Mall rants.

• Position: Letters

If Joshua Green ("Monumental Failure," October) has not explored the Mall after living in Washington, D.C., for two years, I certainly feel sorry for him. The Mall is a great place, so taking an hour or two off on an afternoon to walk around looking at it is not "taking full advantage" of it. Green acts like he's Lewis and Clark when he decides to "stroll its entire length." If he cannot handle going to a national monument for a couple of hours without eating or drinking, then I hope he doesn't go to any national parks and write about them in an overly conclusive couple of paragraphs. I think that next time he should stroll down to a mall more suited to his tastes, such as the one at Union Station.

KARL HEMR via email Green is completely correct in his assessment that the National Mall could use a facelift. The problem is that the only thing worse than the barren Mall of today would be a Mall decorated with five Starbucks, three...