SkaggsFamilyNet: August 8, Day 24: Washington DC

Miles today: 0
Trip total: 4332
Weather: Hot and muggy. High 94F RH-87%
Theme song: "Money" by Pink Floyd
Rodgerism: "Do you give out free samples?"
Lesson: There exists a court above the US Supreme Court.

A bus comes directly into the campground and an occasional express goes directly to the Metro station. Between that and the train it takes about 50 minutes to get into the heart of Washington DC. Teresa thought that a Colonial Viper from the Battlestar Galactica was going to launch from the subway tunnel.

First stop, the National Archives.

I had planned to get advance timed-entry tickets, but waited until after we knew if our White House tour would be approved. By the time we knew, all advance tickets were gone. But we got there today about ten minutes before they opened, and the line was not too bad. Once they opened, we got through security and went straight to the rotunda, where they keep the good stuff that usually has incredible lines. We took our time viewing the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights (and a bunch of copies of other founding documents) and were out of there in less than an hour. The entry line when we left was out to the street.

We wanted to find an early place for lunch to beat the crowds, so we wandered through the National Gallery of Art West Building. In the tunnel to the East Building, there is a large cafeteria with great food. The East Building and fountain in the tunnel (top view photo) were designed by I.M. Pei.

On to the Capitol Building, where we took advantage of the opportunity to take some photos from this vantage point, since tomorrow (when we tour the building) we have to leave our cameras behind. (No cameras, bags, purses or anything are allowed on the White House tour, which we are also touring tomorrow.)

It was HOT today, and really humid. We couldn't walk more than a block or two without getting exhausted. On our way to the Supreme Court building, we learned how dangerous touring DC in the summer can be. Since none of the museums or other buildings allow any fluids into the buildings (including water, hand-sanitizer, etc., and they search each bag) you have to find water outside and drink it outside. In front (and in the cafes) of the museums there are concessions, but within several large blocks of any of the federal buildings (such as the Capitol, Library of Congress and Supreme Court) the streets are closed, and no vendors are allowed. There are vending machines inside, after you wait in line (check the weather stats above) to get in. You could get into some serious dehydration trouble. A rifle-laden park-policeman guided me toward a hot-dog vendor on the other side of the Supreme Court, but it didn't exist.

We ended up limping into the Supreme Court building an hour before our scheduled tour (snuck in through the wheelchair entrance) and raided their vending machine. Then we wandered around a bit. Rodger and Rachael were both disappointed that we weren't allowed on the legendary spiral staircases.

Looking upward from the first floor.

Five stories, supported only by their fastening to the wall and stacking on each other. Very impressive!

The Court is currently out of session, but we got to listen to a nice lecture about the paintings, freizes and seating ettiquette in the courtroom, from the curator. He also told us that it is true, there is a court above the US supreme court. A basketball court, directly above the hearing chamber. But the Justices don't play, they just sit on the bench.