Sunday morning, we woke up bright and early in hopes of getting tickets for the Washington Monument. We arrived to a line of about 20 people, so we took our place in line and read for an hour until ticket distribution started. Our assigned tour time was 11:30. That worked out perfectly. It gave us a chance to go back to the hotel, have a big breakfast at the fabulous buffet (brie on bagels, anyone? simply divine!), get packed and check out before the tour. We were right on schedule for our tour when we stepped off the Metro at the station near the monument when J.C. casually turned to me and said, "You've got the tickets, right?" I won't repeat my response as it should be censored, but suffice it to say, I did NOT have the tickets. We raced up the escalator and back down the other side, hopped on the train, and ran back to the hotel. Out of breath, I dashed up to the bellhop, quickly explaining that the tickets for our tour that was to start in 15 minutes were in one of the bags in their baggage check room. He led me back to the luggage where I retrieved the tickets and ran out to the front of the hotel. We hopped in a waiting cab, yelling, "To the Washington Monument!!!!" like you might expect to see in a movie. And there we sat... and sat... and sat. There were so many people checking out, loading luggage into cars, that the cab couldn't move. It was one of those situations where every second that ticked by felt like an hour. We eventually started moving and thankfully the cab got us to the monument without a minute to spare. Whew! The tour was great. The weather was beautiful, so the views were spectacular.
After the Monument tour, we headed over to the White House for the next item on our itinerary - a private tour of the West Wing. I have to give a little background on how this tour came about. When my friend S in Virginia found out that we were going up to D.C. for our anniversary, she casually said something along the lines of, "If you need help with planning or would like me to try to get White House tickets for you or anything, let me know." I took her up on her offer of White House tickets, asking jokingly if she had friends in high places. I don't remember her exact response, but it was something to the nature of, "No - just a friend who worked on Capitol Hill." She informed me a few days later that she had hooked us up with a 1:30 private tour of the West Wing if we were interested. Are you kidding me??? A private tour of the WEST WING? Of course we were interested! The tour was going to be with her friend Liza Wright who had held a position in personnel with the White House.
So... that is what we knew leading up to this tour. We were thrilled and honored with the prospect of touring the West Wing, but we had no idea just how special this tour would be.
We arrived at the Northwest Appointment gate at the specified time, were let in and issued visitor badges. We met Liza and began our tour. There were several other private tours going on at the same time. They seemed to be scheduled every 10-15 minutes with various White House staffers. We quickly began to realize our tour was not with just any staffer. As Liza was showing us around, besides the typical "history of the White House" stories that all the tour guides were telling, Liza's stories included her own personal experiences - her first meeting in the Oval office, where she sat in Cabinet meetings, riding in the president's motorcade, the early morning meeting every day with the Chief of Staff, and where her first office was located in the West Wing. I finally got up the guts to ask her to clarify what her job had been in the White House. She was not simply "somebody who worked in personnel." She was the Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel which is equivalent in rank to a Four Star General in the Army. She was in charge of all presidential appointments during her tenure under George W. Bush. Her office was one floor up from the Oval Office, directly over Dick Cheney's office, and around the corner from Karl Rove, Tony Snow, and Dan Bartlett. We were definitely NOT getting the standard West Wing tour. Wow! Can I say that again? WOW! Not only were we seeing things we never imagined we would see in our lives - the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Roosevelt Room, the Rose Garden, the Situation Room (well, technically just the door to it since we weren't allowed in that one) and the Press Briefing Room, but we were being shown all this by someone who had worked very closely with the President for over four years.
The tour in itself was spectacular. The history of the building, the rooms, the artwork, and the furniture is riveting. Add to that Liza's stories, and it was all a bit surreal. She told us about riding in Marine One with President Bush and Karl Rove, and about the stress of riding in the President's motorcade (apparently the motorcade takes off the instant the president's bum hits the seat, so you need to race to your car before the president to ensure you aren't left behind.). She told a couple funny stories about the president's dogs, and talked about differences in daily schedules from the Clintons to the Bushes. We were treated to such an intimate look at life inside the West Wing and what it is like to work there. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Photography is not allowed inside the White House, but we took several pictures outside. In this first photo, we are in the Rose Garden with the Oval office just behind us.
More of the Rose Garden
The Oval Office is at the end of this walkway.
This is one of the entrances to the West Wing. Notice the Presidential seal over the door.
J.C. in the press briefing room. Every chair is labeled for a news organization (ABC, CNN, New York Times) with the exception of one. Helen Thomas, who has covered presidents since John F. Kennedy, is the only reporter with a seat labeled with her name.
And a couple last views of the White House before we left
Washington D.C. may not be the romantic destination of choice for many for an anniversary trip, but it sure proved to be a wonderful weekend for the two of us. We started the weekend with a bang with the Segway tour, and ended on a high note that couldn't be topped with our West Wing tour. The kids and grandparents all survived without us, and we came back energized and ready to tackle parenting duties again.
Wow!! That is an incredible tour, how cool! I also love the photos from both the Washington Monument and the White House. In all my visits to DC, I have never gone to the top of the Washington Monument. I'll have to put that on my list for my next visit. Nice view! I love the photo of the two of you in the Rose Garden. Looks like you had fabulous weather and a great time together.
Oh, and I noticed you changed your banner - cute!
Posted by: Kerry | Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 08:04 AM
Who is that hot mama in the pink sweater? Must be Gina Davis from "The West Wing"!
Posted by: Mellie | Monday, October 20, 2008 at 04:04 PM