Insult of the Day, National Mall edition
October 12, 2007
Matthew Yglesias trash talks the national mall points out an article by Joshua Green in the Washington Monthly that does the same:
As I approached the Lincoln Memorial, I spotted a water fountain shimmering in the distance beyond a cluster of parched and deserted baseball diamonds, but arrived to discover it was broken. So was the next one I encountered. And the next...
These days, the experience of visiting the National Mall is a lot like a junior high school civics class--there’s lots of history and statesmanship in the air, but it’s more pedantic than enjoyable, and going to the bathroom is all but out of the question....
Most of the people I encountered in late August were tourists, many of them foreigners, or unlucky folks who, like me, were forced either through ignorance, filial obligation, or a misplaced sense of patriotism to attempt the Bataan Death March from Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol....
Rather than mirror the great capitals of Europe as L’Enfant wished, the Mall mirrors the culture of Washington workaholism, promoting the belief that nothing of interest occurs after dusk and reinforcing the "state capital" quality from which the city suffers. As Richard Guy Wilson, chairman of the architectural history department at the University of Virginia, points out, "Politicians view the Mall as no more than a backdrop for national pageantry." In other words, they don’t actually use it. Consequently, the Mall is not a symbol of America so much as of the average American congressman--stately, aloof, and not much fun after 6 p.m.
Ouch. I hate to say it but this can be true. Water fountains are hit or miss, there’s far too little shade, and there’s not a lot of options in terms of food. Moreover the museums do all close down at 6 pm. Now there are some awesome museums, I often hit downtown to go to them, but the mall itself is often a parade ground for various events. I think it’s critical that we allow for large events, particularly marches and protests and such. However, much of this could be improved without adversely effecting such events. The other day I hit the National Book Fair to get a Terry Pratchett signature or two and the wait in the sun was not that pleasant.
From an analytical perspective, I suspect this happens because there’s a fair amount of demand to see the Mall regardless of how inviting it is. There’s consistently going to be a lot of tourists, so there’s not that much impetus to cater to them aside from quick and easy ways to get their money that don’t violate existing norms.
That said, the Tidal Basin does alright.. although you have to deal with some roads.