Martin Luther King Memorial Not the Only Misquote on the Mall

Washington and the nation still await the formal dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, but that hasn’t stopped many of us from visiting the newest addition to the Mall. While critiquing new Memorials is a team sport in DC, reaction has been largely positive, and most of us find that the Memorial rounds out our nation’s civic space quite nicely.

However, one element has not been as well received. On my first visit, I was struck by the quote “ “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness” on the side of the high relief statue of Martin Luther King. It was the only discordant note on an otherwise well done Memorial, and struck me as odd for a man who was as well spoken and filled with humility as Dr. King.

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Beyond the Lincoln Memorial: Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington

photo uploaded to flickr by Rainer EbertNext year at this time, we will be able to examine the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. at his new Memorial, scheduled to open later this year. And, of course, the Lincoln Memorial is the traditional site to contemplate Dr. King; where you can stand where he did and see the same symbols of American democracy he did on August 28, 1963.

But this year, I thought I'd stray a little away from this single event, and show a little of impact Dr. King had in his many visits to our city. "Martin Luther King spoke here" is rapidly becoming the modern day equivalent of "George Washington slept here", so let's take a look at a few of those spots; some well know, others less so.

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2010 Peak Bloom Dates Announced

I have no doubt that Spring means well, with the first of our tulips starting to poke their heads up and the Post's annual peeps contest is in full swing. But I'm not buying it, Winter will not let us go quietly. Old Man Winter has been relentless this year, putting us on the ropes and working us over systematically as we try to stagger up. So I'm not going to let my guard down, no matter how many more beautiful, 60 degree days we get. That bag of salt and snow shovel are staying on my front porch until someone brings me the head of Winter for my inspection. I'm taking no chances.

My curmudgeonly ranting aside, at some point Spring will push through, and wind-swept piles of snow will be replaced by even larger mounds of tourists. I'm talking, of course, of the Cherry Blossom Festival, which is scheduled for March 27th to April 11th. But wait, there's more! Last week, the Park Service announced their best guess as to the peak bloom date, when 70% of the Yoshino trees will be in bloom. Despite speculation that our heavy snowfall would push the date back, they are estimating peak bloom will fall somewhere between April 3-8, or right about on the average date of April 4. Update you calendars accordingly.

Now, I harrumph over the blossoms every year, and yet I end up going and enjoying myself immensely. They are worth visiting DC for, with the understanding that their is no guarantee, especially for a zen-like experience such as watching the blossoms fall. But if you're looking to make this year your once in a lifetime visit, you might want to hold off a year or two. The best viewing areas, around the Tidal Basin, will be somewhat disrupted by two fairly intense construction projects. The first is the ongoing construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the second is the long overdue repair of the seawall near the Jefferson Memorial. But if you don't mind a couple of cranes in your shot, come on down.

Sample Cherry Blossom Routes

Now that you've decided to come see the cherry blossoms, perhaps it would be just a bit responsible to come up with some sort of plan to actually see some blossoms.

As Connie from Pennsylvania wrote and asked:

"Would you please "guesstimate" how much time I should budget for wandering and looking at the blossoms along the tidal basin and mall? I am trying to plan out our sightseeing schedule."

Good question, Connie. For those of us that live here, we don't put much thought into it. One day, when we have a chance, we hop down to the Tidal Basin, see the blossoms, and go on about our lives. Having to budget time for the blossoms is somewhat foreign to us and worthy of a bit of consideration.

So, the answer comes down to how much you want to see and how to do it. I've laid out some options for bikes and Segways in a previous post, so I'll skip that and lay out two walking tours:

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For both, they involve taking advantage of the secret passageway between the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Auditors Building, the big red brick building with a steeple on Independence and 14th (don't worry, it's not important). Neither walk's distance includes the walk to the Metro (.3 milies). If you're driving, the walks don't include the 2 mile walk to the nearest parking. Don't be fooled by the parking spaces on the map; the Park Service closes it during the Cherry Blossom Festival. 

