WOW!  Our Capitol city really is magnificent.  AND – there is much too much to see in even a three or four day visit;-(  BUT – we did our best.

DC was G’s trip pick and, thankfully, he did a lot of prep for our visit.  A little tip to all who are thinking of visiting here:  DO contact your Congress people (Senators and Rep’s) to get access/tours of the White House and Capitol Building, including the two Chambers of Congress.  And – do this well in advance, as time is needed for background checks, etc.  G did his homework and we were in like Flint on all of these tours instead of standing on the other side of the fence wondering ‘how to get in there?’.

Hotels can be interesting, also.  Most within any kind of walking distance of ‘the sights’ run from $500 to $1000 a night!!  Clearly for all of those on expense accounts;-)  A Residence Inn in Greenbelt (northeast of DC) proved to be a great home base for 4 days.  MiniMagic found an electric plug to stay charged and we found the Metro (and Sr. Pass!). The routine became very simple – free hotel shuttle to the Metro station, hop on the Metro, which ran every 4-5 minutes, and ‘TaDa’ we were in the center of everything!

 

The White House – the oldest public building in the District of Columbia with the most famous address in the United States.  Every President except George Washington conducted the government of the nation here.  On October 13, 1792 the cornerstone of the White House was laid after a competition for design.  Although there have been rebuilds (after burning by the British in 1814), remodels and expansions, the basic structure is the same as one George would recognize today.  Somehow, despite our questionable pasts, a White House tour WAS on our agenda;-)

Our limo was lost – so we walked up to the Grand Dignitary Entrance – where we were received —

The dance floor was not in place, but we ‘took a turn’ anyway in the very room where Princess Di and John Travolta had their famous dance.

After all the individual attention, it was time to meet up with our private tour group (ha ha!!) – –

The Blue Room is quite impressive – as it should be, since it is used to receive guests (such as us!!) and houses the White House Christmas tree.  The room is furnished to represent the period of James Monroe, who purchased pieces for the room after the fire of 1814.  The views from this room are stunning!

The Green Room (once served as Thomas Jefferson’s dining room and now used for receptions), the Red Room (used by John Adams as a breakfast room and now used for small receptions) the Library and China room were all on the tour.  Last but not least was the State Dining Room.  Quote on the fireplace “…May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under this Roof.”   Could we get some of those men again – please?!?!

A lot of fun to be in the very rooms that one sees used in press conferences with other dignitaries or events at the White House.  The overall impression one leaves with is that this ‘building’ is quite impressive in its trappings but is much smaller in all of its rooms than one would expect or than they seem when seen on TV.

After this moving experience, a quick lunch was in order at the Old Ebbitt Grill, another historic landmark with very good food;-)  Then off the The Mall.

 

A very interesting, intriguing building appeared – maybe this should be checked out.  We had stumbled upon the newest museum in DC – the National Museum of African American History & Culture.  Luck was on our side as there was no waiting to enter this new museum that has required tickets due to its popularity.   Presented is a very impressive history of trade and slavery going back to the 1400’s and working forward to a Changing America from 1968 and beyond.  As is true of all the museums in DC, one could spend an entire day here.

 

Even though we were now on overload – one more stop.  The National Gallery of Art was created for the people of the US in 1937, accepting the unprecedented gift to the nation of financier and art collector Andrew Mellon!  Today it has grown into several buildings and gardens.  To give this museum its due, one could spend an entire day here.  Unfortunately, there was only an hour before closing – so hit the highlights including E’s favorite Renoir;-)

 

Day one was the Executive branch of our government.  Day two included the Judicial and Legislative branches.  While picking up our Senate and House of Representatives gallery tickets, we learned that there were hourly tours of the Supreme Court.  We were off and running.

The Supreme Court Building opened in 1935.  Prior to this time the Court met in the Capitol building (to be seen later).  This “Temple of Justice” is both a work of art and a working office building – AND quite impressive.

A Courtroom Lecture is given in the actual Courtroom where the members of The Supreme Court meet to hear arguments on the cases selected for hearing.  Quite awesome to sit in this impressive courtroom and think about all that has transpired here.  Unfortunately, NO pictures are to be taken in the room – so a quick snap as entering – –

 

Another inspiration is the Capitol set amidst 59 acres of winding paths, memorial trees and beautiful flowers that are changed seasonally.  The grounds today reflect a plan completed in 1892 by Olmsted.  The Capitol is home to our two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate.  With careful planning, one can observe these two bodies at work (???) in their appropriate chamber, which we were able to do.  Unfortunately, there are NO pictures in these galleries and to be sure of that all phones, cameras, etc. are taken from you when entering the first of two security checks!

The visit to the Chambers was followed by a tour of the Capitol (again with careful planning!).  This included some of the behind the scenes areas one hears about – or perhaps sees in an interview of a Senator or Representative – such as the tunnels from the office buildings to the appropriate Chamber.

Our first stop was the Rotunda with incredible art work, the Capitol Dome and The Apotheosis of George Washington – –

Two rooms of particular interest were the prior Senate Chamber and the prior Supreme Courtroom.  Both were quite impressive and close to ‘miniatures’ of the current versions.  The good news was that pictures could actually be taken here to get at least a flavor of the current.

 

Day three took us beyond the three branches of government to gardens and museums.  On the 59 acres of the Capitol grounds resides the US Botanic Gardens – one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America.  Established by Congress in 1820, and strengthened by collections from the US Exploring Expedition of Wyatt, the plantlife here is beautiful and educational.  And – there are three remaining plants still here from the original Wyatt exploration.  Another great tour by Bobbi gave wonderful information on the plants and their history.

 

What would a trip to DC be without a visit to the National Air and Space Museum?  The 1903 Wright Flyer, The Spirit of St. Louis, Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega and so much more of our air history!!

 

Totally worn out and heads about to explode with information, we were off to the Metro station for one last trip to the hotel.

 

One needs at least a week to do justice to our nation’s capital.  Our whirlwind tour was informative, historical and fabulous – BUT way too short.

Overwhelmed – E & G