the National World War II memorial on the Mall is incredible. especially at night. i cant wait for it to be summer so it will be warm enough to get in the water. but from a design and beauty standpoint, it is astounding. the cascading water fountains...the lights underneath. it was even more beautiful tonight because of the fog. this dense fog covered the district and northern va and some of maryland tonight. National airport was reporting visibility of 1/8 of a mile, and i think that was generous. Dulles reported zero visibility. driving home, i couldnt see a car that was 50 yards ahead of me, or signs or traffic lights. it was nuts. so that added an eerie feeling to the monument. the lights from underwater shining up through the oval of fountains hit the fog above the pool and danced in the air as the water refracted the light. it was almost as if the light was an active being, hovering over the water in the midst of a cloud. yet it was contained within a certain space and moved around rapidly as if trying to get out. at times it looked like an aurora bourealis would in black and white. it was so foggy that you could not look down the mall either way and see anything. the Lincoln memorial was hidden, the Washington monument (which was right next to the WWII memorial, but wasnt lit because it is closed????) was almost impossible to make out. it was only a shadow behind a dense curtain. the Capitol building was way too far away. there was no hope of seeing that. even the Jefferson Memorial was hidden across the water from where we parked. it was really weird, but very peaceful and beautiful at the same time. it didnt feel as cold as it felt like it should be with that kind of atmosphere.

i recommend going to the mall at night to anyone visiting DC. and you must see the WWII memorial. it is right next to the washington monument on the Lincoln Memorial side. the Washington Monument is the big phallic one....cant miss it. go there. it is worth it. and i am glad that it was finally approved and built. it is about time that soldiers from that war were remembered.




any and all comments or responses are welcome at dabele@wm.edu