POST #8

UNION STATION
DC's most famous spot for shopping and eating is Union Station. Visit, explore and enjoy! For this post pick a store or two and a restaurant or two that you would like to try. Write your blog entry as if you had. Review the food, selection, atmosphere and cost. Recommend, or not, others to try your picks.

One of the restaurants i would like to try in Union Station in Washington DC, is Potbelly Sandwich works. This small shop sells some of the most amazing sandwiches i have ever eaten.  They provide so many options and choices that you can get any sandwich of your choice and it is reasonably priced as well! 

I would definitely recommend this place to a friend or anyone looking for some delicious food that is not to heavy or is looking for a fast meal. Anybody who enjoys good deli and subs should consider trying out Potbelly Sandwich Shop. IT IS AMAZING!!

Another place i really wanted to try and sells very good food is Johnny Rockets. Johnny Rockets sells very good burgers that are priced fairly and taste amazing!  Their malts and shakes are so creamy and rich while their apple pies are so fresh and warm.  I recommend anyone looking for a good treat or a good place to take some kids to Johnny Rockets, or if you are just craving a burger, come here!

POST #7

SPRINGTIME WITH CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Your Senators and Representatives:

If this were an actual field trip I would give you this advice: 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. Why?

Who are the senators for your state? Who is the representative for your district? If you were to meet them where would you find them and how would you set up that appointment? What types of security will you need to be prepared for? Why?

What question would you ask your senator or representative? Why? Be sure to use the tips found in the link to the right to make sure your questions are appropriate, will get you a visit and are likely to get answered.

Write a second blog post for this stop on our trip answering the questions above.

The senators for my state of California are Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. The representative of my district, is Zoe Lofgren.  If i wanted to contact my representative, i would have to email her and attempt to schedule and appointment for meeting them with the secretary.  I would have to be prepared for some security that is more strict than other places because i am meeting representatives.  They have to ensure their safety so i would expect the security to be a little more strict and precise, rather than having just very quick checks.

I would ask my senator or representative what it is like for them on a daily basis at work. What do they do at work and what is their favorite task to do. I would also ask how long they have had their job and what they enjoy most about it, as well as what they dislike about it or get stressed about.

POST #6

THE UNITED STATES CAPITAL BUILDING
Locate the list of relief portraits surrounding the walls of the House Chamber. Look more closely at a few that interest you. Comment on why you think these images were chosen and what it says about our country that they were. Find two or three other examples of art or architecture that inspire democracy. Share pictures of them and explain your choices.

List of Relief Portraits:

• George Mason
• Robert Joseph Pothier
• Jean Baptiste Colbert
• Edward I
• Alfonso X
• Pope Gregory IX
• Saint Louis
• Justinian I
• Tribonian
• Lycurgus of Sparta
• Hammurabi
• Moses
• Solon
• Papinian
• Gaius
• Maimonides
• Suleiman the Magnificent
• Pope Innocent III
• Simon de Montfort
• Hugo Grotius
• William Blackstone
• Napoleon I
• Thomas Jefferson

The Relief Portraits that surround the walls of the House Chamber are all of people who have contributed a mass amount. The portraits are of famous lawmakers and lawgivers throughout history. Of the 23 Relief Portraits surrounding the walls of the House Chamber, one is of Thoma Jefferson. These portraits who that these people have contributed a lot to establishing American laws and principles. There are 11 portraits on the right, and 11 portraits on the left, all facing towards the middle, to Moses. Each portrait is made of marble was installed around 1949-1950.

POST #5

AN OVERVIEW OF SEVERAL MONUMENTS
Look at several of the many beautiful and varied monuments found in the DC parks. For this week's post write about your favorite three. Who, When, Where, How and What impact did they have on you. Be sure to include pictures to make your post more visually exciting.

WHO: World Ward 2 Soldiers
WHAT: World War 2 Memorial
WHEN: Established on May 29, 2002 and opened to the public on April 29, 2004
WHERE: Located on the National Mall in Washington DC between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington  Memorial.
WHY: To commemorate the sacrifices and the victories for the world war 2 soldiers.
HOW: On September 30, 1994 President Bill Clinton appointed a 12 people of the Memorial Advisory Board to design the memorial, pick a site, and fund-raise money to build it.
This is one of my favorite monument is the World War 2 memorial.  I really like this monument because it is relatively recent and it commemorates the sacrifices made by many soldiers during this war.  

