A night on the Mall

The best time to visit the National Mall and the memorials in Washington DC is in the dead of night. I grew up a few blocks from the Capitol Building so I've seen the Mall at all times of day in all seasons. My favourite time to go and visit is during the witching hours.

The buildings are lit up dramatically, and there's no one there. The last time I went was in September 2014 with two friends - a Canadian man and a Frenchwoman - it was the first time for both of them to be there, so it was amazing seeing it through fresh eyes.

We started out at the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln sits there eternally - it's lit inside, even at night, and it's as quiet as a mausoleum. I really felt how large and grand the space was, with no one in it. We sat on the stairs for a while, gazing at the stars and looking at the Washington Monument, which was doubled on the reflecting pool.

After a while, we walked down along the pool to the WWII Memorial which is round - a nice contrast to the straight lines that make up the Lincoln Memorial, the reflecting pool, the Mall, and the Washington Monument. After stopping to sit for a moment and take in the air, we walked further down to the Monument. At night, alone, at the base, you can look straight up and it feels like it reaches all the way to the stars.

We walked past the Smithsonian institution and past the museums that line the Mall - lit from the outside but dark within - you appreciate the beauty of the buildings that hold so much history within.

The Mall is usually swarmed with people - but not at this time of night. In the middle of the night, the streets are quiet - DC is not a 24 hour city by any means. It is a city that sleeps. It feels like a different place when you're the only one there.

We finished the walk at the Capitol Building where we sat on the edge of the fountain facing the Washington Monument. We were the only ones there - we sat in the still-warm night and enjoyed the view over the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol. It was pretty amazing to turn around and see the Capitol dome looming behind us, with the sounds of the fountain providing a nice background noise alongside the insects singing in the nearby trees. Most of DC is built on a swamp, and it's easy to forget that in the bright light of day. But at night, oh, at night, it all changes.