Our National Mall is a national shame

[Anonymous]

FBI tee shirts are more affordable than the Spy Museum, so there's that

[Anonymous]

The food trucks thrive because they collectively offer a better alternative than crappy cafeteria food that generations of DC tourists were subjected to.

[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.

And most (if not nearly all) of the food truck patrons aren’t from DC either. So, you have nothing to worry your pretty little head over.

[Anonymous]

Why not use the mall as a temporary shelter for migrants and the unhoused?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How about crowded, dirty, polluted (both noise and air), unkempt and personally overwhelming. The food is not even good. It’s repetitive and expensive.

[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...

I find it really interesting how often the French seem to enjoy coming on to this website and criticizing the USA and Washington DC. Why don’t you just go back to France already?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How about crowded, dirty, polluted (both noise and air), unkempt and personally overwhelming. The food is not even good. It’s repetitive and expensive.

Yes, tourist attractions typically are crowded, especially during tourist season. If I considered a place to be so awful, I would simply avoid visiting it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not use the mall as a temporary shelter for migrants and the unhoused?

I am assuming this was sarcasm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not use the mall as a temporary shelter for migrants and the unhoused?

I am assuming this was sarcasm

No, it was not. Why would you think that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How about crowded, dirty, polluted (both noise and air), unkempt and personally overwhelming. The food is not even good. It’s repetitive and expensive.

Yes, tourist attractions typically are crowded, especially during tourist season. If I considered a place to be so awful, I would simply avoid visiting it.

OP here. My issue is mostly the the lack of high environmental standards in the heart of the nation’s capital. That’s a shame that sadly reflects our culture of unbothered greed, consumption, and pollution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How about crowded, dirty, polluted (both noise and air), unkempt and personally overwhelming. The food is not even good. It’s repetitive and expensive.

Yes, tourist attractions typically are crowded, especially during tourist season. If I considered a place to be so awful, I would simply avoid visiting it.

OP here. My issue is mostly the the lack of high environmental standards in the heart of the nation’s capital. That’s a shame that sadly reflects our culture of unbothered greed, consumption, and pollution.

I have this question every time I'm at Constitution and 12th (for example), and it's not food trucks I'm thinking about. Actually, I also have this question continuously during cherry blossom season, and again, it's not food trucks I'm thinking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not use the mall as a temporary shelter for migrants and the unhoused?

No, thank you.

[Anonymous]

We visited the National Mall with our kids for the Cherry Blossom Festival this spring. We really loved it! I didn't think anything about the food trucks! Your city is beautiful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How about crowded, dirty, polluted (both noise and air), unkempt and personally overwhelming. The food is not even good. It’s repetitive and expensive.

Yes, tourist attractions typically are crowded, especially during tourist season. If I considered a place to be so awful, I would simply avoid visiting it.

OP here. My issue is mostly the the lack of high environmental standards in the heart of the nation’s capital. That’s a shame that sadly reflects our culture of unbothered greed, consumption, and pollution.

I am guessing, OP, that you drive down to the Mall to make this observation?

[Anonymous]

What's disgusting is that they have these nasty beater cars that are totally wrecked. They place the car in the spot overnight and then they move it forward in the morning so that their food truck can come in. Police ticket these beater crazy, but they stay for months. Most have boots on them. It's a way for them to save spots.