The day after the terrorist attacks I had to drop off a rental car downtown and then retrieve my own car from the airport. I took a camera along on the errands.

I was certain that the White House would be cordoned off, but other than a few extra police cars and a couple of token guards, it was business as usual out front. I'm not sure whether that is properly viewed as bravery or just bravado.

That was Wednesday. On Thursday they closed off all the streets within two or three blocks, erected barriers and were checking IDs of everyone who wanted entry into the secured area. Two days after that, they opened everything up again.

 

It was different at the airport. No planes were flying (National is closed "indefinitely") but they'd opened up the terminals so that people could retrieve luggage or automobiles. It was eerie to look over from the Metro and not see a soul in front of the new terminal.

Two weeks later, it's hard to imagine how they might ever reopen this facility. Joe suggests maybe they can turn it into a mall. A restaurant here would have nice views of the river. Plenty of parking, too.