Washington DC photos

Our civics classroom is filled with Washington DC photos showing the supposed beauty and majesty of our nation's capital. Our teacher has put up all of the standard photos of Washington DC. There is the Lincoln Monument, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian Museum, the White House – you get the idea. In each Washington DC photo, you can see an image of serenity and peace. The streets are quiet, the people look happy, and the buildings are classical and powerful.

For some time, however, I have known that this is not the way that things really are. I have a cousin in Washington DC who I visited once when I was much younger. I was shocked by the way the city really is. Although there are some fancy, elegant avenues for the tourists, much of the city is quite poor. The Washington DC photos that you can order off the Internet or print out from online databases don't show this underside. They make it look as if everything is tree-lined avenues and historical buildings. I decided that, on my trip to the capital, I would take some Washington DC photos that showed the truth.

When I went to Washington DC with my parents, they had no idea of my intentions. I had just gotten a digital camera, and I was anxious to try it out. The problem was that it was hard to get to the poorer parts of the city without my parents knowing, and I knew that if they knew they would never give me permission. I took a few Washington DC photos showing trash on the street, drunken winos, and the neon signs in front of adult clubs. None of this was satisfying. None of this really showed what I was looking for.

Finally, one night I snuck off to take my Washington DC photos. To say I was scared is an understatement. I knew that my Nikon digital camera clearly marked me as a tourist, and one with money besides. Taking Washington DC photos of bums camped under bridges, or of rundown slums was a risky proposition at best. Nonetheless, I persevered. I guess I was just lucky. No one even hassled me. When I got back, I had some Washington DC photos to show my civics class that shook them to the core. It says a lot about our nation that its capital is so run down and so impoverished. If we can't even take care of the people in our capital, who can we take care of?

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