We start today in the commercial area of College Park, the home of the University of Maryland. We are now about 8 miles from our start with about 2 to go until we get to both the Beltway and the end of our journey. So, probably two more posts after this, and this walk is over. You see we have not exactly been speedwalking or working on endurance.

The few blocks south of the campus consist, more than anything else, of places to eat. Some of these places serve burgers, while others provide an overwhelming variety of ethnic diversity.

Yes, they include Colombian cuisine (never thought about that at all) and organic Jamaican (probably the only restaurant around sharing those two characteristics).

In addition, there are many, many apartment buildings catering to students.

And there is street art.

All this stops when you get to the campus.

You only see a few things from Route 1. The semi-circle of fraternity houses (the sororities are in a different area and are not so formally arranged) for one thing, although they are hard to photograph.

You also see the Ritchie Coliseum,  a sports facility which seats about 2000, and the new Thurgood Marshall Hall, housing the School of Public Policy.

Finally, there is the Rossborough Inn, built in 1803 as an inn and tavern, eventually coming under ownership of the university. It has been used for everything and now contains the admission office.

Commercial buildings start up where the campus ends. That is what we will explore next.