Cicadas and playing outside
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Anonymous
| I’m phobic of insects, specifically roach/beetle kinds. The other cicada broods are not an issue but obviously this year it is brutal. I have a 15 month old who is starting to walk and I had been taking her to the playground daily but now it’s very hard. The cicadas are flying everywhere and you can’t walk two feet without stepping on them. We’re in tenleytown and it’s particularly bad. Does anyone have advice of other activities that would be good? Indoor and outdoor. Please be easy on me. It’s a true phobia which means it’s irrational and I understand that they are harmless. Thank you. |
Anonymous
| Some neighborhoods, particularly ones without many trees don’t seem to have as many of these insects. Perhaps someone can chime in. |
Anonymous
| At my house they're everywhere and the noise is crazy. At my work there are almost none and I can'thear them at all. I'd do some scouting. |
Anonymous
| Agree to find somewhere without them. Try neighborhoods with new builds (disturbed dirt so they died) or no trees. Plenty of places have few to no cicadas. |
Anonymous
| There's noticeably fewer cicadas east of the park |
Anonymous
|
Can you persevere, OP? Perhaps by telling yourself that this is a good opportunity to start working on your phobia? I know the onslaught is overwhelming, but what if you went out for a few minutes every day, as exposure therapy?
For your child's playground needs, I agree with trying to find somewhere less cicada-covered, although I don't know where you'd find it. I live near downtown Bethesda, and to me there doesn't seem to be that many cicadas, so perhaps try one of the playgrounds in Bethesda, the ones where there aren't so many trees? You'll have to avoid the hot afternoon hours, though. I'm thinking of Caroline Freeland in downtown, or maybe Greenwich? Focus on ones that seem to be recent and not too covered by old trees... |
Anonymous
| OP, if you're willing to make the drive, try The Yards park in SW. It's all brand-new, man-made, and not many trees. There are "dancing fountains" that your 15 month old might like, and lots of grassy areas to run around in that I doubt have many/any cicadas in them. I'd wait for a day that isn't too hot though - like I said, not a lot of trees so it can get pretty hot. |
Anonymous
|
New developments (last 17 years) without mature trees wont have many or any.
Yards park is a good suggestion. There are others. Bethesda is pretty old. |
Anonymous
East of the Park where? I usually hate the argument that East of the Park is massive, but really, I live about 5 blocks East of the park, and my whole yard, block, fence, car, trees, etc. are all covered. We have cicadas dying on our doormat. I think it really depends on whether your neighborhood has trees and undisturbed ground. So, DCUSA probably doesn't have a lot of cicadas, but Crestwood, 16th street heights and Petworth do. |
Anonymous
| We had lunch outdoors and walked around the Sculpture Garden before a National Gallery visit this past weekend, and saw maybe a dozen, total. There were very few downtown near the Mall, alive or dead. |
Anonymous
| Trusdell School playground, Emory Rec center playground, and Turkey Thicket Playground in Brookland don't have a ton of trees, so they should be ok. They get pretty hot, though, so better to go in the morning or on a cloudy day. Petworth Playground was just redone, so probably fewer cicadas there too. |
Anonymous
Depends on how far east you go. This is true for Columbia Heights. Not true for Brookland, where they are out in force! |
Anonymous
Takoma DC is doing ok with cicadas. I can recommend the Shepherd Park playground. Haven’t seen any cicadas there. Takoma Education Campus playground also doesn’t have cicadas but the playground is not super nice. For sure don’t go to the Lafayette playground; plenty of cicadas! The same at Macomb by Eaton. I’d agree that WOTP seems to be hit more with cicadas. |
Anonymous
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As a resident of the SW Waterfront neighborhood, I can confirm that for whatever reason, we don't seem to have as many here. So I second the Yards Park recommendation--the pool/fountains just opened anyway, so once we get through this rainy weekend, you should definitely check it out in any case.
This is not in SW and, full disclosure, I haven't been in the past two months, but you might try the playground at RFK. It's relatively new and there aren't many big trees around, so I bet it's pretty clear of cicadas. |
Anonymous
| Is this post for real?? |