National Mall

As tourists, we visited the National Mall at Washington, DC, in 1997. Recent events have of course heightened security here, so these photographs are a homage to a more innocent decade.

Note This article is part of our USA Retrospective series, featuring images captured on an early generation Kodak DC220 digital camera with 1280x1024 resolution. The images have post processed to artificially increase sharpness. Please forgive us if they do not meet your expectations of photographic quality.

The National Mall in Washington, DC, is a 2 mile long narrow park that acts as a focal point for many famous and notable buildings and in some respects symbolises the country itself. In particular, it is the principal gathering space for the nation’s most important civic events, especially major protests and inaugural events (including the tragic storming of the Capitol). It also serves as a soul of the nation, containing many museums including significant parts of the Smithsonian including the “Castle.”

Spanning from the Lincoln Memorial on the east, the visitor can experience many iconic buildings and memorials, including the Pool of Reflection, the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Capitol. From the Smithsonian Castle, you can also view the cityscape of Washington.