Capitol Anger

By this point we were suffering from museum overload so we headed back outside where the sun had started shining again. We decided to walk down to the Capitol building. We were taking pictures outside when we saw a guard lurking in the bushes so we asked him how to get to the visitors center. Next thing you know we’re tagging along with a huge group of people and standing near the front of some line. I knew you had to have pre-purchased tickets for a certain date and time to tour the Capitol (which we didn’t have). While in line we heard that if you don’t have tickets, you can go in and try to get walk-up tickets from people who have canceled so we decided it was worth a shot so we made our way into security. Here’s where I got angry. Let me tell you what happened.

Everywhere you go in D.C. there is security at the front door so I was expecting nothing less at the Capitol. There were signs posted saying “no food or drink”. Okay, that’s understandable. While in line at the x-ray machines the guy in front of me had to throw out an apple and a banana. Again, understandable. Then my purse goes through the machine (with my reusable water bottle inside) and the conversation between the security guard and myself goes like this:

Security guard (SG) “ma’m get rid of your water”.

Me “ok, I’ll go dump it out”

SG “no, get rid of the bottle”

Me “ok, is there a place I can stow my water bottle and pick it up after the tour?”

SG “no throw it out”

Me “but it’s not disposable, it’s a reusable sports bottle”

SG “what?”

Me “I said it’s not something you throw out, it’s reusable”

SG: “I don’t care, throw it out”

At this point I figured it’s probably not a good idea to get into a fight with a Capitol security officer so I capitulated. I went outside and put my water bottle on top of a garbage can thinking that no one would steal a water bottle from a garbage can and I could pick it up after leaving the tour. Fast forward to the end of the tour and my water bottle is gone! I was so steamed. Thank goodness that was a free water bottle I got years ago in Colorado or else I probably would have refused to throw it out and not gone on the tour. I thought airport security was the toughest in the country but nope, the U.S Capitol is much stricter (which ultimately is a good thing for national security).

It was getting on the end of the day and I wasn’t sure that we would be able to get walk up tickets but after waiting about 20 minutes we got some and made our way into a theatre for a brief introductory film about the Capitol. Then we filed out and were given headsets so that we could hear the voice of our guide. It was a neat little system because it was so loud in there with about 15 tours going on at once. We went into the Rotunda which is famous for the painting on the dome ceiling. We saw John Boehner’s office and then went into the National Statuary Hall. Jess’s favorite statue was one from Florida and it honored the guy who invented air conditioning. We also got to experience the “whisper spot”. The half-dome shape of National Statuary Hall produces an acoustical effect whereby, in some spots, a speaker many yards away may be heard more clearly than one closer at hand. Pretty cool!

We went to the gift shop but I refused to buy anything from a place that took so much from me. We left the building and I made my way to the Supreme Court to see if someone would hear my complaint (not really I just wanted a picture of it). The National Archives Building was right next door...