No Disney?! A winter getaway to Washington DC and Delaware! Day 5

Lizzim · 2 Feb 18, 09:04 PM

14th Dec

In a shocking turn of events we had an alarm set this morning which went off at 0730!

We had breakfast at hotel - I had eggs benedict and Rob had the croissant sandwich for a change!

We then started off on our fairly long walk to the Capitol Building.

We arrived at about 1015 for an 1100 tour, but were offered a spot on the 1030 instead. We took a lot of photos on the tour - so many facts and I can barely remember any of them now!

After the tour we asked for passes to the Senate gallery - international visitors can get these by showing ID but US citizens get them by visiting their senator. We had to check in all electronics including fitbits etc also certain liquids and even my iphone headphones!

The Senate floor was very quiet and a bit odd - at one point the guy in charge left and a woman took over... while a senator was on the floor!

Next up we decided to get a snack so we had drinks and cakes in the restaurant before asking for passes to the House of Representatives. Same process here - the desks to get passes are at opposite ends of the visitor centre.

There were still very few people on the floor but this was more interesting - we watched a guy speak for almost an hour. Initially on one topic and then weirdly at the end on something completely unrelated! We were also baffled by how often the typists change - I think it was 10 or 15 minute shifts.

Once we were finished we walked to the Library of Congress via the tunnels and took some more photographs! I think we finally left the buildings around 1530 which surprised both of us. We had a really good day here and were glad that we decided to do the tour.

We took a quick visit to Union Station as we were headed in that direction and then the Postal Museum (we had been here last time) before walking back to the hotel.

For dinner this evening we had sandwiches and cookies from Subway plus drinks and crisps from Pret! Quite the odd mixture :

At about 1830 we took the metro to Ronald Reagan airport to collect our hire car for the trip to Wilmington, we did find the layout odd as we seemed to have to walk through the garage to get to the car hire desk but otherwise it was quite straightforward.

A short drive back into the city and we left the car with the valet for the night.

(22242 steps, 9.40 miles)

Skittl1321 · 3 Feb 18, 10:55 AM

Lovely photos! I can't recall if I've ever toured the capitol in my many trips to DC, but I've never been able to see the house or Senate floor. That's cool!

Thanks for sharing.

Lizzim · 3 Feb 18, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by Skittl1321

Lovely photos! I can't recall if I've ever toured the capitol in my many trips to DC, but I've never been able to see the house or Senate floor. That's cool!

Thanks for sharing.

Yeah it was surprisingly easy - and well worth it!

**RachelM** · 17 Feb 18, 10:25 PM

Another great day.

Lizzim · 17 Feb 18, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by RachelM

Another great day.

Yeah, we really enjoyed the Capitol building

Mortimer Mouse · 27 Mar 18, 08:52 AM

The Capitol tour looks interesting. My only knowledge of the Senete is from watching an episode of the Good Wife !

Lizzim · 27 Mar 18, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by Mortimer Mouse

The Capitol tour looks interesting. My only knowledge of the Senete is from watching an episode of the Good Wife !

We used to love the West Wing so it was pretty fun for us. I would�ve tried for a White House tour but we didn�t have time!

Glee Fan · 15 Aug 18, 02:41 PM

How did you book your tour?

Another busy day. Love the look of your breakfast!

Lizzim · 15 Aug 18, 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by Glee Fan

How did you book your tour?

Another busy day. Love the look of your breakfast!

You just go to the Capitol Building website and book - super easy

2 Feb 18, 09:04 PM	#1
	2 Feb 18, 09:04 PM Lizzim Imagineer
Lizzim Imagineer Join Date: Apr 10 Lizzim's Reviews DIBB Villa Reviews: 1	No Disney?! A winter getaway to Washington DC and Delaware! Day 5 14th Dec In a shocking turn of events we had an alarm set this morning which went off at 0730! We had breakfast at hotel - I had eggs benedict and Rob had the croissant sandwich for a change! We then started off on our fairly long walk to the Capitol Building. We arrived at about 1015 for an 1100 tour, but were offered a spot on the 1030 instead. We took a lot of photos on the tour - so many facts and I can barely remember any of them now! After the tour we asked for passes to the Senate gallery - international visitors can get these by showing ID but US citizens get them by visiting their senator. We had to check in all electronics including fitbits etc also certain liquids and even my iphone headphones! The Senate floor was very quiet and a bit odd - at one point the guy in charge left and a woman took over... while a senator was on the floor! Next up we decided to get a snack so we had drinks and cakes in the restaurant before asking for passes to the House of Representatives. Same process here - the desks to get passes are at opposite ends of the visitor centre. There were still very few people on the floor but this was more interesting - we watched a guy speak for almost an hour. Initially on one topic and then weirdly at the end on something completely unrelated! We were also baffled by how often the typists change - I think it was 10 or 15 minute shifts. Once we were finished we walked to the Library of Congress via the tunnels and took some more photographs! I think we finally left the buildings around 1530 which surprised both of us. We had a really good day here and were glad that we decided to do the tour. We took a quick visit to Union Station as we were headed in that direction and then the Postal Museum (we had been here last time) before walking back to the hotel. For dinner this evening we had sandwiches and cookies from Subway plus drinks and crisps from Pret! Quite the odd mixture : At about 1830 we took the metro to Ronald Reagan airport to collect our hire car for the trip to Wilmington, we did find the layout odd as we seemed to have to walk through the garage to get to the car hire desk but otherwise it was quite straightforward. A short drive back into the city and we left the car with the valet for the night. (22242 steps, 9.40 miles) __________________ All my trip reports in one place! Edited at 09:19 PM.

3 Feb 18, 10:55 AM	#2
	3 Feb 18, 10:55 AM Skittl1321 Getting Excited
Skittl1321 Getting Excited Join Date: Jun 17	Lovely photos! I can't recall if I've ever toured the capitol in my many trips to DC, but I've never been able to see the house or Senate floor. That's cool! Thanks for sharing.