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Stop one on the trip, Washington D.C.
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You need to book Capitol tours in advance during the tourist season, so we did it right this time
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Used to be (35 years ago), you went to a little shack to check in for your tour. They've upgraded a little.
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Throughout the Capitol, there are statute commissioned from all 50 states...each state gets two. Here, King Kamehameha bids us welcome.
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There are troupes of tour guides, all of them young and gorgeous (male and female).
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Alex is thoroughly thrilled already.
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As is my cool girl. :-)
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Very nice statue at the rear entrance.
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Abe!
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First stop is under the Dome.
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Dome detail.
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There is so much artwork to look at. Love the outfit on the dude to the right.
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More Abe.
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The artwork traces American history in circular order from the very beginnings to the 1800's.
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The artwork is large and impressive.
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Next stop is the National Statuary Hall.
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Roof and chandelier detail
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You wear headphones so you can hear your tour guide over the many other guides in the room.
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This room features the thing everyone remembers about visiting the Capitol...a particularly neat acoustic trick.
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Always had a thing for William Jennings Bryan.
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I Shall Return...in marble.
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Moving on to the Library of Congress. The floor is a nifty mural of astrological signs. Why? Who knows.
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Very Romanesque.
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Very ornate.
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View from across the street. Was a beautiful, brutally hot day.
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Like this one. :-)
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The Supreme Court
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Walking back to the car, with a detour through Union Station
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More neat interior architecture
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A little stuffed dog was our mascot. We called him "Chunk".