The National Mall is, as we’re sure the Park Service will tell you, a national treasure, a constantly evolving piece of L’Enfant’s vision of Washington. (It is not, however, a place for careful editing, unless “relfecting” is a colonial word meaning “to walk about in knee-high tube socks and bermuda shorts upon gravel pathways”.) The key word, though, is evolving. The moment ground is broken on one monument, the lobbying begins for the next one. In the past decade, we’ve seen the additions of the FDR Memorial and the World War II Memorial, and the MLK Memorial is a work in progress. But sometimes it takes a visitor from elsewhere to think outside the box, to imagine the Mall in a way that might not occur to us. For instance, why not submerge large portions under water? Turning the National Mall into the National Pool has obvious benefits for keeping cool in those brutal D.C. Augusts, not to mention providing a training ground for the Capitals to cultivate young talent in the winter. Plus we could finally move the “National Aquarium” out of that little corner of the Department of Commerce building. The exploratory committee starts here. Who’s with me?

Quote of the Week

A couple walking along the mall taking a photo of the Capitol Building:

Guy: “Wasn’t this all underwater?”
Girl: “What are you taking about?”
Guy: “Remember in Forest Gump when he is giving the speech?”
Girl: “Oh yeah, Maybe that was just for the movie?”
Guy: “Well, they should have kept it, it looked cool.”

After the jump, black belt reading, the straw that broke the metro employee’s back, and post-menopausal moms.

Remember when your kindergarten teacher taught you to stop, look and listen? Well, that advice doesn’t just apply to crossing the street. overheardindc (at) gmail (dot) com.

Photo by Flickr user LaTur.