Strolling Along Wodmont Avenue in Bethesda

Woodmont Avenue is a major thoroughfare in downtown Bethesda, Maryland.  The area around the intersection of Woodmont with Betheda Avenue is especially appealing to residents and visitors alike.  Not only is there a large Barnes & Noble bookstore (which effectively serves to anchor the area), there are many good restaurants, coffee bars, boutiques and other shops in the area.  During spring, summer and fall, the place is alive with people and bustling with activity.

Many congregate in front of Barnes & Noble, where there's a water fountain.  While it's nowhere near as grand as Rome's Trevi Fountain, the fountain holds the same type of charm and appeal.  In fact, people toss coins into this fountain, even though there's no belief that by doing so, it guarantees a person of coming back to Bethesda.  (As you'll recall, from having seen the movie Three Coins in the Fountain, tossing coins in the Trevi Fountain supposedly means a person will return to Rome.) 

On Saturdays and Sundays especially, people of all ages gather around the fountain to socialize and enjoy the warm, pleasant weather.  The scene is faintly reminiscent of what travelers see when they journeyl to Italy, for example, and observe people gathering in piazzas to enjoy each other's company.  The activity around the fountain--mothers minding small children at play, individuals reading newspapers, others conversing and laughing together, etc.--is not the only European-like aspect of  Wodmont Avenue.