Visiting the Capitol
Last Thursday Philip and I had the chance to join a tour of the US Capitol led by a Congressional staffer. I found a very nice babysitter up the street – she and her sister are homeschooled, too. I’m glad to have found them. We took the baby with us, since he is so portable and mellow, we figured he wouldn’t be any trouble at all. It took us about an hour from the time we left our house to get to the Capitol, riding Metro. That included trying to figure out how to pay for parking because the meter wouldn’t accept the smart pass we had, waiting for the first train for nearly 10 minutes and walking 2 blocks. We packed Nicholas in his super duper lightweight stroller. I had treated myself to this stroller that I have wanted ever since Boo was a baby. We knew we’d be on the Metro a lot and needed something lightweight and small and we also needed to replace the umbrella stroller that was on it’s last legs after 3 children. Anyway…
We arrived and linked up with our group in front of one of the office buildings outside the Capitol. I thought we’d be walking outside, but there are tunnels linking this building to the Capitol itself and that’s how we went. Security was tight!! Of course we knew it would be, but it was REALLY tight. Traveling around the Capitol and the tunnels is pretty cool. They have many corridors roped off so that the tour groups pass along the sides, moving slowly, taking pictures, while the staffers can walk quickly down the center.
The Capitol is beautifully decorated. I tried to take some pictures, but really, the camera doesn’t capture it. We didn’t get a chance to stop at the gift shop for postcards, but we’ve promised the older children we would take them back, so we’ll get some souvenirs then.
The rotunda was just awsome. Here’s a picture.
(see the rainbow?)
We also went in to the old House of Representatives room. There are bronze plates on the floor marking the places where Congressmen who later became President sat. Here’s Abraham Lincoln’s:
This room has an interesting acoustical feature. If you stand where John Adams sat and whisper something, someone else standing across the room can hear you. It can be difficult to get this to work because of the noise of the crowd. But while we were standing there, a guy whispered, "If you can hear me, raise your hand." He really did whisper, we were standing right next to him. And lo and behold! The group across the room raised their hands! Very cool.
We also got the chance to sit in the Gallery of the House of Representatives. It was amazing. It looks so much better in person than it does on C-Span. We got a chance to listen to a congressman from Wisconsin engage in a friendly, and at times, amusing debate with a congressman from Alaska over global warming. I just sat there, looking all around, just taking it all in. We couldn’t bring cameras, bags, or any electronic devices into the gallery. We were not supposed to talk, either. And can you believe that Nicholas was quiet the whole time!
Here are a couple of cool pictures I did get. The first is Phil and Nicholas on the star that marks the center of Washington, DC.
(see how it’s roped off for people to pass through)
This one is of a gorgeous stained glass window in the ceiling just outside of the House Gallery. I wanted a better picture, but it was right in front of the desk where you turn in your camera and stuff, so I thought I’d get what I could. Our staffer told me not to take any more pictures. I blamed Phil.
Our trip home took about 40 minutes because rush hour had started and the trains ran more frequently. The babysitter gave the children good reviews and they said they had a good time.
If you ever visit Washington, DC, make sure you check with your congressman’s constituent services office. They have all sorts of "congressional tours" that are free. All you have to do is ask.
