Charlie and I have been trying to visit the US Capitol and Washington Monument in Washington DC since April, 2020.
We re-established canceled tickets for a tour of the U.S Capitol.
First we were stopped by a COVID outbreak which closed many sites in DC. Then the attack on the Capitol kept things closed.
The Washington Monument seen from the tidal basin where cherry trees bloom at the beginning of April.
Finally I was able to get new tickets to both the Capitol building and the Washington Monument. We haven’t been to Washington (about 50 miles away from our home) since we visited to see the cherry blossoms in 2019.
We took the subway from Greenbelt to L’Enfant Plaza to Capitol South.
Early in the morning Charlie and I drove to a Metro station in the Maryland suburbs of DC then took the Green/Yellow line to L’Enfant Plaza and changed to the Orange/Blue line to Capitol South. By the time we reached DC the temperature was already in the mid-80s and would top at 91 degrees by the end of the afternoon.
Only one exit is possible at the Capitol South Station. After exiting look left to see the dome of the capitol building and walk toward it up First Street SE.
We walked north (about 6 minutes) on First St SE to the east side of the Capitol then entered the Capitol Visitor Center by descending a set of stairs at the center of the lawn.
The entrance to the US Capitol for the general public holding timed entrance tickets.
We arrived 45 minutes before our tour time of 10:50 a.m. in order to be thoroughly screened. I had brought a tote well within the size parameters so passing security was no problem. Unfortunately Charlie had brought packaged snacks which he was forced to throw away or be denied entrance. He tossed them.
We waited for our tour guide in a long hallway.
Since we were early for our assigned time we actually joined the 10 a.m. tour which was advantageous since it made the timing of the rest of the day more relaxed.
The headsets distributed by our tour guide allowed us to hear her discourse without noise from the crowd and other guides.
After a 13 minute movie we were led out the rear of the auditorium to meet our tour guide. Our guide Ann was very relaxed, well-educated, and clearly a student of history. No question was left unanswered. In addition she engaged our entire group of about 15 people from all over the world by asking questions and waiting for responses.
First we visited The Crypt where George Washington was supposed to be buried but is not.
Our first stop was The Crypt which is directly under the dome of the capitol building. This room houses statuary of famous people from the original 13 united states.
So simple, so important.
The compass rose on the floor is the geographic center of Washington DC (where Washington was supposed to have been buried).
Before getting a dedicated building, the Supreme Court met here.
We entered the historic chambers of the building as the current Senate and House chambers are accessible only by contacting your elected representative.
The uniquely American corn cob capital.
Since this building was designed to be as American as possible even the capitals on the pillars are unique.
Columns topped with stylized flowering tobacco leaves.
Some of the pillars are stalks of corn while others are flowering tobacco plants.
Although monumental the Rotunda was not as large as I had imagined.
The highlight of the tour was the Capitol Rotunda.
The painting inside the dome seems very realistic until we were told that the human figures are about 15 feet tall.
From the allegorical painting “The Apotheosis of Washington” inside the dome to the presidential statues to the painted frieze to the large historical paintings, the rotunda of the Capitol deserves more study.
The “stone” frieze under the arched windows appears to be carved but is actually trompe l’oeil painting.
I was happy to see a statue of Alexander Hamilton (I’m still reading his lengthy biography) also included in the rotunda. While he was never president he was certainly an important “founding father”.
White chocolate capitol filled with whipped cream and mixed berries. YUM!
Then we headed to the Capitol Café Located on the lower level of the US Capitol offering continental breakfast from 9a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Charlie and I split a very generous pulled pork sandwich and some dessert.
We walked from the Capitol Café (on the right) to the Washington Monument in 45 minutes by the grey route.
After having a bite to eat we headed down the Mall to the Washington Monument about 1.5 miles (about 40 minute walk) away. It was very hot and humid. By the time we climbed the hill of the Washington Monument I was dripping sweat.
The Washington Monument is visible from the Capitol — just walk toward it.
By 1 o’clock we were queued up at Washington Monument with about 6 other people with whom we entered the lobby (at 1:10) at the direction of a Park Ranger.
They don’t call your name — just queue up. (Note the Capitol in the distance.)
The 8 of us took the elevator to the observation floor 500′ above the ground at the base of the pyramidion — the little pointed section at the top.
The Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin.
The observation deck provides views out two windows on the north, south, east, and west sides. Timed tickets allow an uncrowded visit to the observation deck which is staffed by knowledgeable park rangers. A small museum is located on the 490′ level.
The DC Mall ending at the US Capitol viewed from the top of the Washington Monument.
After descending the monument we returned to Maryland via the DC Metro from the Smithsonian Station transferring at L’Enfant Plaza.
My favorite travel companion.
We drove back home fairly exhausted after spending a very hot and steamy August day in DC but it was a great excursion.
Jo
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