Friday was the first I got to see anything up close and personal. I toured the White House, the Capitol, AND the Supreme Court (all three branches of government) all in one day. Senator Feingold's office arranged the first two. You're supposed to request tours at least a month before your trip. I called on the 14th for a White House tour, and they asked me if I was also interested in the Capitol, though they weren't sure they could get me in. I had the green light the next day for both (so no more calling him Slimegold for awhile, though I reserve the right to criticize him using his actual name).
I was afraid I would miss both tours. We were supposed to meet for the White House tour at the southeast gate. I didn't know where that was, and when I went to the northeast gate to ask directions all the security people shooed everyone back into Lafayette Park. They couldn't tell us what was wrong, so one guy about my age responded, "Just stuff." But he sounded really shook and scared. Luckily, another guard at the H and 15th Street corner of Lafeyette Park gave me directions, and I got there in time. We had to wait an extra half hour though because at 10:30, they still had people waiting for the 9:30 and 10:00 tours that got delayed by the security threat. I have no idea what was wrong. I wasn't scared because I knew our Dubya was safe in Kennebunkport. It was the first and only time during my vacation that I was glad I missed him.
Five of the rooms were open for us to walk through. We saw the State Room and East Room as well as the Red, Green, and Blue Rooms. There were some beautiful photos in the hallways. One was an outdoor picture of Dubya with his eyes closed and looking up, enjoying the scenery. It was delicious. I wanted to take it off the wall and hide it under my shirt so I could share it with you all (no cameras allowed in the White House). There was another really sweet photo of Dubya cuddling Barney like a little kid who just got a puppy. So adorable!
The Capitol tour was another story. I was supposed to meet Senator Feingold's aide at the Senate Hart building on Second Street. But I didn't realize there's more than one Second Street and went to the wrong one. I hadn't had any water in over an hour, it was sweltering hot, and I was running trying to get to the right place, even though my feet hurt. When I called for directions, the guy said I wasn't late and not to worry even though the tour was due to start in five minutes and I was at least a ten-minute walk away. I figured maybe there was a later tour group they were going to let me go with, but when I arrived, with a tomato-colored face, it turned out I was the only person scheduled for a two o'clock tour, and the intern giving the tour wasn't in any particular hurry. It was awesome! Whenever I saw something I liked, he would stop and talk about those particular things and let me take pictures. Most of them didn't turn out real well, but I've got a few gems here.
Betcha never saw a cleanshaven Abe Lincoln before. My guide told me that he didn't actually wear a beard until halfway through his presidency after some woman came up to him after a speech and told him he would be more handsome with a beard.
This was from inside the Capitol looking up. Look at the detail in the sculpture. Half of it was made by the original guy who got the contract, but he quit and refused to go back up after he fell. He was lucky enough to save himself from almost certain death because he grabbed some scaffolding on the way down, but he had to hang there for fifteen minutes before somebody noticed him and got help. His apprentice finished the rest.
I also saw really awesome replicas of Independence Hall and the first Supreme Court courtroom, though I can't remember for the life of me whether they were in the Capitol or the Supreme Court building. I'm pretty sure the courtroom replica was not in the Supreme Court building because I remember being surprised to see it.
The Supreme Court building was nearby and about to close for the weekend, so I decided to go there after the Capitol. By the time I found anything else and walked to it, I was lucky if there would be more than an hour until closing anyway. The architecture on the Supreme Court building is gorgeous, but unfortunately, there's some sort of repair or cleaning going on, so it was all scaffolding on the front. It was kind of ugly, so I decided to save my pictures for another vacation. I did, however, take a shot of the Washington Monument from a balcony.
The indoor shots didn't turn out too well, but this one was all right (sort of; it's still kind of grainy). While I was admiring the bust of Chief Justice William Howard Taft, a guy wanted me to get his picture. He was clearly trying to hit on me, and then his dad stepped in and told me to get in the picture. Taft joined the Supreme Court after his presidency. See? If we send Dubya to law school after 2009 and elect Jeb in 2012, Jeb can appoint him to the Supreme Court (okay, okay, that's not going to happen, but it would be cool if it did).
Unfortunately, I didn't have a water bottle to fill on my way back. I drank about a cupful before I left, but it was sweltering and humid outside, and my feet were killing me. I thought I was just being a wimp, but later I discovered I had a big red blister on my right foot (I was also wearing dress shoes; I had worn a skirt in case the White House had a dress code. It didn't. The skirt kept me cool, and I walk in the shoes regularly, but not all day. I even walked holes into the soles!). My hotel was on the 1300 block of 16th street, so I had to walk about 20 blocks to get back near the White House and then another 7 or so to get back to my hotel. I felt just about half dead, as I walked with two huge shopping bags of souvenirs (mostly the books I bought in the Supreme Court building gift shop). I felt a hundred percent better (except for my feet) after I ate dinner.
After dinner, Just A Nobody picked me up from the hotel, so I could join some other FReepers (including maica) in front of Walter Reed to support our troops (and their mission). We were keeping the Pinkos from Code Pink away. A couple of the guys even came outside and talked to us.
Stay tuned tomorrow for details about Saturday and Sunday.