This past weekend I had the fortune to spend a short time in Washington DC. Like any other good DC tourist, I spent one of my mornings there wondering around the National Mall. I had visited Dc in the past. Still, it wasn’t until this time that I truly appreciated the architectural greatness of this city.

My brain became an explorer. I was drawn to venture into every corner in the National Mall. I saw every museum, official building and memorial!

I found myself standing in front of the Capitol. I was looking straight into the Washington Memorial, which was a truly captivating experience. Then my entire walk was “marked” by a city planning particularity, which seemed to be unnoticed by those surrounding me.

Union Square’s light posts and bollards are unaligned compared to the overall symmetry of the national mall landscaping!

If you still have a hard time seeing it, please take a look at the lamp posts in the next image:
(Yes, I am aware that the background also presents irregularities, like those cranes or the height of the trees).

The Washington memorial sits at the very center of the image. It serves as a vantage point for the walkways of the mall. Every tree and stone seem so meticulously placed. Thinking of the technology used to plan this, the National Mall becomes even a more impressive build. The attention to detail and arduous work are remarkable. This is why I am so curious to see that both bollards and lamps were off mirrored by a significant amount. They now distract me -just a little- from being capable to admire the full magnificence of DC.

Once home, I spent a good time of my evening trying to research this. It seems that not a lot of people have noticed it or know about this. So, if you who are reading this know why this might be, please feel free to share your findings with us all!