2336 Addressing Questions

I was listening to a news story on the radio about something in Washington D.C. The "other Washington" as we west-coasters like to call it. Washington State, by the way, when it submitted its application for statehood, wanted to be called Columbia. Congress thought it would be confused with the District of Columbia so they changed the name to Washington. Because, you know, everyone says District of Columbia.

Congress was just as smart back then.

Anyhow, the news story mentioned the White House and said its address was 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It occurred to me that Washington, District of Columbia, was the first fully-planned from the architectural plans up city in the US of A. 

So why wouldn't they make the address of the White House more special? Like Number 1, United States of America Avenue? Why the number 1600? And why the street name of one single state?

How about 1776 Independence Avenue? Or Freedom Street? Or Inalienable Rights Cul-de-Sac? What the heck does 1600 have to do with anything?

The Capitol Building, by the way, where Congress sits and hurls brickbats at one another in one constant ideological and illogical streetfight, has no numbered street address. That address is East Capitol St NE and First Street SE. 

But someone laid both the civil engineering and psychological groundwork for the Supreme Court to be really supreme.  Their address is Number 1 First Street. Maybe someone trying to get across that we are a nation of laws first and foremost. 

Then again, there's another meaning for the term Number 1. Perhaps the planners anticipated some folks being Number-1'ed off because the Supreme Court often shows we're less a nation of law than a nation of interpretation.

That's what they say on the street anyhow...

America, ya gotta love it.