Post #8: Union Station- Food and Souvenirs

Union Station is located at 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 94710, and is the historic location of a ton of shops and restaurants.  The first shop I went to visit is the Swarovski Crystal store, because they are really pretty and the one in Valley Fair here is fun to go in and look.  At this one, they had some unique historic American crystals.  I think this would be an exciting store for you to visit if you go to Union Station in DC.  For lunch, I went to Chipotle.  Chipotle is really yummy and I always get a chicken bowl.  if you have never been to Chipotle, you should definitely try it because it is delicious. 

Post #7: Spring Time With Cherry Blossoms

"Be prepared for lots of walking and dress comfortably. Make sure you do not wear a belt or shoes with large buckles. Do not pack a lunch for the day." The reason why you would not wear a belt or shoes is because you have to go through metal detectors and security officers and it would be very inconvenient.  You shouldn't pack a lunch because they do not allow food and drinks inside most of the attractions.

The Senators for my state are Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, while my representative is Zoe Lofgren.  The office of Barbara Boxer is located at 70 Washington Street, Suite 203, Oakland, CA 94607 and her phone number is (510) 286- 8537.  Dianne Feinstein is at One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104, and her phone number is (415) 393-0707.  Zoe Lofgren is located at 635 N. 1st Street Suite B, San Jose, CA 95112, and her number is (408) 271- 8700.  If I wanted to contact them, I would either go to their local office or call the local number, talk to their secretaries, and try to set up an appointment.  If I were to meet them, I would ask them exactly what they do on a daily basis, and if it is an exciting job.  It looks like it would be really exciting to be in such a high position in our country.

Barbara Boxer

Dianne Feinstein

Zoe Lofgren

Post #6: The United States Capitol Building

The Relief Portraits are located in the House of Chambers in the United States Capitol Building.  The 23 portraits are of Lawgivers noted for their work to help establish American law.  The first one that caught my eye was of the French Emperor Napoleon.  I think he was chosen because he was a very important and powerful French leader, and he also wrote the Code Civil, which helped early influence American states.

The next one is of Sir William Blackstone.  I thought this was interesting because he was an English lawmaker, and the Americans took ideas from his although they wanted to rid themselves of English rule.  But the Americans were able to take parts of many different governments and combine them into a perfect version for America.

The last one is of Thomas Jefferson.  He was the third President of the United States.  He was an instrumental part of the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which was the very beginning of America.  I thought it was cool that he was included because he was an American who directly influenced American government, while the others indirectly influenced our country.  Also, he is a founding father, which makes him really important to our country. 

Post #5: Top 3 Monuments/Attractions

The first attraction in DC that really caught my eye was Ford's Theater.  It is located at 511 Tenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004.  This is the historic theater where John Wilkes Booth shot and assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.  Inside the theater is a museum of an exact replica of the way it looked on the exact day that Lincoln died.  Today, the theater also performs plays about the historic culture of our country.  The reason why this place is so important is because it is the place of the first assassination on one of our US Presidents.  The President is the top dog of this country, and it is so amazingly powerful when one of our Presidents died.  It does not only affect our country, but the rest of the world also feels the grief.

The next attraction is similarly related to Ford's Theater, as it is the Lincoln Memorial.  The Lincoln Memorial was built in honor of President Lincoln.  He was a great President to our country, as he emancipated the slaves and wanted equality for all.  He did all this even though it made many people, especially in the south, angry, which led to his assassination.  It is located at 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20037, in the National Mall.  It is an extremely impressive building with huge stone steps and pillars.  When you walk inside, there is a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair.  This monument is truly beautiful and in my opinion, a great tribute to such a great honest President.  

Although there are so many amazing monuments in DC, the last one I decided to add to this list is the Washington Monument.  This monument was built to commemorate George Washington, who was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, as well as our very first US President.  He is one of our founding fathers, and truly helped to build and shape our country.  It is located at 2 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20007, across the way from the Lincoln Memorial.  It is a giant obelisk, or pointed pillar, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss.  It is the world's tallest stone structure, as well as tallest obelisk.  It is located above the Reflecting Pool, which is another great site to see.

