Washington, D.C., USA

Anchor Cities of Megalopolis: Washington. Jean Gottmann is the geographer who put Megalopolis on the map. He described it as "the urbanized northeastern seaboard of the United States." Washington and its suburbs were the southern terminus, but most people would now extend it to Richmond, and maybe Virginia Beach. [2021]

Washington, DC, USA

A+ for cross-pollination of ideas! If you think the colors and geometric patterns of the desert Southwest are out of place in humid Washington, D.C., consider where you really are: Southwest DC! Why not bring the place-based hues of the sparselands to the urban landscapes of our nation's capital? See the capitol dome? [2021]

Washington, DC, USA

Odds and Evens, Ones and Twos, Singles and Doubles, Which one be You? Here is a singletarian who seems to be putting the spit into the shine. The setting: a residential apartment building not far from Mount Vernon Square. [2013]

Washington, DC, USA

Presumably, this is a male spider since males are the ones out roaming around. Females spend their time spinning and patrolling their webs. Since DC is "politics central," those webs are undoubtedly webs of deceit, defined as the art or practice of deceiving. [2021]

Washington, DC, USA

Respected President + Prestigous Architect = Worst memorial on or off the National Mall. It was dedicated less than a year ago but seems anchored in the design ideas of the last century with some contemporary elements that just don't work. You'll have to visit to experience the full negative effect. Too bad for Ike (whose full name should be under the quote)! [2021]

Washington, DC, USA

Home is not a place. It's a feeling. How does this silhouetted house and full-form garden make you feel about our national capital as home? It is our political home, the place where the Constitution resides and where the institutions of government sit. It is also the seat of our collective memory, embodied by The Smithsonian. See it? [2021]

Washington, DC, USA

Inflatable tank at the International Spy Museum: "This phony tank is similar to what the Luftwaffe saw from the air. . . . to mislead Germany about the location and the date of the D-Day invasion of France. Later, on the battlefields of Europe, the phantom divisions and fictitious convoys . . . were amazingly effective at fooling the enemy." [2021]

Washington, DC, USA

♫ These Are a Few of My Favorite Things ♫ ~ Farmers' Markets: One way to keep farmers in your area afloat is to patronize your nearby farmers' markets: delicious, nutritious, so not malicious. And, they give you some insights into your local geography of agriculture. What makes the valley where these apples were grown such good orchard country? [2018] 

Washington, DC, USA

 

WWJD? What would Jesus do? He would definitely not vote for the incumbent President! He would definitely not support separating almost 3000 children from their parents at the border. He would definitely not support anyone throwing children in cages. He would definitely not support an administration which cared so little about family values. [2018]

Washington, DC, USA

The 1993 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives: 153 in favor, 277 against. The 2020 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives: 232 in favor, 180 against. DC Statehood may have passed the House, but it will never reach the Senate floor. Once again, American ideals just can't overcome American politics. Just wait, though: Change is coming. [2013]

Washington, DC, USA

Welcome to the first day of spring in Washington. The cherry blossoms are early this year and are probably at their peak right about now. Too bad you won't be able to congregate around the Tidal Basin to bask in their abundance as you have done so many times in the past. [2011]

Washington, DC, USA

Work hard. But not today! It's Labor Day, which means we are not supposed to labor. Go figure! It's the last day of our three-day weekend and the last day of summer. Pay no attention to the astronomers who have inexplicably conflated two ideas: the autumnal equinox and the first day of fall. Fall begins tomorrow! [2013]

Washington, DC, USA

May Day! May Day! The Time has finally come. Please give us our government back. Please give us our lives back. Impeach! Impeach! We knew it was going to be bad. We didn't know it was going to be this bad. [2018]

Washington, DC, USA

More than one panel in the Aids Quilt used the American flag for inspiration. These were Americans, too, and HIV/AIDS was an American problem! By 1996, there were enough panels to cover the National Mall. Each one asked US to remember those who had died of AIDS. Next year, the Aids Quilt (only a part) comes back to DC, this time to the Newseum. [1996]

Washington, DC, USA

The horse population of the United States topped out in 1920 at 25 million. Today, there are fewer than 10 million, thanks largely to the mechanization of transportation and farming. For hippophiles, though, there are still a few professions that put you on horseback. For some, that's a few birthdays away; for others, a little longer. [2012]

Washington, DC, USA

Lafayette Park is perfectly positioned to send a message of protest to the White House (hopefully, even if the President is not there). If you look closely, you can see two sentries on the roof. They've got a bird's-eye-view of how the next generation is getting ready to take over the reins of government. [2018]

Washington, DC, USA

"This is Insanity. Show Humanity." Separating parents and children, especially young children, seems like something we shouldn't do in everyday life, so why has the U.S. government made family separation a policy at the border? Unjustifiable! Families belong together. [2018]

Washington, DC, USA

Families Belong Together: That was the official name of the march that began in front of the White House and proceeded down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol yesterday. In reality, it was a march in support of all immigrants: past, present, future; children, parents, grandparents; black, white, brown. It was a march in favor of human rights. [2018]

Washington, DC, USA

Got the day off? Thank Martin Luther King, Jr. And, while you're at it, remember how he challenged us to live up to our values. These folks, backed up by the Lincoln Memorial (both literally and figuratively), just finished a day of celebrating MLK's life on the 50th anniversary of his march on Washington. [2013]

Washington, DC, USA

After they rally in front of the Capitol to mark "six years of international neglect and betrayal," Syrian-Americans in the DMV assemble to march to the White House. They want the U.S. to stand against Asad, Russia, and ISIS. Hope is waning, however, and the number of demonstrators has been declining over the past few years. [2017]