Guided Tour of the US Capitol

This tour starts at the US Capitol Visitor Center. Please be aware that security screenings are done prior to going in. You are not allowed to bring liquids (including water), food, pointed objects and other potential weapons.

It starts by watching a 13-minute film called "Out of Many, One" in one of the visitor center's orientation theaters, It shows a journey through our country's struggle to establish the world's first truly representative democracy and introduces you to the magnificent building which houses the Congress. The parts that will be visited are the Crypt, the Rotunda, and the National Statuary Hall.

The Crypt

At the Rotunda is a captivating painting on the ceiling

The US Capitol Visitor Center is the newly added building to this historic complex. It almost measures 580,000 sq. ft., considered to be the largest project in the Capitol's more than 2 century history and is approximately 3 quarters the size of the Capitol itself. This entire facility is located underground on the east side of the Capitol.

The US Capitol is considered to be a symbol of the American people and their government and the meeting place of the nation's legislature. It also houses an important collection of American art and is among the most architecturally symbolical and impressive important building in the world.

It functions as a working office facility as well as a tourist attraction visited by millions of tourists every year.

The US Capitol Building

Me and my husband with the Capitol bldg. at the background

Every time you are in the DC area, one of the most recognizable historic building you can see is the US Capitol building, which is situated on the opposite end of the National Mall from the Washington Monument. It is considered a prominent landmark that shows a 19th-century neoclassical architecture.

You can also see its view on top of Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. The US Capitol has a total of 540 rooms, - a very huge building!

The US Capitol building is where the House of Representatives and the Senate meet.

Congressional offices are located on the ground floor, while the 2nd floor is where the House of Representatives hold its chambers in the south wing. The Senate is in the north wing. The 3rd floor is where visitors can actually watch the Congress proceedings while they are in session, while the 4th floor and the basement consist of additional offices and some machine rooms.

At the center of the building is where the dome is and below it  is the Rotunda, a circle-shaped area where you can see a gallery of paintings and sculpture of various American historical figures and events.

Don't miss looking up beneath the top of the dome once you're inside, and you will see the very beautiful masterpiece of painting called "The Apostheosis of Washington", and the famous "Frieze of United States History", - done by Constantino Brumidi in the year 1865.

Also try to notice the 8 large paintings within the Rotunda. Four paintings are on the east side while the other four are located on the west side.

Guided tours inside the building are free, but require tickets that are available on a first come, first served basis. I and my husband were both lucky to join the tour way back in 2006.

Tours are available from Monday-Saturday at 8:45am-3:30pm.

If you are scheduled for a tour, there is now a Capitol Visitor Center which was recently opened in 2008 where you can see galleries and can watch live streaming videos from the House and Senate. There is also a 13-minute film showing that tells about the history of the Congress and the Capitol. The film is being shown in the orientation theaters.

At the former Crypt, the original tomb prepared for George Washington

Also, take some time to visit the Crypt, just below Rotunda. This was actually build to support the Rotunda as well as purposely done to give entrance to Washington's tomb. It is a large round-shaped room built with 40 columns. But since Washington's last will that he be buried at Mt. Vernon, the area became open to visitors and now currently a museum.

There are a lot more things to discover about the US Capitol. Be sure you get a tour inside the building when you get the chance...it's worth it!

Washington National Cathedral (Part 3)

Washington D.C.

21. Kellogg Bay - the memorial for Frank B. Kellogg reflecting his ardent desire for universal peace. On the east wall is a Martin Luther King Jr's. carving preaching his last Sunday sermon from the cathedral's pulpit in March 31, 1968.

22. Humanitarian Bay - also known as the Boardman Bay.

23. White Bay - the window is themed with peace and universal unity, containing symbols of the League of Nations, the United Nations, people of the world in prayer, and peaceful uses of atomic energy.

24. Bettelheim Bay - the window symbolizes "America the Beautiful" with a brilliant color and abstract design.

25. The National Cathedral Association Bay - the windows reflect women's roles as Christian life givers, healers, purifiers and teachers. These were built by members of the NCA from all over the nation.

26. Dulin Bay - the windows are depicted with the 23rd psalm in vivid colors.

27. Frohman Bay - the memorial of Philip Hubert Frohman, the Cathedral's architect for more than 50 years. The window is dramatic, with abstract design utilizing an imaginative design of leading and small pieces of glass.

28. Abraham Lincoln Bay - the heroic bronze statue stands before words from Lincoln's farewell address at Springfield, Illinois. The floor is inset with Lincoln-head pennies; the window depicts in abstract form "the Agony of Civil War."

Washington DC Trip and Tours

October 28, 2006
Our trip going to our exact destination was at least 1 hour and 10 minutes. It was a 45-minute drive from home to Wheaton Station. From there, we boarded the Metro train going to DC for 25 minutes. Smart idea coz hubby didn't need to drive longer. We got off at Union Station.

We got tickets for DC trolley tour, so the place for their pick up zone was in front of Union Station. Supposedly, this should be our full tour to see the entire DC tourist destinations, but we decided to get a tour inside the Capitol building and we got a 2:30pm batch,so we couldn't leave further.

There were some photos of a bunch of squirrels which I took in front of the US Capitol. They look cute,so I took photos.

National Botanical Garden was close by, so we did a quick visit there as well.