It’s easy to impress first-time visitors to Washington DC. A lot of people have a negative preconception of the capital city and they are pleasantly surprised when they see all it has to offer. By far, the most common comment I hear from first timers is “We didn’t realize DC is so green and beautiful.” Followed closely by “There are a lot of good looking guys here.”
Last week, I invited a long time Northern Virginian to go into the city with me. Since she hadn’t been to the city in a long time and had already seen all the typical tourist sites, I decided to expand her horizons a bit.
My first suggestion was for her to visit the Madison Building located at 101 Independence Avenue SE to get her Library of Congress Reader ID card. The free Reader card gives a person access to multiple reading rooms including the stunning Main Reading Room. It’s best to register online prior to going to the ID office where they will take a photo then print your ID card. It takes less than ten minutes. Click here for all the information needed to obtain a reader ID card.
Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress
Once she obtained her card, we decided we should utilize our cards. There are several reading rooms to choose from but, since we’re both interested in photography, we headed to the Prints and Photographs room. The head researcher was incredibly helpful and we really appreciated her taking the time to explain in detail how to find photos both online and in the reading room.
We then ventured a couple of blocks over to the Russell Office Building (2 Constitution Avenue) to visit Senator Warren’s (VA-D) office for gallery passes. Both the Senate and House galleries are open to visitors whenever either legislative body is in session. I’ve been to both galleries on a few occasions and find it fascinating to watch our Representatives in action.
The galleries are not part of the U.S. Capitol tour but passes to enter either gallery may be obtained from the offices of your respective Senator or Representative. For International visitors, go to the House and Senate Appointment Desks on the upper level of the Capitol Visitor Center to inquire about gallery passes.
The passes are good for one year (October to October) and when the House of Representatives is not in session, visitors with passes may visit the House gallery on weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:15 pm. The House gallery is closed on holidays and sometimes due to unplanned temporary closures.
The Senate gallery is open during scheduled recesses and visitors are admitted to the gallery weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:15 pm. The Senate gallery is closed on holidays (unless the Senate is in session), and during any recess or adjournment of less than one week.
Both the Senate and House are closed on weekends, unless they are in session.
To get your gallery passes, you’ll need to visit your respective Senator and Representative. If you’re not sure who your elected officials are, please go to League of Women Voters and enter your zip code.
If you’re a local or frequent visitor, you may want to get your own Reader card to do research or visit a Senate session to see you government in action.
At the United States Capitol
The last photo is my favorite love the contrast of the white building and your bright red umbrella
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Thanks for stopping by. Unfortunately, I left my red umbrella on the metro ~ hopefully someone else likes it as much as I did.
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Excellent tips – I really like the Library of Congress so thanks for the information about obtaining a card!
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What great tips! Not at all the usual tourist sites (speaking from a foreigners perspective). Thank you for sharing!
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That Main Reading Room is incredible!
I imagine that I’d wander around, looking at everything in awe.
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You would have a field day in the photography reading room.
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I wish I would have come across your blog earlier. I recently spent a week exploring Washington D.C. What a historically rich former swamp :). There is so much to see so I’m sure I can use your insights. Great blog. Thanks for sharing!
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Wow! Your comment made my day ~ thanks. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to explore Washington DC again soon.
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I am looking forward to another trip. There are a ton of places I didn’t have time for, but I’d like to hit up Mount Vernon again. :).
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Very informative post. I knew about the Reader’s Card (did that with a visiting German student so she could get into the Main Reading Room) but the scheduling on the House and Senate galleries was something I didn’t have. Thanks for puting it out.
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Happy I was able to share something new to a local! I’ll keep searching out things to add to my DC “things to do” list. After the storm of the century of course…
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I like DC. 🙂 Posted about it last year. A pleasant, neat, beautiful “small town”. 😉
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Just read your post about DC ~ loved all the fun photos.
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Thanks for the “visit” to DC. 🙂
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Very cool. It’s been a long time since I was at the LC but I was just at some hearings last spring and astonished how easy it was to get in. As it should be!
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Reading this makes me realize how much I’ve missed on our short but wonderful visit last spring. There is so much to see and do. I love the architecture that I saw and all the stories to go with it. Lots of beautiful gardens too. Great photo!
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I’m so glad I got a chance to meet you on your brief trip to DC. I feel like I’ve explored the city a lot and then I realize there’s so much more. Hope you get a chance to come back soon.
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There are so many layers to a place like D.C. San Francisco is like that too (just an hour north of here). It was nice meeting you and what a fun lunch we had that day.
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Interested that you mentioned the Madison building. Last time I was in DC I followed a guide book tip and ate lunch in the cafeteria there. Followed by an excellent docent-led tour of the Folger Shakespeare.
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Did you enjoy lunch at the cafeteria? I haven’t tried it but had the opportunity to attend a reception on the top floor. Nice views! And I’ve attended a show at Folger Shakespeare but have yet to take a tour. So much to do and see…
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My blog post says that the food was good and cheap. It was a bit of a trek to get there through the underground tunnels from the Jefferson building (it was summer…).
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We love the city. When we were dating, Alie used to study in the carrels in the Library attic while I was working in the Longworth Building and we would meet for a snack around 10 p.m. Eventually we developed our own “tour” for friends that featured odd items like the statue of a general riding his favorite mare. The horse subsequently had welded on parts because the general’s family felt he should be riding a stallion.
After a couple decades away, we hope visit in the fall.
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Thanks so much for your comment. What a great story – where is the general’s statue? Hope you make it back this Fall. You’re going to be surprised at all the changes (for the good) happening in DC
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