Our National Mall is a national shame

[Anonymous]

I now hate going to the mall because of the noisy, smelly food trucks.

What are our politicians thinking??? The world is moving forward to clean vehicles and we are going back 100 years!! What an embarrassment!! This is sloppy, careless and harmful policy, if ever there was any thinking behind it.

I wonder what tourists from abroad may think.

[Anonymous]

You must be joking.

[Anonymous]

The food they serve is not great either.

[Anonymous]

Those trucks are grift on tourists. They don't list any prices and then make up a price on the spot depending on the appearance of the customer.

They charge like $10 for a small fro-yo or ice slushie. Total con artists.

[Anonymous]

I hate those stupid trucks. I would be fine with a few good ones (with no music!) but it's out of control. I saw that the Park Police recently cracked down and towed a bunch but they need to do it more often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate those stupid trucks. I would be fine with a few good ones (with no music!) but it's out of control. I saw that the Park Police recently cracked down and towed a bunch but they need to do it more often.

The need to setup a regulatory structure for the trucks - code of conduct, permitting, food safety, truck safety regs (fyi - food trucks catch on fire A LOT), etc.

The problem is that NPS actually has food service installations on the mall (run by a contractor) and they give concessioner a monopoly on food sales. So the Feds can't actually set up a regulatory system for the food trucks.

It's maddening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate those stupid trucks. I would be fine with a few good ones (with no music!) but it's out of control. I saw that the Park Police recently cracked down and towed a bunch but they need to do it more often.

The need to setup a regulatory structure for the trucks - code of conduct, permitting, food safety, truck safety regs (fyi - food trucks catch on fire A LOT), etc.

The problem is that NPS actually has food service installations on the mall (run by a contractor) and they give concessioner a monopoly on food sales. So the Feds can't actually set up a regulatory system for the food trucks.

It's maddening.

Most of the trucks don’t even have DC tags. I could see supporting people from the District operating food trucks but definitely not people from Maryland or Virginia.

[Anonymous]

The grass looks great though. They did a nice job.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, they need to ban all of them.

[Anonymous]

I'm French. Coming from Europe, where big cities generally have lots of food options with walking distance of main tourist attractions, the DC food desert near the monuments was a shock when my relatives and I first visited. Now if I'm in the area, I go to the American Indian museum restaurant, the food is half decent, plus I love the building.

So yes, I agree with your complaints, OP. DC in general is a very strange capital city. It has a provincial atmosphere - which is nice if you live in NW! But this is why a lot of people in the world still think NYC is the capital of the USA...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I now hate going to the mall because of the noisy, smelly food trucks.

What are our politicians thinking??? The world is moving forward to clean vehicles and we are going back 100 years!! What an embarrassment!! This is sloppy, careless and harmful policy, if ever there was any thinking behind it.

I wonder what tourists from abroad may think.

Did they have a lot of food trucks in 1923?

[Anonymous]

I completely agree with you. I posted some thing similar over the summer. The food trucks are loud, disgusting, and such an eyesore. They all serve the same food, they all play loud obnoxious music, and they take up all of the parking surrounding the mall. Why? It was never like that. It makes the mall look disgusting, filthy and junked up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate those stupid trucks. I would be fine with a few good ones (with no music!) but it's out of control. I saw that the Park Police recently cracked down and towed a bunch but they need to do it more often.

The need to setup a regulatory structure for the trucks - code of conduct, permitting, food safety, truck safety regs (fyi - food trucks catch on fire A LOT), etc.

The problem is that NPS actually has food service installations on the mall (run by a contractor) and they give concessioner a monopoly on food sales. So the Feds can't actually set up a regulatory system for the food trucks.

It's maddening.

Most of the trucks don’t even have DC tags. I could see supporting people from the District operating food trucks but definitely not people from Maryland or Virginia.

Sorry, DC belongs to the American people, not just DC residents. If you don’t like it, move to an actual state, not the place that was specifically created to exist as the seat of the federal government.

[Anonymous]

I like the smell (thankfully, the food overpowers the exhaust) and find the music kind of nostalgic.
I've had friends and relatives from Ireland, China, and other parts of the US enjoy them, so I don't think you need to worry about it looking like a national shame. One even thought it was a neat example of American entrepreneurship.
They have also been a saving grace for a quick bite or shake for my nephew just after the start of a breakdown!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Whenever I have seen food trucks in Europe, their engines were off. There was no noise and no nasty diesel smell. Why are we so sloppy and backwards here? It really bothers me.

I understand there are much worse problems but it’s all relative. I would like to enjoy a trip to the museums once in a while.. and I still go but the Mall is gross.