Is there anything nicer than Madison Park beach on a hot summer’s day?

Apparently not. Or perhaps it’s just that our beach’s attractiveness on days like these comes from there being nothing nicer within close proximity. There’s certainly no doubt that this beach of ours is POPULAR. I live four blocks south of the beach, and when it gets so parked up around here that I’m unable to angle my car into a spot in front of my own house, it’s pretty clear that down at the beach the place is packed. That was certainly the story this weekend, and based on my observations both Saturday and Sunday I’d say the beach was at about 92% capacity, at least in the afternoons. There was still enough room to walk from end to end without actually stepping on anyone. But just barely.

And yes, those tanned and toned gay men were on the scene (in their regular spot north of the bathhouse) and the babes that we’ve been hearing so much about were also on view; but there were plenty of families and other regular sorts as well, both in and out of the water.

The diving platform was seeing plenty of action:

As was the pier:

Meanwhile, on the grass it appeared that many people had not been in the water and maybe didn’t intend to go:

This beach is a neighborhood amenity that many of us probably take a bit for granted. Capitol Hill's principal blog refers to the Madison Park beach as the “Capitol Hill Caribbean” and many users who write reviews of our beach—on the website Yelp, for example—rave about the place (well, the beach does rate four stars out of five overall). And for those Madison Parkers who don’t like having all of the commotion down here that a hot summer day brings? Not to worry. It’ll all be over for this year very soon.

[As with almost all photos found on this blog, click to enlarge.]