Commuters in Washington were shaken from their normal routines last night by a rare sight: lions roaming the facade of National Geographic’s 16th Street building in downtown D.C. An accompaniment to photographer Nick Nichols’s August story, “The Short Happy Life of a Serengeti Lion“, the video caught the attention of many people leaving their long days at the office.

As the projection began, I watched people on the street respond. A runner halted mid-stride and yanked out his headphones to watch; another person perched on their bike seat to snap a picture on their phone.

I talked with Kathryn Gerber, a D.C. resident originally from Maine, who was watching the projection. She thinks our city needs more art. “It’s great to