Southwest Duck Pond — Attraction in Washington

I enjoy the park as it is a nice place to eat lunch amidst the pond and occasional ducks. All of my experiences except one there have been positive. However, on 6/Aug/13, I had an unpleasant experience. All I did was take picture of a fountain, and the next thing I heard was "NO, NO, NO!" and a bearded man (dressed in a dark track suit with white shades and a grey discman) walking casually over to me. I listened to what he said. He immediately proceeded to say that I disrespected him by intentionally taking a picture of him when all I did was take a picture of the fountain (without anyone in the picture!). I explained in calm terms what I was doing (taking a picture of only the fountain in panorama mode), and then I said: "Sir, I did not take a picture of you, and I was taking a picture of this fountain. I am very sorry for unintentionally offending you." Then, he said that most white people are racist, that if I was venting about the Zimmerman trial, and that slavery ended a long time ago. He then said that I was probably uncomfortable with his race and that I had never seen his race before. Helloooo!!! I told him that I was not uncomfortable with any race and effectively mentioned that I have been around his race since at least age 5. Reasoning with him was like reasoning with a stubborn donkey, and I decided not to reason further with him. I chalked it up as (1) his not knowing me well, (2) basing his prejudiced conclusions about me on the falsehood that most whites were racists, and (3) his apparent need to vent his vitriol upon me (a non-racist person). As the racist walked away, I reiterated my apology and left it at that even though I had more to say. Most of the people that I know from his race are not racist and are very kind,...

This is a very nice and well-maintained little pond. The ducks and some other wildlife may follow you around in the hopes that you'll cough up some food, but you shouldn't be feeding them (bread is particularly bad for the ducks), and many signs tell you not to do that. There are plenty of seats in a variety of locations, so you can choose how much shade you want to be in. There are larger seating areas suitable for small groups to meet up as well. If you're in the area visiting, I highly recommend stopping by. You may run into a homeless man with a big green military bag (who told me a tad aggressively not to get him on camera) but he seems to be a harmless fellow; I saw him sitting and speaking to someone else who was in the park, and I don't think he meant to be...

UPDATE: As of May 3, 2021, there is a group of about 10 young ducklings at the pond. Visit soon to see them!

As of April 2021, The SW Duck Pond is 100% open! There are new pipes, a cluster of three small new islands, and a brick maze design where the little playground used to be. There are more fountains (that now glow at night) and the benches and red rocking chairs are back too. And there are also some patio lights hanging over near the little library on the NE corner of the park. Looks like the patio lights are going to extend all the way to the SW Library, which re-opens in...