NATIONAL MALL- WASHINGTON DC

National Mall is a beautifully portrayed landscape with an array of  National Monuments,

    Museums ,Land Mark Buildings and National Memorials .This well designed park  is situated

in the heart  of Washington DC, the most powerful and  planned capital city in the world,.

The White house and  cherry trees add a magnificent elegance and beauty to this famous mall.

 Modelled in Baroque style ,many believe that the design of the city include some  masonic

 symbols. This aesthetically beautiful mall stretches in an area of 5.2 miles from Capitol

 building past the  Washington  Monument and  ends  at the Lincoln Memorial .

Washington DC is a Federal district  under the exclusive control of congress and is not part of any

states. Located along the bank of Potomac river , the capital city was built on the land ceded by  the

states of Virginia and Maryland. The land taken from Virginia was returned to the state in 1847.  

The legal name of  Washington DC is District of Columbia. The name honor the first president of

America and  Columbia is a poetic and historic term used for the  United States  (  female

personification of the name of Christopher Columbus). The bust of  Columbia is depicted

 in the fractional currency of US, introduced after the outbreak of civil war.

 US Capitol is the home of congress built in 1880 and situated at the eastern end of National

Mall . Thomas Jefferson attributed the name Capitol to this  neo classical style building.

Capitol is a Latin word for the  Roman  Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximum .The building itself

has a subway system to carry politicians from the House and Senate office buildings to the Capitol.

Planning for the National Mall began in 1791 and was officially established in 1965. French born

American architect Pierre Peter Charles L'Enfant first  planned and designed the layout

of streets in Washington DC. The purpose of National Mall is to provide a monumental, dignified,

and symbolic  settings for the governmental structures, museums and national memorials.

The array of renowned Smithsonian museums in  National Mall gives it  a special glory and pride   .

Smithsonian  Institutions  stands for the increase and diffusion of Knowledge. Established in 1846 as 

per the will of the founding donor James Smithson , 30 million people annually visit the museums

without any admission charges. Among the 19 Smithsonian Museums  11 of them are situated in the

 National Mall area.It would definitely take weeks to absorb the exhibits displayed in these museums.

Bike share, Circulator ( Districts local bus service), Pedi cabs, Shuttle services, and Open top sight

seeing are the best options for newbies to DC. Other than walking  around, visitors can also  opt

for the  fun filled Segway tours( electric vehicle with two wheels travel at  a distance of 12.5

miles/hr ) or can go for a Duck  tour (DUKW, amphibious vehicles originally used by the Army

that  travel on  land and water)to virtually cover the sheer sized mall area. 

The symbol of US Presidency and  power, the White House is  situated in the National
Mall area. White house is a metonym for the executive office and official residence of the president
of United States. Constructed in a  neoclassical way with six levels and 132 rooms, it receives
approximately  6000 visitors per day.

Depending on the viewers vantage point, this long and rectangular pool dramatically reflects Lincoln
Memorial, Shade trees and Washington Monument . Ducks and Seagulls can be often seen relaxing
 and swimming in this pool .Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the biggest reflecting pool in DC.

Lincoln Memorial was erected to honor Abraham Lincoln the 16th president of America.36 

pillars of the memorial  represents the 36 states at the time of  his assassination. This  Memorial 

 was constructed with  yule marble from Colorado .It was the location for Martin Luther  King's

 famous and inspirational "I have a dream" speech which gave birth to civil rights movement .

 Lincoln memorial in the form of Doric Temple resemble the  Greek Parthenon .Inside this famous
 Memorial, the 19ft sculpture of Lincoln sits on a chair with carved  inscriptions of his two famous
speeches ( Gettysburg Address and second   inaugural speech) on the sides. The back side of the five
 dollar bill displays the Lincoln Memorial with Abraham Lincoln's face portrayed on the front. 

Completed in 1943 in classical revival style, Jefferson Memorial rest at tidal basin along the banks of

 Potomac river in DC. Thomas Jefferson was the president, statesman, architect, drafter of the

 Declaration of Independence, adviser of the Constitution and founder of the University of Virginia.

Freedom is not free. This world war II memorial reminds us the price of freedom. Made with stone

 and  bronze, this  is a tribute to the Americans who lost their lives in the world war. Tying together

Pacific and Atlantic aspects this memorial has a freedom wall of gold stars representing the fallen and

 missing ones in the war. The fountain in the memorial is surrounded by Pillars arranged in

 half circles representing each state and federal territories of America . 

With more than 3000 blossoms National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorate  the gift of cherry

 trees from the Mayor  of Tokyo. This is a festival to celebrate the friendship between America and

 Japan. Thousands of people from across the world flock to the Mall to partake in this spring festival.

 From 1967, Blossom  Kite Festival or Smithsonian Kite festival is also held during cherry blossom.
  The festival Features Kite flyers from across the US which is a real fun time for kids and family.

National Mall  can be called as the front yard of America. People gather here to participate in
 the president  inaugural ceremony, to watch parades, take part in rallies and protests, to attend
patriotic concerts  and also to watch fire works .This  Huge and green grass yard  at National
 Mall  is a wonderful spot for picnic and recreational activities.

Boys play Frisbee, girls rotate hula hoop, kids blow soap bubbles, children fly kites and  youngsters

play football. Fairs, team sports, cycling, jogging, walking, reading, playing and sometimes fireworks

can  be watched and enjoyed here. The park area is kept neat and clean in spite of the huge crowds

 visiting here. Colorful food trucks and neat restrooms are also found nearby.

 

Located at National Mall, Washington Monument is a stone structure with an

aluminum cap, a rare and valuable metal of the period. This  tallest obelisk and

stone structure  in the world commemorate George Washington, the  unanimously

elected  president and greatest visionary of America .The monument was damaged by the

Virginia earthquake (2011) and Hurricane Irene and was closed to repair for 32 months.

It retained the title of tallest building in the world until the completion of Eiffel tower. 

 

 

 

Location: Between Independence and Constitution Avenues

                Washington DC

 

Note: Parking is premium or restricted on week days in the city.

          Street parking is free/limited on Holidays.( difficult to get parking space on holidays).

          Better to depend on public transit ( Metro Rail and Metro Bus) .