My Personal Wharf Experience

In a few past posts, I've outlined the Wharf, as well as their accommodations and accessibility measures. However, I believe it's important to hear a personal story about the great aspects of the Wharf, as well as outlining improvements that can be made. I must first acknowledge the mechanics of Washington D.C. and it's ever changing environment, as I realize every day is different and there are a ton of different factors to traveling and the experience of a shared space.

I've been to the Wharf a number of times, and I've overall enjoyed much of my experience. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about the events going on, future plans, and always seem willing to help. The first time I went to the Wharf I went with two friends. We're all from outside of the D.C. area, and put full trust in google maps. We got off at L'Enfant Plaza, and decided we would make the 9 minute walk to the Wharf. However, once we started walking, we were met with the side of the highway. Google maps which we triple checked was on walking mode, has sent us the fastest route that happened to be walking along the side of the highway, then down a bunch of stairs. At this point none of us had knowledge of the free shuttle that they have to take individuals from the metro stop to the Wharf. Not only was this scary, but none of us knew what to expect. We had been to D.C. a number of times already, and had never been met with a landscape such as this one to walk through. However, once we got to the Wharf, everything was great. We went for a show at the Anthem Theatre and the concert was fantastic, there were no other issues. After we walked the quarter mile to the National Mall, and left specifically avoiding L'Enfant Plaza.

(In the future, one of my friends who was with me that day would have to have knee surgery. He instead took the free shuttle from get to the Anthem, which he attended when he was hurt. He has nothing but positive things to say about the Anthem and the accommodations they made. Just by calling ahead, he was greeted at the front and walked to a side door, which was accessible with crutches / a wheel chair. After, there was a completely different security clearance section before he was walked to his seat, which was marked with his name on it. )

DeRosa, Diana. Sep 20th 2024.

The other notable time I went to the Wharf I drove there. It seemed confusing to get parking but was easy to figure out. We parked in a parking garage under the Hyatt House Hotel. After receiving a time ticket from the machine we were met with a ton of spots, including 5 large and handicap accessible cars at the front. There's also an option for valet, giving visitors the ability to get out of their vehicles outside of the hotel, which is one large and handicap accessible space. After parking, there was an elevator that took us from the parking garages to the hotel lobby. It was a touch screen on the outside, at just about standing hip height, 27 inches off the ground. The screen was easy, all you had to press was the up arrow. The elevator was large and standing could fit probably about 8 people with extra space, meaning there is plenty of space to fit a wheelchair or other accommodations individuals may need. The elevator also moved quickly, not making anyone wait too long. Once in the lobby of the hotel there was a ramp out, and large automatic doors.

Once outside we went to the recreation pier, which had 8 swings and benches looking out to the water. There were children playing as well by the makeshift light house. This was a pretty long boardwalk, made from boards that were a sturdy waterproof material. The rest of the walk was a combination of stone paths and paved paths. There was signs pointing every where, telling individuals where to go if they were on a bike or scooter, and where walkers should walk. There was also a large bulletin of upcoming events, persuading individuals to go and get involved within the community. On the sides of all these walkways were benches, spaced out every 20 feet or so, if there wasn't a restaurant or stand in between them. There were wheelchair accessible ramps to the docks as well as around the restaurants. Majority of the restaurants, specifically the ones on the water had an option for outdoor seating as well. We used the bathrooms at Praline Bakery, which were handicap accessible. There was a ramp going into the restaurant. Overall, it was great experience, that is until we went to leave just over an hour and a half later. While trying to get out of the parking garage the machine at our ticket, locking us in the parking garage. We tried to get out another ticket or call a number, but no one picked up. After driving around for 20 minutes trying to find help, we finally found people who could call the number and pass us through the gate. It cost $23 for the hour and a half the car was parked there.

Ultimately, making sure every parking meter is maintained to its full use is incredibly important for customer satisfaction and return quality. Other aspects have so much thought put into them, and with transportation no detail is too trivial.