Washington Dc & Nyc Wheelchair Accessible Caches

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

Hi Folks,

 

I am taking a trip to USA next week, and will be in Washington DC and NYC (about 5 days each) and want to do some caching. I am a wheelchair user, and wonder if anyone can suggest some caches that I could / should do?

 

Many thanks!

 

Dorsetgal & GeoDog

[+Old Bet]

Many of the caches in D.C. are virtuals. So, if a building or structure or monument around the Mall is accesible to you, you should be able to find the caches. Some of them, though virtuals, are quite interesting and reveal aspects of the capital you might otherwise miss.

 

Here's one I especially recommend; it is a virtual, but quite challenging and a good test of your powers of observation. CAUTION: this might be construed as a spoiler to anyone who is not mobility-restricted --> Check out Trev's Freedom Cache (GC39A9). You should be able to decipher this one without climbing any steps, although a pair of binoculars might help.

 

Although we live nearby, we have not done much caching in NYC. One we did find -- Bryant Park Micro GCHV7T should be doable; I presume that the park itself is wheelchair accessible. It's quite fun to find a cache in one of the busiest parts of the city.

 

Happy hunting, and have a safe and enjoyable trip.

[+Team Red Oak]

Another virtual that we loved in DC was at the National Cathedral. The clues needed for the answer are outside, but you should be able to enter the cathedral with a wheel chair. After living in Germany for 7 years and visiting many cathedrals in Europe we thought we might be dissapointed with ours since it is not very old at all. But we loved the uniquely American stone carvings. Somewhere at the cathedral Darth Vader supposedly is carved, but we couldn't find him. There was a wedding the day we were there.

 

I think there is a virtual at the Roosevelt monument at the WWII monument. We visited both before we knew what caching was, but they are well worth visiting cache or not.

 

Good luck and happy caching

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

Many, many thanks for the suggestions, and keep them coming please!

 

As far as wheelcahir users go, I am pretty agile, but realise in city centres virtuals maybe the order of the day, I have no personal objection to virtuals, often finding things that I would have otherwise passed by. However, I was hoping to drop a TB and coin or two in each of the cities I shall be visiting, and suggestions for even the smallest of actual caches please?

[+Team Red Oak]

I found a few for you, but I've never been to these so I just don't know that they are wheelchair friendly. Even though the terrains are all rated 1 or 1.5 at least 2 of the caches have the icon showing they are not wheelchair friendly. I guess depending on what sort of wheelchair you may have...

 

here is the list I came up with:

 

Movies: Flowerman

S Valley: Flowerman

Rose Park: Flowerman

 

Secret Garden: Tim m CPA

 

Papal Potpourri: Dancing Gophers

 

Perhaps you could email the owners or recent finders to find out what sort of path there is.

 

Dawn

[+Harry Dolphin]

There are not a lot of large cache in New York City. Reviewing the list for Manhattan, I think that Extreme Muggle Cache, Pause, and Bryant Park Micro are your best bets. Pause is the largest, but might be a bit of a stretch. There is a webcam NYC Corner Cache. Of the virtuals, Central Park Highpoint, and The Castle are not wheelchair accessible. The Empire Strikes back probably is not either.

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

Thanks again for all th suggestions, I am still researchng and loading up the GSAK with some options.

 

I am hoping to go mad on DC virts and aim for topping my first centruy while I am there, so fingers crossed. But also will aim to drop a TB in one of the park ones.

 

After DC I'll be off to San Diego (have asked elsewhere about that) and then in the third week flying in to NYC and staying near Central Park.

 

What about caches in Central Park, any peachy ones there for a w/c user? Suggetsions please!

 

I have run some PQs, but as mentioned before, not every setter worries about attributes, and sometimes forget about w/c access when rating. (Tried some allegedly accessible ones in Salzburg recently and got really disappointed after starting 4 or 5 mulitis but had to give up because of terrain difficulties that hadn't been mentioned). So often, a word from someone who knows the cache is far more valuable.

