DC By the Book

Excerpt: "Look!" cried Arthur. Out the window, the top of a thin white tower loomed, looking close enough to touch. "The Washington Monument," said the governor. "Built to honor our first president, General George Washington. Begun in 1848, and not completed until another forty years later. At the time, it was the tallest building on Earth."

Excerpt: “Look!” cried Arthur. Out the window, the top of a thin white tower loomed, looking close enough to touch. “The Washington Monument,” said the governor. “Built to honor our first president, General George Washington. Begun in 1848, and not completed until another forty years later. At the time, it was the tallest building on Earth.”

Excerpt: “We are all very lucky that the most important documents in our nation’s history weren’t lost during the burning of Washington. Let’s go inside the National Archives and see them.” In a grand room with very high ceilings, Stanley bent over a large piece of yellow parchment, crowded with script. It was the Declaration of Independence, dated July 4, 1776. The tour guide said it was written by Thomas Jefferson. John Hancock’s very fancy signature stood out among the names of all the people who had sighted at the bottom.

Excerpt: Stanley waited nervously in the Oval Office. At the other end of the room was big, empty wooden desk, surrounded by windows. A portrait of George Washington looked down at him disapprovingly.

Excerpt: The following night, at the famous Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, all of those who had traveled to Washington gathered to honor Stanley Lambchop, the youngest and flattest recipient of the National Medal of Achievement in history.