Our National Mall is a national shame

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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!

No, the food smell doesn’t overpower the exhaust smell. Not even close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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...

Wow, a European who likes the architecture of the American Indian Museum building. This is honestly a first for me

I don't think DC is alone in having some beautiful and touristy areas and some that could get a lot better. Paris is a dump in most of the non-touristy areas as is London. Granted, their relative age hurts them in that regard. Paris doesn't even have a decent downtown that is close to the nice "provincial" areas. You have to remember that DC isn't close to the economic hub of the US. We are more like Canada in the utility of the capital city than France or most of Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

When was it never like that?

[Anonymous]

I hate to agree. I loved food trucks at first, but now they all serve exactly the same food, they are pricey and the food is bad.

The food trucks in other affluent countries are newer, cleaner, and not smelly (probably run with electricity?).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

When was it never like that?

Not that long ago let’s say four or five years. There were food trucks but you can count them on one hand. There was a hot dog food truck and vendor by the sculpture garden, one or two by American history and natural history and the same for Air and space. One or two food trucks. Now it is bumper to bumper all down constitution. You can’t even appreciate the architecture of the buildings, because all you can see our food trucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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...

Wow, a European who likes the architecture of the American Indian Museum building. This is honestly a first for me

I don't think DC is alone in having some beautiful and touristy areas and some that could get a lot better. Paris is a dump in most of the non-touristy areas as is London. Granted, their relative age hurts them in that regard. Paris doesn't even have a decent downtown that is close to the nice "provincial" areas. You have to remember that DC isn't close to the economic hub of the US. We are more like Canada in the utility of the capital city than France or most of Europe.

You think? I’ve always liked the architecture and the cafe is great. It’s just the exhibits are bad mostly because it’s trying to do too many things.

[Anonymous]

Who regulates the trucks on the National Mall? The National Park Service or the DC government? If the latter, don't hold your breath. The DC Council in another spasm of "progressive" legislation basically eliminated the permit system for street vendors. Now one sees on the street outside retailers pop-up vendor tables that sell the very merchandise that thieves just stole from the stores!

[Anonymous]

Rock Creek Park has become a shame also. There's graffiti all along RC Parkway, including on the historic stone bridges. They used to remove it, but now they don't seem to bother, so graffiti begets more vandalism. And then NPS still seems to allow the "campers" to live in their tents. Try that in a real national park without a permit.

[Anonymous]

At a minimum they need to make them turn off the freakin’ music.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who regulates the trucks on the National Mall? The National Park Service or the DC government? If the latter, don't hold your breath. The DC Council in another spasm of "progressive" legislation basically eliminated the permit system for street vendors. Now one sees on the street outside retailers pop-up vendor tables that sell the very merchandise that thieves just stole from the stores!

Both. https://reason.com/video/2023/10/04/d-c-s-food-truck-underworld/

The roads where the food trucks park fall under the jurisdiction of the district, while the sidewalks where the transactions take place are overseen by the National Park Service.

And don't worry, you won't become a libertarian if you visit reason.com

[Anonymous]

My theory is that they pay kickbacks to be there
The city government isn’t too efficient and is corrupt, right?

[Anonymous]

Or maybe it’s pandering to all the third works like phenoms

[Anonymous]

The mall used to be significantly cheesier and more overrun with vendors than 40 years ago than it is today. There used to be those Jetsons style Tourmobiles going around and every curbside had a vendors. When I was a kid I would regularly go down to the mall and buy all sorts of crap, like switchblade combs, whoopi cushions, and even minor fireworks like poppets and snakes. Honestly cannot believe what drives people to complain about anything and everything nowadays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

When was it never like that?

Not that long ago let’s say four or five years. There were food trucks but you can count them on one hand. There was a hot dog food truck and vendor by the sculpture garden, one or two by American history and natural history and the same for Air and space. One or two food trucks. Now it is bumper to bumper all down constitution. You can’t even appreciate the architecture of the buildings, because all you can see our food trucks.

Yes, the number of food trucks really went down during covid...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The mall used to be significantly cheesier and more overrun with vendors than 40 years ago than it is today. There used to be those Jetsons style Tourmobiles going around and every curbside had a vendors. When I was a kid I would regularly go down to the mall and buy all sorts of crap, like switchblade combs, whoopi cushions, and even minor fireworks like poppets and snakes. Honestly cannot believe what drives people to complain about anything and everything nowadays.

Do you enjoy breathing engine fumes? Shouldn’t we expect higher standards in this day and age?