Utopiography

Cartesian rationalism meets Disneyworld. The Mall in DC is a symmetrical summary of our nation’s accomplishments; an amusement park-like approach to American history. Khaki-clad families move strategically from space exploration (Air and Space museum) to our native brothers (American Indian museum), mentally ticking off boxes in  the American identity checklist as they exit museums and monuments.

The Mall is surreal enough as is. In the typically American fashion, we’ve failed to integrate our cultural establishments into the fabric of the  functioning city.  Our cultural heritage is a few metro stops away from Downtown DC, isolated from the everyday.

Most alarming however, is the eating experience in the Mall. At the heart of the nation’s dried out grasses, one finds nothing other than the Golden Arches of McDonald’s—the truest monument to our society’s value system. Apart from a few lone hot dog carts, the only culinary opportunity worthy of federal ground is made of happy meals and quarter pounders.