WHO: Abraham Lincoln
WHAT: An American National Monument that was built to honor Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.
WHEN: Construction began on February 12, 1914
WHERE: Located on the National Mall, across from the Washington Memorial at:
2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington DC 20037
WHY: To honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
                                                                                        HOW: Henry Bacon was the architect who built this                           
                                                                                         memorial.
WHO: George Washington
WHAT: A monument built to commemorate the first president of the United States, George Washington. Made of  marble, granite, and blue-stone. It is the worlds tallest stone structure and stands at about 555 feet tall.
WHEN: Dedicated on February 21, 1885 and officially opened on October 9, 1888
WHERE: Located on the National Mall in Washington DC at:
Madison Drive Northwest, Washington, DC 20024
WHY: To honor the first president of the United States, George Washington.
HOW: Originally designed by Robert Mills, but the final structure was altered and modified. Monument was proposed after the death of George Washington.
                                             

POST #4

THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND

Write a blog post about how the Supreme Court works and how the building its self displays and represents these important principles and functions of American Government.

Show examples of law and justice within the architecture and art found in the Supreme Court Building. Share your favorite three and why you chose them.

The supreme court is also known as the supreme law of the land.  The fundamental principles of american government such as Equality Under the Law, Establishment of Justice, Separation of Powers, and Checks and Balances are all embodied in the Supreme Court building and used on cases put forward here.  The supreme court judges can make decision during cases to justify whether something is constitutional or unconstitutional, through the judicial system in judicial review.

The Authority of Law is a statue in front of the supreme court building that is also called the Guardian or Executor of the Law. I chose This statue as one of my favorite because he sits patiently and concentrated, holding a tablet in his hands with a sword behind it.  The tablet is engraved LEX which is Latin for the word law, and the sword represents the enforcement through the law. I like this figure because it shows that the Supreme Law of the Land will enforce the laws and make fair judgement in cases brought to their attention.

The Contemplation of Justice is another statue that sits in front of the Supreme Court. This statue is placed on the left side of the main steps into the building. The Contemplation of Justice has her arm rested on a book of law and holding a small statue of justice in the other hand. I chose this figure because I like that she  is determining whether something is just or unjust according to the law. I really like this figure because it shows that not only men, but women can be powerful as well and make important decisions.

The Bronze Doors are the entrance to the supreme court building in Washington DC.  The doors have 8 different scenes that represent important events in Western tradition; they are arranged in chronological order starting from the bottom left panel, moving upwards, and then from the bottom right panel moving upwards and ending on the top right. Each panel on the doors are the Shield of Achilles, Praetor's Edit, Julian and Scholar, Justinian Code, Magna Carta, Westminister Statue, Coke and James I, and Marshall and Story. I like these doors because they are very interesting and is a cool way to enter into the supreme court building through.

POST #3

"COME. EXPLORE. ENJOY. YOUR NATIONAL ARCHIVES EXPERIENCE — DEMOCRACY STARTS NOW."

Find the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
What do they look like? Where are they housed? Why are they important? How did you find them? Who is in charge of preserving them? What do they represent to our society and our posterity?

Write your blog post showing images of these documents and the answers to the questions above.

The Declaration of Independence and US Constitution look very old and delicate.  The paper is yellow and the font is very small, but neat, in script.  They look like very large and detailed documents that have been around for a very long time.  Both the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are housed in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).  The National Archives and Records Administration is an agency in the US Government that are responsible for housing and preserving these historical documents.  These documents are very important in US history because the US constitution lists rights that the citizens live by and helps maintain peace throughout the nation.  The Declaration of independence was created on July 4th, 1776 to show that the 13th colonies were no longer apart of the British Empire and were their own independent states.  I found these documents by Google searching the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. The NARA is in charged of preserving them, and they represent our rights and freedoms for our society and our posterity.

December 5, 2012

 Zoe Lofgren

San Jose Office

635 N. First Street, Suite B

San Jose, CA 95112

Dear Ms. Lofgren:

              

Hello, my name is Kathy Lam and I wanted to request a visit to the White House in Washington DC.  I want to go there on a tour to see all of the different rooms and how amazing it is inside the people's house.  I am doing a virtual tour in my 12th grade government class and all of the pictures and videos that I see really catch my eye and interest me.  I want to visit the White House on my own, so that I may experience its beauty for myself, in real life, not just through a computer screen.  I am excited to see the home of many of our past presidents and how remarkable it is.  I would like to request a visit here in order to learn more about our nation's history and past.

Going to the White House tour would be an amazing experience for me and I would greatly appreciate all of the new information that I would learn just for going on this tour.  This is important for me because I grew up in San Jose, CA, and have never really traveled growing up.  There are many places that I have always wanted to go, but the White House is on the top of my list because I am eager to acquire facts about our past presidents and the history behind the creation of the White House.

Please consider my request on going on this tour Ms. Lofgren.  This would mean a lot to me to be able to visit the White House and experience something that I can only acquire from standing at the front door of the White House and looking into a house that our past presidents have lived in.  It is a privilege and opportunity that not many people get to experience, so I would be ecstatic to be able to go on this once in a lifetime tour.

Sincerely,

Kathy Lam

3300 Quimby Road

San Jose, CA 95148