Saturday we went down to DC to the huge book fair on the Mall. I was dissapointed - it was crowded and there were very few books to be seen. There were a bunch of pavilion tents set up, with crowds inside listening to people read aloud. There was ONE TENT with books for sale, about 50x50, and over 300 people inside easily. The crowd was so thick I couldn't get near the books, and I certainly didn't want to stand in a winding line to buy anything at the single checkout counter. We left after just a few minutes, walking down to the Museum of Natural History.

There we were treated to another line, which while it wasn't very long was moving very slowly. When we got inside, we saw security worthy of an airport under a code red alert. Full body and bag searches, metal detectors, the whole deal. We bailed out rather than go through all that just to see stuffed animals. I understand a certain need for security, but this is ridiculous. I wonder how much their patronage has gone down since they instituted such intrusive measures?

We had a hot dog and went home. The hot dog was good, at least.