With no particular need to escape, I wandered up to the roof of our building to survey the world below. This national headquarters building of AARP was designed by May & Pinska Architects and completed in 1991. One of the nicest features of the facility is the 44-foot diameter open rooftop rotunda that is some 10 stories above the corner of 6th and E Street, NW here in Washington, D.C.

The air up top was indeed fresh and sweet if not a little on the cool side. The rotunda surrounds a collection of benches and outdoor dining tables which have a fairly nice panoramic view of the southern D.C. sky and skyline with peeks at the U.S. Capitol Building and the Washington Monument. This will be a nice place to come and think, especially when it gets warmer.

This peaceful high view was just a few feet above a hustling crowd of staffers busy tracking the status of, and shaping the public opinion around the very important Medicaid prescription drug legislation, which will continue to endure contentious debate amongst our lawmakers in the days to come.

If only this roof were a place where you could truly go with your wishes to make it so.

- mike lee -