h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You're off to a good start, I see.

May I suggest that you start off with a basic description of the Mall as essentially a very long, thin park, or something of the sort, the Lincoln Memorial at one end and the Capitol at the other, the flanks being held by museums, diplomatic missions, and government buildings.

Not a bad idea, just sort of a starting blurb to explain the whole thing in a sentence or two. Just by suggestion, would you start with the general tourist information for the whole Mall, or the site by site breakdown, then the general tourist information (my inital thought would be the later)

I agree. I'd start with a description of the place, it's layout and place in the Washington landscape, and so on; go to the specific features, such as the Capitol, museums, and monuments; then wrap it up with the general tourist notes. A good first section is important to give your readers a sense of the physical space and the way the components fit together, but especially the psychological impact of the mall. For example, our first encounter with the mall was at a point quite near the Washington Monument; and the first impressions were a little bewildering, due to the sheer scale of the place and the fact that a lot of it was closed off with snow fence at the time. From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the impression is quite different: You're looking along the entire length of the mall towards the Capitol, which looks something like the Taj Mahal, in the haze of summer, with the reflecting pond in the foreground... it did to me anyway.

In the tourist information section you could focus on details like the permanent protestors, who have little huts set up at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial; the rather odd tour groups (bus loads of tap dancing seniors in red, white, and blue, for example); and things like the people selling watermelons in quarter sections from wooden carts.

I don't mean to hijack your Entry; the mall may mean something quite different to you. But these are the things that struck me, as a visitor.

Perfectly alright. As a "resident" I tend to not think about the little things that give the Mall character. In fact, I usually have to have a very good reason (visiting relative/friend, interesting display) to even set foot on the Mall. It's an odd change that comes over those who live in this area, sort of a jading effect having so much history so close. I think it has something to do with national politics being local news in the area, causing most people to stay as far away from the Capitol as they can