Visit to the Capitol Building

We started our visit to DC with getting lost!  YIKES!  I'll share a little secret with you, I think I told Pinky the GPS to go to SE instead of SW for our hotel directions.  And in DC that makes a BIG difference! ooops!

Anyway, we found the hotel and were able to check in early!  LOVE that! 

Parking in DC costs a premium.  Fortunately, I scored cheap parking just down the block.  If you're heading to DC and need parking, I highly recommend www.ParkingPanda.com.  They allow people and businesses to advertise their parking spaces for rent.  I paid $34 for the ENTIRE weekend.  The hotel wanted to charge us $30 per NIGHT.  Parking Panda is in several cities around the country so you might want to check them out if you're heading somewhere. (parking panda didn't compensate me for this, I just loved the service so much!)

After getting everything settled, we headed out to our Senators office to get passes to visit the galleries in the Capitol Building. TIP: Don't let the men be in charge of the maps and directions.  Jakes and AZ fought over the orientation of the map so they would know how to get us there.  I knew where I was going so I just kept walking and let them catch up.

It was HOT.  We hadn't gotten to the corner and sweat was pouring off of us.  I did take a water bottle that we shared. We turned a corner and saw this.......

US Capitol Building

A fabulous site to behold.  We walked around to the back where the visitors entrance is.  Across the street from the Visitors Center is the Library of Congress buildings.  AZ said to me "You could live there, couldn't you?"  Oh yeah Baby!  I love books!

Visitors Center in the Capitol Building

We joined our tour group and thanked the guide for the AC.   The Capitol Building is a work in progress.  They haven't really stopped construction on it since it was conceived in the early 1800's.  We were shown the different "completed" domes and how they compare to what is there now.

The Capitol Dome - Its Dizzying to look up!

It was impossible for me to get a really good picture of the dome.  The camera batteries were fighting with me because of the heat.

They took us into the original Senate chambers where everyone was cramped together.  We got to experience the "Whisper Spot".  The spot in the room where John Quincy Adams sat and could hear every word that was said in a whisper on the other side of the room.  It was pretty cool!

The Whisper Spot

After the tour, we wandered through all the exhibits and the gift shop, just wasting time because we really didn't want to go back out into the heat of the day.  One the way back we paused to get pictures.....

Me and Jakes - AZ needs more practice with the camera so he can get US and the building in the picture.

Me and Huny.  Jakes does pretty good with the camera

Jakes and Huny

We stopped in the Botanical Gardens to check out the Corpse Plant which was working on blooming. I'll share that tomorrow.  Its AMAZING!