Our next destination was Collage Park, MD, a suburb of Washington D.C. The Cherry Hill Campground was a short drive to the subway station where we could hop on a train to take us to and from downtown D.C. Over the next week we explored our nations capitol, the Smithsonian American History and Air and Space museums, and several memorials and monuments by bus, tours, and walking.
About 2 months before leaving home, I contacted or Congressional Representative to request special tours of the Capitol and White House. We submitted the information for our background checks and waited and waited. Several days before arriving in D.C. we finally received the invitation from our Representative, Sean Duffy, for a private tour of the Capitol, and also got an invite from Barack and Michelle Obama to visit their house on Saturday afternoon.
CAPITOL BUILDING
Nick, one of Rep. Duffy's interns, took us on a tour of the Capitol which included getting into places we could only see if escorted by a member of Congress or staff. In addition to seeing the places open for public tours, we sat in the gallery of the House and watched/listened to a debate. In between committee meetings, Rep. Duffy met us and escorted us to the balcony overlooking the Capitol Mall which we could only get to if escorted by a member of Congress.
 |
| Work is being done on the Capitol dome so scaffolding surrounded it. |
 |
| Here we are with Wisconsin Representative Sean Duffy. |
 |
The view of the National Mall, with the Washington Monument in the background, from the Capitol balcony is stunning.
|
WHITE HOUSE
After going though several security check points and being sniffed by dogs, we toured about 9 public rooms on the main floor of the White House while Secret Service stood watching our every move. The Obama's never came down from their private quarters to say "Hi", so Jim didn't have a chance to give the President some advice.
 |
| Over the past 230 years, many renovations and additions have been made to the White House, the exterior still retains the integrity of the original design, and is the oldest building in the City. |
 |
| Jim would like everyone to know - he was NOT the guy who jumped the fence. |
 |
| After 2 fires destroyed the congressional research library located within the Capitol, Congress appropriated money to build this magnificent building which opened in 1897. Today, the library is home to the national copyright office and repository of over 150 million books, print materials, sound recordings, photographs, maps, sheet music, motion pictures, and manuscripts. |
 |
| The Great Hall is the grand centerpiece of the Library. |
 |
| Stained-glass skylights cover the ceiling 75 feet above the marble floor. |
 |
| I wonder how much damage he can do behind that desk? |
 |
| The President and First Lady |
 |
| The World War II Memorial; the Lincoln Memorial is in the background. |
 |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial..."Out of a Mountain of Despair a Stone of Hope" |
 |
| The Jefferson Memorial viewed from the Potomac River. |
 |
| The Lincoln Memorial |
No comments:
Post a Comment