My cousin Dia has been interning for a Senator this summer, and so she was able to give us a staff-led Capitol tour! We had contacted our Congressman months ago to try to get a tour set up for Eric's graduation weekend, but never heard back, so we were pretty excited when Dia said she could give us a tour whenever we wanted this summer. And she was a great tour guide, full of information! Here are some of the highlights from the tour:
Pictured above are the Brumidi Corridors in the Senate Wing. They were gorgeously painted and very ornate. The House Wing, on the other hand, was very bland.
This is the chandelier in the rotunda of the Senate Wing. It was just gorgeous. Apparently it was originally housed in a Baptist Church, then was purchased for the Capitol for $1,500. It is now worth an estimated $4 million. I'm not very financially-minded, but to me that sounds like a pretty decent investment. Does anyone have a $4 million chandelier they'd like to sell me for $1,500?
This is the Old Supreme Court Chamber. Before the Supreme Court building was built, the Court met in various locations like restaurants around DC and this room in the Capitol. The picture above is of the Justices' chairs. The first three chairs (on the right) are actually original chairs from the room. The room was very dimly lit, to mimic the lighting that would have been when it was in use, from oil lamps.
This is the Old Hall of the House of Representatives. It was a beautiful room. The coolest part about this room was the whispering spot. From where John Quincy Adams's desk used to be, you could actually hear a whisper from the other side of the room. Apparently, Adams used to pretend to sleep or lay his head down, but he was actually listening to his opponents' whispered conversations on the other side of the room. He would then be able to jump up and make a very well-informed argument for his cause! Dia had us stand where his desk used to be and she whispered something from across the room, and we heard her plain as day. Really neat!
Probably the most recognizable shot from inside the Capitol: the painting on the Rotunda. Really breath-taking.
I also really enjoyed the paintings all around the Rotunda. Dia had some interesting facts about them to share with us. For example, the artist was not permitted to put his signature in the corners of the painting. So, instead, he painted himself into his paintings. You can generally find him four people from a flag, facing away from the action of the painting. Sneaky!
I also really liked this statue in honor of the Women's Suffrage Movement. It depicts Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott. Apparently, the uncarved block behind the women has been left unfinished, to someday be turned into a bust of the first woman President. I wonder how much longer it will remain unfinished?
And here we are, outside the Capitol after the tour, proudly sporting our Tour stickers like true tourists!
After the Capitol tour, we parted ways with Dia and walked over to Chinatown. On our way, we stopped to get lunch from one of the hot dog vendors on the street, which was nice. It was a gorgeous day - sunny and pleasantly warm. Very uncharacteristic for August!
In Chinatown we went to Madame Toussaud's, the wax museum. We've been wanting to check it out for a while, so we finally did! We had a blast looking at the wax figures (which were sometimes pretty eerie, actually), and posing with our favorites. Enjoy some of our favorite shots:
Me enjoying a show with Lincoln
Eric getting pumped up with Mohammed Ali
Me buckling under the pressure of interrogation by J. Edgar Hoover
Eric sharing a laugh with Reagan
Eric addressing the nation while the Secret Service looks on
I am not a crook!
Eric getting things done in the Oval Office
I personally found the Oval Office to be better for napping.
Look away, Angelina Jolie, I've got a smooch for Brad Pitt!
Eric and Will Smith
That George Clooney is such a charmer
Sometimes, even Tiger Woods needs a little help!
So that was our fun Saturday! On Sunday, we mostly stayed in and took care of moving-related business like cleaning and packing up stuff for Eric to take up to NY. This morning Eric got up early and caught the 6:45a.m. bus to NYC to pick up our keys and get us checked into our new apartment. He's then going to pass the keys on to Jose to take care of our move-in. Then, he'll catch an evening bus back to DC, and we're planning to leave to drive to Florida either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. So, I'm enjoying my last hours in D.C.!
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