Directions
Like most big cities D.C parking can be a pain especially Monday through Friday during am rush hour. During a.m. rush hour “street parking” is turned into turning lanes and most public parking garages do not open till (m-f 5:30am-sat/sun 6am) making it almost impossible to get into place for this photo. Free parking is can be found on SW Ohio Dr. just south of the George Mason Memorial Bridge (Interstate 395) and is marked on the downloadable maps. Additional parking is marked with asterisks on the maps but at times is closed for festivals such as the Cherry Blossom Festival (March 27-April 11). This photo was taken on March 27, 2007 at 6:15 am and was the third location of the mourning. I started the morning shooting cherry blossoms at the Jefferson Memorial followed by a foggy shot of the Washington Memorial down the reflection pool. The photo can be seen by clicking on “related photos” at the bottom of the screen. I have found that Fuji Velvia gives a unique hue when shooting in foggy conditions. Over the past two years I have returned to this location trying to improve my black and white version of this photo and the sun eclipses the wall in the same place plus or minus a day or two. Note: the best way to get around the National Mall is by bicycle. From the free parking area to the Vietnam Memorial is about 1 mile. Also note that the free parking is on national park grounds and signs say parking 8am-9pm but I have been parking there for years from 4:30am to midnight and have never had a problem. The closest public parking garage is the Kennedy Center Parking Garage (202-416-7984) http://www.kennedy-center.org/visitor/directions.html#parking
Photograph: Hasselblad 503cw, 40mm, Fuji Velvia 100, f22@1/30
Picture GPS: N38 53.473 W77 02.861
Parking GPS: N38 52.704 W77 02.267