The Capitol Building last November.

 

In November of 2016, Wes had a conference trip to Washington DC and I tagged along with

comfy walking shoes and a determination to see as much as possible in the time span of a little more than 4 days. In that time I walked about 31 miles!

Our hotel was very near to the Capitol Building and we were able to take a tour of this historic 

National Historic Landmark. Outside, the newly refurbished dome had just been released from its scaffolding while scaffolding of another magnitude was underway for January 20. I will purposefully not

go there right now - nor do I plan on tuning in to it to see this scaffolding completed.

Originally, visitors had to climb these stairs to get inside the building, and inaugurations were held on this East Front.  In 1981, Ronald Reagan changed all that with the switch to the West Front. In 2008, the new Visitor Center opened and these stairs are perhaps only climbed by Rocky Balboa wannabes these days.

The Capitol (original building) was completed in 1800; partial reconstruction was needed in 1814 due to a fire set by the British during the War of 1812. In 1850, two wings were added to each side - the South Wing for the House of Representatives and the North for the Senate. The Dome was also heightened 

and made more "wedding cake-like" between 1855 and 1866.

Once inside the Capitol building Visitor Center, we waited in line to get tickets for a tour along with a whole lotta energetic eight graders. We lucked out! As much as I love eighth graders we were not in a tour group with them.

Our tour guide was the best - she had been doing these tours for decades, and we certainly knew how she felt about the results of the presidential election that had just happened the week before. She's wearing the red jacket and here we are in the Capitol Rotunda.

Looking up from here, we see the Capitol Dome with "The Apotheosis of Washington" fresco.

Let's do some further looking around in the Capitol.

National Statuary Hall (above)

Hamilton, anyone?

This is where the post-inaugural luncheon takes place.

This large bust of Abraham Lincoln is located in the Capitol Crypt - where George Washington was supposed to be buried, but he opted out to "rest" at Mt. Vernon. A bit of trivia about this bust is that there is no left ear on Lincoln to symbolize his unfinished life.

Here's the statue of Rosa Parks in the National Statuary Hall installed in 2013. To the left, Frances E. Willard, an Illinoisan who was the first Dean of Women at Northwestern University as well as a suffragist, temperance reformer and educator. (Each state is allowed 2 statues to be displayed in the Capitol Building.)

The Capitol Building was beautiful and impressive.  

Next stop: Library of Congress building.  Wow!