Our National Mall is a national shame

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

If my concern were vehicle exhaust, I would focus on the cars, which there are a lot more of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The grass looks great though. They did a nice job.

Agree. So very much better than it has been in years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?).

The food trucks on the Mall were always roach coaches. They never got the fancy ones.

So what? It's not an eyesore. It's not even a big deal. Folks just want to complain about something.

[Anonymous]

“A single ice cream truck with a diesel generator emits the equivalent of burning 83 pounds of coal a day, according to Wagoner. (Diesel generators also emit toxic air pollutants including carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxide.)”

Do you feel the engine smell? That’s the telltale sign of heavy polluting vehicles. Walking surrounded by noise and fumes doesn’t make for a pleasant stroll. I bet that is common in third world countries tough. Raise your standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?).

The food trucks on the Mall were always roach coaches. They never got the fancy ones.

So what? It's not an eyesore. It's not even a big deal. Folks just want to complain about something.

It’s not about “fancy”. Grow up, look beyond appearances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?).

The food trucks on the Mall were always roach coaches. They never got the fancy ones.

So what? It's not an eyesore. It's not even a big deal. Folks just want to complain about something.

It’s not about “fancy”. Grow up, look beyond appearances.

Huh? Grow up? Huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“A single ice cream truck with a diesel generator emits the equivalent of burning 83 pounds of coal a day, according to Wagoner. (Diesel generators also emit toxic air pollutants including carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxide.)”

Do you feel the engine smell? That’s the telltale sign of heavy polluting vehicles. Walking surrounded by noise and fumes doesn’t make for a pleasant stroll. I bet that is common in third world countries tough. Raise your standards.

I agree. It's time to convert all of the streets around and through the National Mall to walking, biking, scooters, etc., only.

[Anonymous]

Hel-lo!

[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...

The American History museum also has a very nice cafe with a lot of farm to table stuff. And I haven't been in a while but the Art museum cafe used to be quite nice also. (Although I still miss the nice ice cream parlour that was there maybe 30 years ago.) I do wish the food truck vendors were a bit more diverse in their offerings, and not quite so plentiful, with more transparent pricing. Maybe a few ice cream vendors, a couple hot dog vendors, a shashlik, crepes, etc.

But I'd also note that we were at the Eiffel Tower recently, and it seemed like a "food desert" immediately around that as well -- so I think that's not uncommon with large tourist areas.

[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.

This. Except for the music, I like the entrepreneurial spirit of these food truck owners. Some are now expanding to brick-and-mortar restaurants.
Personally, if DC government wanted a fun project, they'd organize these truck owners. Start to create site requirements (transparent pricing, no music, signage, etc.), work with USPS to bring power to stalls, and encourage diversity among the food offerings. The trick is to not make regulations so onerous that the business can't function. Then market the trucks as a destination unto themselves.

[Anonymous]

I assume someone is buying from them or they would not be there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume someone is buying from them or they would not be there.

That's why the food trucks are there. That's is where the customers are now. There are not enough customers in downtown DC to support a food truck. Go back to the office?

[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!

It’s the DC government. And the food trucks are also parking inside the mall. It looks and smells so trashy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Americans are backwards hicks compared to Europeans with no food culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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!

It’s the DC government. And the food trucks are also parking inside the mall. It looks and smells so trashy.

I have never, in real life, encountered anyone using DCUM's favorite pejorative adjective. I guess I live in a bubble.