VACATION - DAY 2, PART 3 CAPITOL/SUPREME COURT BUILDING

We had to leave the Library of Congress because it was way past time to eat lunch (this became a norm for us) and Leon had gotten passes for both galleries for us.  We enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria in the Capitol Visitors' Center and then went to the Senate Gallery and later to the House Gallery. It was either their last day or next to the last day before break.

Not a whole lot was going on in the Senate, but we did see our Senator, Claire McCaskill, at work.  Also there were Barbara Boxer, Harry Reid, Sherrod Brown, Daniel Inouye, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and others whose names escape me right now.  They did a lot of standing around. 

In the House, we watched a debate.  Most of the Democrats were complaining that they were wasting their time because they weren't doing anything about a jobs bill.  The Republicans seemed to be talking about something else....not sure what.  Anway, it was interesting watching them go back and forth.

As I said in an earlier post, we had to leave our cameras outside of the galleries, so I didn't get any pictures there.  You see them on television anyway. The Senate looks just like it does on TV, but the House looked a lot smaller to me.  It always looks so big on TV when the President gives his State of the Union Address there. 

We didn't have a lot of time left of the day, but when we left the Capitol, we hurried over to the Supreme Court Building before it closed.  

The building was getting a face lift so most of what you see is all the scaffling.  We entered in a make-shift side entrance and had 30 mintues before the building closed. 

We could go just inside the room of the courtroom and take a picture.

Here is a model in the museum of the courtroom.  Notice it has benches for the viewers while the actual courtroom had chairs.

Here is Janice, Leon, and my husband inside the building.

A statue of Chief Justice John Marshall in the museum.

I was totally fascinated with the spiral staircase and took several pictures of it....(humor me)

Even though you probably can't read the fine print, I love taking pictures of signs that explain things.  This one didn't turn out as good as some later ones.

Eye level view from door.....

The steps are inset in the wall....no other support.

Looking down from the doorway....

Looking up.....

AND UP....

I'm kinda glad we weren't allowed to walk on them.

It had been another long day for us, our second full day in our nation's capital.  

Back to the hotel by way of the Metro.  Ever wonder how far beneath the ground the subway is? 

The escalator is just wide enough for two people to be side-by-side...so the lazy people who just want to let the escalator do the work, stand on the right side.  Those people who are rushing to get home, to work, wherever, walk up on the left side.  We were always lazy.  That is my husband and Leon at the base of the escalator on the far right.  Janice hadn't gotten on yet.  By the time I took this picture, they were already going up, so I decided to walk up on the left side to catch up with them.  Well, to make a long story short, I ended up passing them up and walking all the way up.  I wasn't sure I would make it all the way to the top (they weren't either), but I did. I had plenty of time to "catch my breathe" by the time they got off so we all walked the short distance back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and end another busy day.
  
Missed out on the beginning?  Check HERE.     Read the next installment HERE.