Put On A Happy Face!

Denver, 200 yards from the leader of the free world.  Not impressed.

If you're feeling depressed or disgruntled, DO NOT go to Washington D.C. - there's at least 5 law enforcement agencies prowling the streets, eyes peeled for depressed or disgruntled individuals. Capitol police, D.C. police, Homeland Security agents, FBI agents, Secret Service agents all want to see happy, well-adjusted people roaming the streets.  It's hard NOT to be happy, though, in our nation's capitol - you're surrounded by too much awesomeness.  Olmsted did it right when he designed the National Mall, and Congress did it right when they decided against lining the mall with embassies from all the nations of the world (they would constantly bicker) and instead dedicated the space to knowledge and wonder.  And boy, is it a wonder!

Washington's Masonic Obelisk

I won an award and had to go to D.C. to receive it so I dragged Denver and Tammy with me.  We got there early and wandered all 4 miles of the Mall on a gorgeous, crisp, windy day. We just took in the monuments and the National Archives - it would take two weeks to experience all the museums. I used Parking Panda the night before and reserved a parking spot right next to the Archives.  Every school kid on earth was on a field trip to the Archives that day, packed into the rotunda where the original U.S.Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are housed. We skirted the mob, got discouraged and rationalized that we could probably find reasonable facsimiles in the gift shop.  We did see a very nice written description of Lincoln's head wound from the young doctor attending Our American Cousin at the Ford Theater the night of April 14th, 1865.  Not much, but better than thousands of squeaking little Skechers grinding our bodies to paste.  You make compromises.

The Rail-Splitter and the Great Emancipator, with Lincoln in the background.

I hope you get a chance to wander around Washington D.C. sometime soon, before the Affordable Care Act brings our country to its knees. When you go, ignore the crushing press of people and put on your happy face - they're on the lookout for grumps.