The long walk is two miles and will take you past the Park Service's Tulip Library, the future sight of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), and finishes by the Holocaust Memorial Museum. There are some great views here. I'm particularly fond of the view of the Jefferson from FDR and the view of the Tidal Basin from the BEP. You will also go within short walking distances of the World War II, DC WWI, and George Mason Memorials if you are interested in any of those. I would plan on an hour and a half to two hours for this one and some tired legs.

If that doesn't appeal to you, obviously you can take any portion of it. I've mapped out a small sample loop that is about .7 miles. This should just take about 45 minutes. It starts and ends by the Holocaust Museum and will take in the Tulip Library, the Boat Dock, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. If you really want to burn out your legs, feel free to rent a paddle boat (or peddle boat, as they insist on calling it). A more inefficient form of tranisit could not be imagined. 

A Walking Tour of the National Mall Bathrooms

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Any tour guide can take you around the Mall and show you the monuments. Bah, I laugh at them. Instead, let us today take a walking tour of the bathrooms of the National Mall. Bathrooms on the Mall are few and far between and generally bad, so we'll want to plan ahead. For our immediate purposes, we'll pass on those east of 14th St, as the Smithsonian's line the mall that way and they like nothing better than being viewed as a giant pee break.

Let us, instead, start at the Washington Monument kiosk, on 15th St. Recently restored, this is not a bad option if you have to go. It's generally clean and well stocked, even with moderate to high traffic.

Which is good, because you don't want to stop at the next one. Tucked in the trees behind the Sylvan Theater near Independence Ave, lurks one of the circular 1960s bathrooms the Park Service maintains. Now, I can only assume Historic Preservation laws prevent this from being rehabilitated, as it almost always has out of order facilities and is consistantly dirty. I do like it aesthetically; it reminds me of the Jetsons and flying cars and hundred story skyscrapers and all the ways people in the '60s thought we were going to live today. But as a toilet facility, it stinks.

Next up is our only real Museum option. The Holocaust Memorial Museum is worthy of it's own trip but if you happen to be walking by and need to go, it's an option. You'll have to go through security, so keep that in mind. You can either go in the cafe (seperate building to the left) or the Museum proper. In the Museum go down the stairs and take a left. The restrooms are quite well taken care of.

You've got a good stretch ahead of you to the next one. The Jefferson Memorial has restrooms on the ground level. They have maintenance problems and are often broken but the Park Service tries hard to stay on top of it.

Keep strolling and you get to one of my favorite Memorials, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's. It's so sprawling it has two separate facilities, one on either end. And unlike the fountains of the Memorial, these actually work. Wow, it's nice to go to a Memorial and not have to plan bathroom breaks around it.

If you're following the map, you've reached the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. As this does not exist yet, I can't yet give an opinion. But in addition to the well deserved Memorial, I look forward to new restroom options.

Fortunately, a short walk away is the World War II memorial. As you head along Home Front Drive (hey, I didn't pick the name), the restrooms are at the end of the bus drop off area. They're newish, so they still work. And it has one of the few working drinking fountains on the Mall. Take a picture. You're not going to another one for awhile.

Do your business now, because options are going to dry up. Our next stop is the Lincoln Memorial. I'd like to show you the excellent DC World War I and Korean War Memorials along the way, but they don't have restrooms so they're out. Now, at Lincoln, I hope it's an emergency because chances are good there's a line for the bathroom. The best I can say is that sometimes the standing water discourages the line. The Park Service tries, but this one gets way too much traffic to stay very functional. It really should be shut down and renovated, but there's nothing else to take it's place.

We're almost done. You might be tempted to cross Henry Bacon Drive across from the Vietnam Memorial. After all, just like across from the Korean Memorial, there's clearly a newly constructed kiosk there. Surely, they wouldn't build new kiosks as part of a multi-million dollar restoration and not bother to put bathrooms in them? Nope, just $18 disposable cameras and surly staff. Maybe they're unhappy at the lack of restrooms, too?

Your last option, if I could call it that, is in Constitution Gardens. Hiding in the woods as if the Park Service is ashamed of it, is the long lost brother of the circular one by the Washington Monument. Hell, this one isn't even open sometimes so you're not missing much here.

But let's end on a positive note. The National Park Service is committed to improving the situation and has a plan for upgrades. I'll be watching this as it progresses and let you know how it goes. Help is on the way! You might just have to hold it until then.