As we near the end of the week, I thought I'd post this fun story from Maryland:

Bypassing their Annapolis offices, members of the House Ways and Means Committee drove down to the new National Harbor waterfront city in Prince George’s County on Tuesday.

The unusual site visit — the group only makes about three a year — gave members a chance to stroll along the new $5 billion development being built on the shores of the Potomac River. National Harbor, which opened in April, includes an $800 million Gaylord hotel and convention center and a waterfront shopping village surrounded by towering condos.

While a site visit might seem like a unconventional use of time, members of the committee were able to get a look at the development's infrastructure needs in person. Ways and Means handles much of the state's transportation funding requests.

This probably goes without saying, but a development like this has the potential to add significant revenue to the state's economy.