This morning began with a Metro ride to "Capitol South" where we made the short walk to the Supreme Court building. We queued up for the 9:30 lecture, and got great seats in the very front of the gallery of the courtroom. The young woman who gave the talk was fantastic. She was very knowledgeable and kept it engaging for all ages.
At 10:30 we walked to the Capitol and proceeded to our Representative's office. Bill Foster's staff was incredibly gracious to our family and made us feel right at home. Another Illinois family was scheduled to tour the Capitol with us, but they never showed, giving us an unbelievably personalized tour for our family of four. Michael (the staffer giving us the tour) took us through the tunnels connecting Foster's office to the new Capitol Visitor's Center. That facility is as grand and impressive as I had read. But I was secretly happy to bypass the hundreds (thousands?) of people in line waiting for large tours of 50+. And throughout our entire tour I kept pinching myself that we had a private tour for our family. Michael, our guide, seemed to enjoy his small group as well, frequently having us duck in and out of hallways and rooms that are typically not on the tour.
After lunch we were given passes to sit in the galleries of both the House and the Senate. We saw only a few moments of actual "work" in the House; no sooner had we been allowed to enter and be seated than we heard the gavel pound the desk and the Majority Leader call a recess. That actually worked out pretty well for us as it allowed is a chance to talk more freely and take swings at many questions Miles and Emery served us. Later, in the Senate, we were able to listen to several Senators debate the newest revision of the Free Trade Bill. I was glad we had a chance to see Congress "in action" even though there were no votes called while we were there.
When we found a telephone booth in the Congressional Office Building, it crossed my mind that they were probably just staging it for transport to the American History Smithsonian. No one in my children's generation has any idea what to do with a phone in public that takes coins or has a cord.
Tonight we took in a Nationals game. This is MLB park #15 for Miles and me. Half way to our goal!