 

Post #4: The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court consists of a fixed number of Associate Justices (currently 8) and the Chief Justice of the United States.  The Supreme Court is the highest Federal court.  It possesses final jurisdiction and exercises supervisory jurisdiction over the lower courts.  Although thousands of cases are filed yearly, the Supreme Court only hears about 100 to 150 per year.  Typically the Court interprets existing law, the intent of Congress while passing legislation, and whethere legislation and acts are constitutional.  Cases reach the court upon appeal from lower courts.

1. Justice, the Guardian of Liberty

Justice, the Guardian of Liberty is located on the Eastern Pediment which suggests that the fundamental laws of America came from the east.  The idea of Justice is that the liberty that America brings is based on ideas and feelings of justice for all. 

2. Equal Justuce Under Law

"Equal Justice Under Law" are the words written above the main entrance of the Supreme Court building.  This is important because it tells everyone who enters that not only will they receive equal justice, but they will provide it as well. 

3. The Great Hall

When you walk into the Great Hall of the Supreme Court building, you will see busts of many important Justices of the United States.  This marks the historic importance of not only the Supreme Court and it's Justices, but also of American Law in general. 

Post #3: The National Archives

The Declaration of Independence is an extremely important document to our country.  It is a yellowing, very old document.  This document was the start of our country and the end to our association with Britain.It is now housed at the National Archives in Washington, DC in a bullet proof case.  The encasement is like a large, deep picture frame made of gold plated titanium and aluminum, designed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to ensure that it is safe for future generations to behold. 

The Constitution is another very important document.  It looks very similar to the Declaration of Independence.  This was the first establishment of government in America.  It is also housed at the National Archives, in the same kind of bullet proof titanium/aluminum case.  

The Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights housed at the National Archives in Washington, DC.

Post #2: The White House

The White House has been the home of every U.S. President since 1800, starting with John Adams.  It is an extremely impressive building.  The one room that impressed me the most was the oval office.  It is really cool that so many of our US Presidents have worked in this room for the past 213 years.  I think it is interesting how, although all the Presidents used the same office, they all decorated it to their taste.  It shows the varied styles throughout the years of America.  I think the founding fathers decided to build the White House for all the Presidents to live in, not only for safety, but because they needed a place that felt inspiring and important to live in, like a king has his castle.  Although the President is not a king, he is still at the top of our country, and many people look up to him.

FDR in the Oval Office.

JFK with his son in the Oval Office.

Gerald Ford in the Oval Office.

How the Oval Office looks today, with Barack Obama as President.

December 20, 2013

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren

635 N. First Street, Suite B

San Jose, CA 95112

Dear Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren:

I hope you are doing well.  My name is Lisa Principi, and I am a student at Evergreen Valley High School.  I was wondering if there was any way that I could set up a tour of the White House.  The White House is an extremely impressive building, and a true American landmark.  It is my belief that every American should go and visit this amazing place at least once in their lifetime.

This year, as a senior in high school, I am taking a government class.  I think it would be extremely exciting to be able to go and see the place where the head of our government, the President, resides.  Also, I think it would help me to understand and respect the history of our country and our country's government.  So many of our Presidents have lived at the White House, and it is such a huge legacy to our country.

Please take this letter into consideration.  I would be thrilled to be able to set up a tour.  Please let me know if there is any possibility that you could make this happen.  Have a very nice day!

Sincerely,

Lisa Principi

Dear Congresswom

Post #1: Prior Knowledge

In all honesty, when I think about Washington D.C., nothing really comes to mind.  Besides the obvious stuff, like the White House, I really don't know too much about D.C.  Obviously, D.C. is our nation's capital, and was named after our first president, George Washington.  I know there's the mall or whatever its called, and the different memorials for the late presidents.  Although I genuinely think that D.C. would be an extremely awesome place to visit, I have not had the pleasure of traveling there in my lifetime, so I don't have much information on this subject.  Hopefully, I will one day.  For now, this virtual tour will have to do.  On this tour, I am extra excited to hopefully visit the White House and meet President Obama, as well as Michelle.  I would also like to learn more about the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Archives, and pretty much everything else there is to see.