We Closed

It's kind of sad to see the state of downtown.  Yesterday the National Park Service closed the entire National Mall and its monuments after conferring with the National Guard, Secret Service, and other agencies that have been entrusted with providing security for the presidential inauguration next Wednesday.  After the storming of the Capitol, DC isn't messing around.  The mayor has been having daily press conferences to say that this year's inauguration should be enjoyed exclusively from home.

This leaves DC with a National Mall that is completely enclosed within tall barricade fences to keep out pedestrians and road closures that are three blocks deep in some locations.  Some places have razor wire.  Arlington National Cemetery and behind the Lincoln Memorial were a bit grim and tense this morning.  Some areas of the cemetery are off limits until next Thursday, understandably.

When it became clear that there was not much to see even from the hilltop vantage of Arlington House, I drove over to a Capitol Hill neighborhood to see what "regular" life looks like for residents right now.  There were plenty of people taking their dogs for a walk or doing some shopping but then I came across the barricades that run behind the Library of Congress and several photographers with press passes walking around.  There are estimated over 20,000 members of the National Guard around and their presence is not something that you usually see in American cities.  I hate to say it: It feels like we're letting the terrorists win just a little bit.

Below the Lincoln Memorial you can see barricades running along the river

Ohio Drive is completely closed off.

Behind the Library of Congress

This is the closest/clearest view of the Capitol right now

Photojournalist documenting guardsmen

Looking at the back of the Supreme Court

In case there's any confusion about why we're here:

Golden Hour in the District

Hi, everyone.  How's pandemic fatigue going?  Last night I randomly asked Hans if he'd be willing to get up early and drive into DC before dawn for a much-needed long walk and some camera practice.  We headed out the door at 5 am and enjoyed being on "tourist" mode with our backpacks and walking shoes.  The air was quite chilly but when the sun came up we enjoyed some beautiful clear skies.

After the violent and fascist-driven madness that transpired at the Capitol building on Wednesday I also needed some inspirational views of American monuments that I sometimes take for granted.  It's been a rough week after a challenging year.

The Arlington Memorial Bridge just underwent a massive re-surfacing and cleaning.  Two years ago the roadway was literally crumbling.  Looks pretty good today!

Sunrise view from the Lincoln Memorial.  There were a few small groups of people camped out with blankets and coffee on this tranquil morning.

Korean War Memorial, engraved with the words "Freedom Is Not Free"

Ulysses S. Grant Memorial

Multiple layers of barricades and extra manpower has been installed around the Capitol since Wednesday.  There are other regular chain-link fences scattered around the main lawn in preparation for the inauguration on January 20th.

Flag at half mast in honor of the Capitol Police officer who died 

as a result of injuries sustained in the events of January 6th.

High-res early morning shot with the crescent moon.

Another high-res photo.  Cropped version of one above.