US Capitol Tour

In May 2019 my wife and I took a trip to Washington, DC.  She had arranged for our kids to stay with her parents and had gotten us two nights at a very fancy hotel downtown, just a block from the White House.  She also took time to arrange for a tour of the Capitol with the office of our congressman Thomas Massie.

We left Richmond, Virginia at six in the morning to take an Amtrak train north to DC.  Once we arrived in the city we dropped our bags off at our hotel and after a quick stop at the National Museum of the American Indian to kill some time we headed headed for the Rayburn office building.  We had thought that our tour was around 11:30.  I think it might have actually been at a slightly different time, but our timing was fantastic.  We headed into the building and before too long had found where we were going.

Once we arrived at the office we went inside and checked in with the staff.

Shortly there after Representative Massie came out to talk with us--he doesn't normally go along on tours but always likes to greet constituents who visit DC.  After a minute he told us that he was going to vote and we were welcome to come along with him.  We definitely jumped at the chance.  We ended up going down into the basement where after going through security we got to take the special congressional subway to the capitol building.  I was preoccupied taking off my boots and belt during security sessions and didn't take any pictures down below (I wasn't sure if I was allowed to either), but I found this one online that shows the same type of car that we rode in.

After we arrived in the capitol we went through more security so that we could watch the house chamber.  We had to leave our bags, phones, and even our Fitbits behind before we could go to the observation level.  After Massie cast several votes he took us to the one part of the building that his staff couldn't take us, the speaker's balcony.  Once there we took some pictures with him.

Then a staff member was gracious to take a picture of just Amy and I.

I also couldn't resist taking another picture of the view--it was a great vantage point to look over the city.  I had finished the book Grand Avenues just a few days before, a volume Amy got me for Christmas since she knew we were going to DC, so I appreciated the view even more thinking about the sight lines that Pierre Charles L’Enfant had designed into the city's layout.

After this Massie had to leave, but he left us in the very capable hands of his staff member.  Instead of starting in the visitor center (we ended up there actually) we got to start our tour in the building itself talking about the Apotheosis of George Washington.

There were quite a few other tourists in the building going about their tours, many with headsets and tour guides, but it was nice to have a personal touch on our tour.

As I was born in California I had to take a picture of one of California's statues, that of Ronald Reagan.

We also got to see the Old Senate chamber, where the body met from 1810 to 1859.

Decorations were simply beautiful.

In the old House chamber we stood where John Quincy Adams' desk was located during his terms in the house from 1831-1848.

Our guide also showed us the graffiti on the walls thought to have been carved by pages long ago.

The room is now known Statuary Hall and there, just like wherever else you look up, you can't help but be amazed by the artwork and craftsmanship.

One of Kentucky's statues is dedicated to the politician Henry Clay.

One of the notable statues in the area is that of Rosa Parks, which wasn't commissioned by a state but by Congress in 2005 (though it wasn't finished and placed until several years later).

Notably she sits directly (and defiantly one might say) where the gaze of Jefferson Davis' statue rests, which I think was excellent positioning.  Here you can get a better view of much of the room.

We later passed by a plaque that honors those aboard Flight 93 who took down the plane before it could be crashed into the Capitol building.

The Old Supreme Court chamber (used 1810-1860) was empty when we visited.

Look up and you'll see yet another dome.

Next we went down below the rotunda where more statues are located.

We also saw the spot where George Washington's sarcophagus was originally supposed to rest.  Thankfully the plan got overruled and he was buried at Mount Vernon.  To me it would be a bit too monarchical if our first leader was buried in the Capitol.  Finally we ended our visit heading towards the visitor center.

The statue of King Kamehameha I looks pretty impressive.

Plenty of people were waiting for their tours to start.

Thankfully we hadn't had to wait here for a tour.

Before too long it was time to leave the capitol.

We headed up Pennsylvania Avenue for our lunch stop.  More about our other stops in Washington DC next time.  More pictures from our capitol visit are in this album.

~Matt