I know everyone in DC has heard this before, but I’m about to say it again, because someone has to keep it in the public eye. The state of the National Mall is a disgrace to our nation.
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- National Mall Proper
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- Constitution Gardens Pond
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- Reflecting Pool Edge
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- Tidal Basin
My father and I spent this last Sunday Morning in a cold rain walking The Mall under umbrellas. Dad hadn’t been to The Mall for 20 years. I got to show him the WW2 and Korean War memorials. We both spent minutes unable to speak without voices cracking after we passed a Vietnam Vet standing, unmoving and uncovered at The Wall, tears mixed with the cold rain running down his face. At the Lincoln memorial, we both went first to the Second Inaugural Address, then to the Gettysburg address. Dad showed me that you can walk all the way around the Lincoln Memorial and see the guardian statues on the bridges over the Potomac.
Unfortunately, a day that should have lingered in memory and inspired patriotism, hope and pride through the weeks to follow is completely marred by absolute disgust. The National Mall is as much of a mess as our National Economy. The whole mall looks like a giant footpath – grass barely holding on, mud all over the place, scattered gravel and mismatched pavement. The Reflecting Pool looks like a watering hole – a dirty, shallow pool surrounded by mud. The Constitution Gardens look and smell like a pig wallow. The Tidal Basin’s walls are cracking and falling into the river.
I was so ashamed when I realized that almost every foreign visitor to Washington, DC is going to see our National Monuments in these conditions. Mr. President, Representatives and Senators, get your acts together and get this fixed.
