First off - thanks to those for responding to my "checking luggage at DCA" - those answers make perfect sense. DCA's layout is a bit awakard, but at least the beautiful golden/teal/black/periwinkle design makes it totally worth it.

Now, I'm wondering... does DCA have unique security compared to other airports, due to its' proximity to the Congress, Senate, Supreme Court, White House, etc.? If so, I didn't really notice, because DCA is very open and is kind of a mini-mall (in the newer terminals, anyway, not "Dulles-esque Terminal A") and when I went through security there it was no different than any other airports. So, I wonder why security at DCA isn't tighter than it is now- like, armed men and policemen in the halls? I don't like that vision, but I'd certainly not be surprised since DCA is so near to the District...

If you see anything different about DCA's security that makes it stand out from other airports, I'd be curious to know, because I honestly don't notice anything. Is there like a secret security system there? Or is what we see, what we see?

Andrew