Metro Art

Some metro train riders are fortunate enough to use stations where artwork has been permanently displayed. I use the metro every day to go to work in Washington DC, and the only thing I ever see at the stations I plod through are giant advertisements.

But look what they’ve done with the U Street-Cardozo Station!

Not just one side, but both sides of the pedestrian passage leading to the street have wall to wall murals! I ask you, is this fair?

When I discovered via the internet that this station had mural art, I made a special trip just to see it. I was on my lunch hour, so I didn’t take as much time to soak it in as I would have liked. But here are some of the individual scenes that I liked the most.

The Shaw neightborhood in Washington DC, where the U Street-Cardozo metro station is located, has had ups and downs. It is currently undergoing a revival. The scenes these murals depict are those that are particularly meaningful, as in the 1930s it was an area frequented by jazz musicians. It was also the neighborhood where Duke Ellington grew up.

I’ve seen people playing chess in the Dupont Circle park. So I’m guessing that there must be chess players in the Shaw neighborhood as well.

I am so envious of those who use the U Street-Cardozo metro station!