 

I was interested to read about the Bryant Park micro, I saw a tv show this week that mentioned the whole of Bryant Park is wifi enabled.

 

Sometimes urbans that require stealth can be such fun! I have had quite a lot of experience with central London caches, and am often thankful that I have GeoDog with me for the distraction factor ... except ofcourse, sometimes people see him and deliberately come and chat! He'll be with me in USA too.

 

Also, anyone know of a benchmark I could bag in either of these places ... logo lout alert!

 

So thanks again for your help, keep the suggestions coming please ...

Edited January 7, 2006 by Dorsetgal & GeoDog

[+terri and billy]

One of the virts in DC is also a benchmark. The name is just no coming to me but I'm sure someone here knows which one I'm thinking of . If I remember, I'll edit this post.

 

Terri

[+Alan2]

This benchmark and virtual is not in Manhattan but is 5 minutes from La Guardia airport in Queens if you can get out there. It's also 20 minutes from JFK Airport and you can stop off on your way into Manhattan. Completely accessible and there's lots you can do nearby. Check out the site. cache.

Edited January 7, 2006 by Alan2

[+HoppyFamily]

I have a couple caches that are a block or so away from the Metrotrain (subway) just over the river from DC in Virginia. Both are micro caches but still offer trading opportunities.

 

GCPZCQ: Dark Star Cache

and

GCPGW9: State Quarters Plaza

 

Both are wheelchair accessible, right from the sidewalk.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Check Bryant PArk Micro again. The first stage is a benchmark. Other easy benchmarks in NYC are the antenna on the Empire State Building, the spire on the Chrysler Building, the north tower of Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

Check Bryant PArk Micro again. The first stage is a benchmark. Other easy benchmarks in NYC are the antenna on the Empire State Building, the spire on the Chrysler Building, the north tower of Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

Thanks Harry. To log the benchmarks that are spires and so on, what do you have to do, see the actual benchmark or the structure they are on? Haven't done one before.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Thanks Harry. To log the benchmarks that are spires and so on, what do you have to do, see the actual benchmark or the structure they are on? Haven't done one before.

Technically, to log an intersection benchmark (spires, and such), all you have to do is verify that it is still there. Photos are good, but not required. Can you verify that the antenna on the Empire State Building (KU3602) is still there? Then you can log it on geocaching.com. I'll have to see if I can come up with any benchmark disks that are wheel chair accessible on Manhattan.

Other terrain 1 caches in NYC are: Busman's Holiday, Washington Square Park, and 4x per annum. These are virtuals.

I can't think of any traditional caches in Central Park that are Terrain 1.

[magellan315]

If you can make it in time you should try to go to this event cache.

 

This Central Park Virtual should be accesible. Its right along the path of a paved jogging trail.

[+kelly@9]

In DC, Animal Crackers (GCKFX4) should be accessible if you can reach down to ground level, and Garfield Park (GCG6JX) should be accessible if you can maneuver over grass for 3-5 meters (well, and it hasn't rained recently so the ground isn't too soft and muddy), and can fully extend your arm to grab the cache container.

 

Also, you might use Handicaching and their HandiGPX tool to add accessibility ratings to the GPX files in your pocket queries. Of course, I have no idea how complete the accessibility ratings there are for DC area caches, you may have already checked there and found them woefully incomplete!

[+donbadabon]

Make sure you check out Arlington Cemetary.

They are all virtuals (most are multi-virtuals), and should all be accessible.

 

Someone above mentioned "Secret Garden". Definately not accessible. It is off-trail.

[+kelly@9]

Acutally, I think Secret Garden (GCA4F5) may be accessible -- or may not be, there may be steps -- but it has also been recently disabled for the winter. The Nation's Garden (GCHD5N) is the off-trail one you're thinking of I believe, which is definitely not accessible.

 

(Disclaimer: I haven't actually visited either of these caches, just researched them for future plans.)