It’s not a good feeling getting a CNN update saying there was a shooting at the Capitol Visitor Center and the area is on lockdown, considering we had just left there a few hours earlier.

I had JUST said to my husband this morning that I couldn’t shake the constant feeling of being on alert and panic every time I heard a siren whiz by us in DC the last few days. Thankfully it seems as though everyone is ok. I keep on replaying in my head all the police and security guards faces and those I interacted with just a few hours ago. 👮🏻❤️What were they doing when it happened? Where was Brandon our chipper tour guide? Anyway it was an amazing experience and once again I felt so lucky to have just lived it…safely.

We started the day bright and early at 8:15 am at the Capitol Visitor Center, where we went through metal detectors.

We joined our tour guide Brandon, who gave us a tour of the Dome and another few rooms inside the Capitol building. A few fun facts- the Capitol Reatoration project has been going on since 2010 and will be completed this year before the new President takes office. The project will cost $100 million. 😳💵💰💰💰

Then my husband walked over to the Rayburn Senate building to request tickets to visit the House and Senate Galleries. It was pretty easy to do it, our Congressman Steve Israel was not in his office. Once we ascended to the galleries they collected every single item we had- all cameras phones video camera etc…boooooooo…why is it always the good stuff you can’t photograph! 📸📹📱✖️We saw both the famous US Senate Chamber where the senators meet when they are in session as well as the House Chamber. We even got the rare experience of watching the Senate in session…well for 1 minute. When there is no business to conduct they constitutionally still need to hold a session every 3 days. They opened the session with 1 Senator and a bunch Of staff and then adjourned about 30 seconds later. Fun fun! It was really cool to be able to see these famous chambers in person! Legislative activities in the House of Representatives begin and end in the House Chamber. Here, bills are introduced, debated, and voted on. Electoral votes are counted. The President’s State of the Union address and Joint Sessions and Joint Meetings of the House and Senate are held. The press and the public can witness the process from the galleries or watch the proceedings on television. ⚖

After we were done we took an underground tunnel to the Library of Congress to see the Great Hall and the Gutenberg Bible. 📖💒

We ended our historic DC trip at the famous Supreme Court, with its majestic facade and impressive large white front steps. The Court was actually in session holding oral arguments so we could not go inside and see the courtroom, bummer, but we got to walk through the lower visitor center at least. I also got to wave hello to my A E Phi Cornell sorority sister Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s portrait! 🏛⚖

Washington, DC…it was real…real amazing…real beautiful…real enlightening…real educational…a really
amazing family vacation… 🏛❤️🌸👍🏽👏🏽