As the President of the United States addressed a nation about the escalating conflict in the Middle East and involvement from the air, a small crowd gathered near Lafayette Square, which had already been cleared and blocked off with police tape.
But it was still business as usual for most on Saturday night. There was even a small tour group being led up to the point the park was blocked off.
An image that I wanted to make was one that had both the White House (Executive Branch) and the U.S. Capitol Building (Legislative Branch), given that the two branches seem to be fighting over the interpretation of who has the authority to do what, and whether those boundaries were overstepped. I sort of cheated on this photo by using my iPhone’s pano mode because my 24-70mm lens wasn’t wide enough and even the 12mm equivalent on iPhone didn’t have the best outcome. The small point of light on the left above the traffic cone is the south side of the White House and the blue-gray point on the right side adjacent to the Washington Monument’s base is the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
The atmosphere nearby was more lively though than blocks away. Young adults and families just trying to enjoy the evening — probably in an effort to avoid the heat from earlier in the day and will build into this week or maybe taking part in other activities on the National Mall.
Originally my plan for this evening was going to the Smithsonian Solstice, the one-day when many of the museums located on the National Mall are open until the late hours of 9 p.m. to midnight. (The museum hours are usually 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.)
Here’s an image from the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture taken around closing time.
