Piece image

J Street, Traffic Circles & The Swamp That Never Was

Series: The Newcomer's Guide to Washington
From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 00:05:34

Embed_button
Was DC really built on a swamp? Why does the grid system have no J Street? And what's up with all those crazy traffic circles? Read the full description.

Washington-dc_small In the first installment of the new series, A Newcomer's Guide to Washington, intrepid radio reporter Rebecca Sheir uncovers some of Washington, D.C.'s most enduring mysteries... and flat-out myths.  Did George Washington really build the nation's capital on a swamp?  Why does the District's grid system have no J Street?  And what the heck is up with all those traffic circles?  Sheir, a newcomer to D.C., grabs her microphone and hits the streets to find out.

More from Rebecca Sheir

Piece image

Lincoln, Memorialized: The Myths & Legends Of A D.C. Icon (00:06:58)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Secret signs... hidden profiles... underground stalactites... This is not your 8th-grade tour of D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial.
Piece image

The Myths And Mysteries Of Curious George(town) (00:06:45)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Georgetown is one of Washington, D.C.'s most storied neighborhoods - but not all of those stories are true...
Piece image

Going Local: The Ins And Outs Of "Washingtonian-ness" (00:07:04)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Paris has its Parisians, Boston its Bostonians. What does it take to be/become a Washingtonian?
Caption: Why is the WaMo three different colors?, Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Obelisk In The Sky/Obama In The House: D.C.'s Monumental Myths (00:05:47)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Think you know why the White House flag is flying, and the Washington Monument is tri-colored? Then you might want to think again.
Piece image

Shedding Light On Height: The Truth About D.C.'s Skyline (short version) (00:03:27)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Getting to the bottom of why Washington, D.C.'s building tops... are so low.
Piece image

Shedding Light On Height: The Truth About D.C.'s Skyline (00:04:55)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Getting to the bottom of why Washington, D.C.'s building tops... are so low.
Caption: The Packard Campus is roughly 500,000 square feet, built into the side of a mountain in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains., Credit: Library of Congress/Matt Raymond

Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (short version) (00:03:28)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Caption: The Packard Campus is roughly 500,000 square feet, built into the side of a mountain in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains., Credit: Library of Congress Photo/ Matt Raymond

Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (00:06:38)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Caption: The original Virginia Is For Lovers slogan/logo, created by Martin & Woltz (now The Martin Agency) in 1968., Credit: The Martin Agency

Is Virginia Really For Lovers? (00:05:50)
From: Rebecca Sheir

The real story behind one of the most famous tourism slogans of all time.
Caption: This rough sketch for a children's book drew one D.C. native into a mystery regarding “Colored Only” signs in D.C. in the 1930s. , Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation (00:07:41)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s.

Piece Description

In the first installment of the new series, A Newcomer's Guide to Washington, intrepid radio reporter Rebecca Sheir uncovers some of Washington, D.C.'s most enduring mysteries... and flat-out myths.  Did George Washington really build the nation's capital on a swamp?  Why does the District's grid system have no J Street?  And what the heck is up with all those traffic circles?  Sheir, a newcomer to D.C., grabs her microphone and hits the streets to find out.

Broadcast History

This piece originally aired on WAMU's Metro Connection, 12/18/09.

Related Website

http://wamu.org/programs/mc/09/12/18.php#30975