W A S H I N G T O N   D . C .   -   D A Y   # 1

Monday, October 25, 2004

My next stop is the National Sculpture Garden. Unfortunately, it's closed for some reason, so I resort to taking my pictures through the fencing. The garden contains 17 modern sculptures, ranging from a huge typewriter eraser to a large metal spider.

Scanning my tour map for interesting sights off the National Mall, I decide to trek out to Ford's Theater, the place where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 by the well-known actor, John Wilkes Booth.

On the way I pass by the Federal Trade Commission. Created in 1914, the charter of the FTC is to enforce a variety of federal antitrust and consumer protection laws. The commission has the teeth to investigate and regulate business practices relating to advertising, promotion, sales, or any other business practice that has the potential to cause unfair treatment and undue harm to the consumer.

Next I pass by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, home of America's most famous, historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Not only is the government interested in making these and many other documents available for public display, they are equally interested in preserving the documents through advanced science and technology.

Justice I say! I want justice! And what better place to get it than at the Department of Justice. I walk up to the door and give the knocker like handle a couple of really hard whacks! And then I run like hell! Ah, just kidding, I didn't knock on the door, but, I really wanted to, that's got to count for something, right?

Hey, cool. A black squirrel, I've never seen a black one before.