A 200-year transformation: How the Mall became what it is today

This is an utterly awesome piece by the Washington Post.

Growing up in Northern Virginia, the Mall was essentially how I perceived Washington, DC. Then, as a student living downtown, I would walk past the White House on my way to class, or take a late night bike ride around the museums. Yes, tourist season never stops — but you can’t help but appreciate the fact that, like Paris or Rome, people from all over the world come to Washington, DC, just to see what’s there.