Observations on Obtaining One's Passport

  1. Somewhere in the instructions, the Department of State website, or the various other places that talk about the process, there should be a warning that your birth certificate will be sent into the processing center and returned with your passport.
  2. It's cheaper to have a mild concussion than it is to get a passport. Costs start at $97 for a US adult -- $67 for the passport + security fee, $30 to the prep location. If you need expedited service (as I did), that's another $60. Photos are $15. Total cost: $172.
  3. Perhaps Friday afternoon isn't the best time to go to the post office to get a passport, especially when there's only two agents at the counter. I took one of them out of commission for 20 minutes or so, during which time the line got impressively long again.