Washington DC Needs a Makeover

I had never before realized how truly neglected and tired-looking the nucleus of Washington, DC was until I was surveying the city through the lens of my camera.

This morning, while setting out on my morning run around the National Mall, I decided to bring a camera to take shots of the monuments at daybreak.

I had never before realized how truly neglected and tired-looking the nucleus of Washington, DC was until I was surveying the city through the lens of my camera.

As the sun was peaking up behind the Washington Monument and I stopped to take a picture, I zoomed to crop-out the patchy grass and unkempt sidewalks sprawling just underneath the soaring monument.

Just across the street, poised and ready to snap a photo of the World War II Memorial with the infamous Lincoln Monument as the backdrop, I lamented that the filthy brown Reflecting Pool offset two such beautiful, significant structures.

Things didn’t get better as I continued along, crossing over the bridge to Arlington National Cemetery and running on the banks of the Potomac. At points along the river, there was not even a sidewalk, and when there was, it was barely satisfactory, not to mention, rather decrepit-looking.  The banks were not lined with picturesque greenery, shops, or even benches – just patchy grass, decaying sidewalks, and deserted baseball diamonds.

While our nation’s capital is beautiful and representative of American culture in many respects, it is truly lacking in others.

Taking a bad picture of Paris is virtually impossible.  Not one corner of the city has been overlooked: every seemingly inconsequential patch of grass in tended to, radiant flower gardens adorn intersections, and there is never a time when a charming café isn’t a mere two minutes away.

Albeit, Paris has had a few more years to enhance its near-perfect cityscape, but Washington, DC could certainly stand to be inspired.

Right on the banks of the Potomac, merely one block away from the Washington Monument, just behind the FDR Memorial, there are acres and acres of baseball diamonds and indiscriminate athletic fields.  Ideally, these centrally-located, deserted fields would be converted into a beautiful waterfront, where tourists could convene to dine, shop, and spend their money after a day of touring around the monuments across the street...

Certainly, I am not naïve – or perhaps, ambitious – enough to think that Congress would even consider funding such a project in a district whose only representative is not even entitled to a vote… but, I am hopeful that they could be persuaded to allocate some funds for a simple “sprucing up.”

First things first: clean the Reflecting Pool. Then, take a walk on the wild side by planting a few flowers and revamping the sidewalks.

Washington, D.C. is like a brilliant child with so much potential who’s simply a bit lazy and has some trouble prioritizing. With a little help and a few minor improvements, our nation’s capital could be transformed into a viable city – attracting people from all over the world not only to infamous government buildings, museums, and monuments (which generate little-to no revenue, seeing as entry is free), but to the city’s “vibrant center” where they would actually spend money – imagine.