Phallic architecture
The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. is often seen as a prime example of phallic architecture and American masculinity. The towering monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss, it is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing according to the National Park Service. Construction of the monument began in 1848, was halted from 1854 to 1877, and was completed in 1884. In a "Journal" review, dated 17 October 1911, Arnold Bennett said of the monument, "Saw Washington monument. Phallic. Appalling. A national catastrophe – only equalled by the Albert Memorial. Tiny doll-like people waiting to go into it." Dan Burstein says of it, "Speaking of sex symbols, there is no more phallic symbol in existence than the Washington Monument, and the Capitol dome can be viewed as breastlike." James Webb used a metaphor to praise the "uplift[ing]" power of the Washington Monument as a white phallus, "piercing the air like a bayonet". In the futuristic film "Hardwired", set in the United States where everything noteworthy is commercialized, the Washington Monument is used as a giant Trojan condoms billboard.
Washington Boulevard (Arlington)
The first of the two trails built was the easternmost section from the Mt Vernon trail to Columbia Pike. It runs 1.2 miles through Lady Bird Johnson Park and then along the edge of the Pentagon and the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. The trail section was first proposed in 1993 but it took decades to complete. The first section, from Memorial Circle to the existing sidewalks along the Pentagon grounds was completed in the late 1990s. In 2006, as part of a renovation of the Pentagon following 9/11, a section was built adjacent to the new security wall. Another section along the Pentagon Memorial was built in conjunction with that project and opened in September 2008. From 2015 to 2018, VDOT rebuilt the Washington Boulevard Bridge over Route 27 and when they did, they built the section of trail from the Pentagon parking lot ramp to the security wall section built in 2006. At the same time they built a short section from the Pentagon Memorial to Columbia Pike. That work was completed in December 2017.