Bipeds of Brookland: Phil Blair

Introducing the people who make Brookland their home, one step at a time:

Phil Blair



Phil Blair has always felt at home in Washington even though he was born in Texas and raised in Maryland. He considers himself a Latin American, having lived many years in South America.

Phil moved to Brookland 25 years ago because he heard about the community’s battle to keep people from building a freeway through the neighborhood. He felt good that this place had a history of fighting for the city.

“It was a nice vibe knowing there were people here who fought for something that mattered and won. I like the idea that here you walk down the street, you meet people you know, and you have a conversation. If you want to walk for exercise you don’t do it in Brookland.”

“My wife and I are walking every street in the city. We have a map where we record our progress. It’s getting harder and harder to find places we haven’t walked, it’s a fairly small city. From here you can walk to any part of it in three hours. It tips you off to things that are going on in the city when you walk every street. You find amazing things when you do that.”