The government’s partial shutdown has turned Washington’s National Mall into a bleak place. Trash cans are overflowing, museums and historic sites are shuttered. Park Service rangers and Smithsonian employees are furloughed as the shutdown drags on.
One of the very few government-owned tourist attractions that’s still open is just a few blocks away, in the clock tower of the historic, 1899-vintage Old Post Office building. Three park rangers are on duty, guiding visitors up two elevators and onto an observation deck that provide dramatic views of downtown Washington. There’s also a historic set of bells that ring regularly.
The Old Post Office is owned by the federal government, which leases the building to the Trump International Hotel, itself operated by President Trump’s Trump Organization. And once again, Trump’s stake in that hotel is controversial.
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