes from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm Monday through Thursday.

Two Headed Eagle on Each Corner of the Temple Roof

Each corner of the roof is guarded by a carved, two-headed eagle.

The Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction is located at 1733 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC. Click Here for Google Map showing the location of the Masonic Temple.

Closest Metro Station: The Supreme Council Temple is located about mid-way between the Dupont Circle Metro Station on the Red Line and the U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro Station on the Green and Yellow Lines.

Lost Symbol by Dan Brown: This temple is mentioned in the Prologue and in Chapters 84, 115, 117, 119, 124, 128 and 131.

Wizard of Oz Wall Painting at Stead Recreation Center - The Painting Takes the Shape of the Side of the Building

Wall Painting of Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy and Toto from the Wizard of Oz

Occupying one full side of the building at 1633 P Street NW is a painting depicting characters and more from the Wizard of Oz. This is a graffiti type wall painting that stretches from the front of the building to the back on the side that faces Stead Recreation Center. Actually the wall painting provides a boundary at one side of a basketball court. 

From the image it may look as though part of the painting is missing, but it isn’t. The painting uses all of the space that is available on the east facing side of the building. The front of the building is at the left edge of the painting, and the painting occupies the entire two stories at that point. The rear of the building is one story, and again the painting uses all available space. 

The Wicked Witch of the West (portrayed in the movie by Margret Hamilton) is on the far left end of the painting and flying on a broomstick. Further to the right are the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy Gale and Toto (portrayed in the movie by Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Judy Garland and Terry, a black Cairn Terrier). Above that group is one of the flying monkeys. 

Wall Painting Close Up of the Scarecrow and a Flying Monkey from the Wizard of Oz

Toward the center of the painting is Emerald City. And just beyond that is the Scarecrow (portrayed in the movie by Ray Bolger) and another flying monkey. 

Click Wizard of Oz to see a StationStart.com entry that summarizes information about the Wizard of Oz in and around Washington DC. 

The Wizard of Oz Wall Painting is on the side of 1633 P Street NW, Washington, DC and is visible from Stead Recreation Center which is located at 1625 P Street NW. Click Here for Google Map showing the location of Location of Wizard of Oz wall painting. 

Closest Metro Station: The Dupont Circle Metro Station on the Red Line is nearest to Stead Recreation Center.

Arriving at Dupont Circle Metro Station: Train Headed North

The Dupont Circle Metro Station is located in the center of the Dupont Circle Historic District. This station provides access to some of Washington DC’s liveliest nightlife as well as an eclectic shopping area and many restaurants.

North (Q Street, NW) Exit from Dupont Circle Metro Station

The station has two exits. The one shown in the image is of the north exit at Q Street and Connecticut Avenue, NW. This exit is not easily visible from Dupont Circle. Click Here for Google Map of the Q Street NW exit from the Dupont Circle Metro Station.

The other exit is located on the south side of Dupont Circle along 19th Street, NW, and this exit is easily visible from the south end of Dupont Circle. Click Here for Google Map of the 19th Street, NW exit from the Dupont Circle Metro Station.

Dupont Circle Fountain Waterless on a Cold January Morning

Dupont Circle is located in the Northwest section of Washington DC at the intersection of many streets: P Street, 19th Street, Massachusetts Avenue, Connecticut Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue. In addition the Washington Metro Dupont Circle Station is located beneath it with an exit to the south along 19th Street, NW and one to the north along Connecticut Avenue, NW at Q Street. 

One of the centers of Washington DC’s nightlife, the Dupont Circle area is home to many shops and restaurants including many ethnic restaurants. 

The fountain, placed in the center of Dupont Circle in 1921, was designed by Daniel Chester French and Henry Bacon. They also designed the Lincoln Memorial. The three figures on this fountain represent the sea, the stars and the wind. 

Dupont Circle Looking North Along Connecticut Avenue, NW

In more temperate months (not January), the park that is Dupont Circle is an active gathering place where musicians and other turn up to perform.

Click Here for Google Map showing the location of Dupont Circle Park.

Closest Metro Station: Not that this isn’t obvious, but the Dupont Circle Metro Station on the Red Line is nearest to Dupont Circle.

Buca di Beppo from Real World DC Episode 1

This is the Buca di Beppo where the cast from Real World DC ate dinner in episode 1. The dinner conversation that first night covered in some detail issues involving religion, sex and sexuality, issues that are scrupulously avoided by some. Conversation entertainment value: High Rating. Conversation politeness value: Low Rating.

This shot of the restaurant was taken in the harsh, bright daylight of a cold, cold January day. It lacks the pleasant ambiance of the evening shots of the cast eating outside on the terrace.

Anyway you can see why Andrew, Ashley, Callie, Emily, Erika, Josh, Mike and Ty ate here. The restaurant is located only about a block and a half from the house. And from the terrace they could look down Connecticut Avenue, as it slopes down toward Dupont Circle.

Buca di Beppo Sign from Real World DC Episode 1

The restaurant is located at 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009. Click Here for Google Map.

Closest Metro Station: The Dupont Circle Metro Station on the Red Line is nearest to this Buca Di Beppo location.

Real World DC House at 2000 S Street, NW, Washington, DC

The house that MTV used for filming Real World DC during the summer and autumn of 2009 is located at the intersection of S and 20th Streets NW in Washington DC. The address is 2000 S Street, NW.

It is a huge red brick house. I’m no expert on architecture, but I believe it is a Victorian Queen Anne style house complete with turret and the associated round living areas visible in the series.

This is the central location for the Real World DC exploits of Andrew, Ashley, Callie, Emily, Erika, Josh, Mike and Ty.

Real World DC House Address on S Street NW Washington DC

The address is visible just above the main entrance on S Street. Click Here for Google Map.

Closest Metro Station: The Dupont Circle Metro Station on the Red Line is nearest to MTV’s Real World DC house.