Washington Reflection

W.M. Kiplinger’s book Washington Is Like That, is a refreshing piece to read given the state of tourism in the nation’s capitol today. Dealing with constituents all day long, I have first-hand experience with booking tours, meeting with citizens, and sometimes even going along with them to some of the many attractions Washington D.C. has to offer. Between the months of March and April, tourism reaches beyond the scope of imaginability as people from all over the world flock to see some of America’s greatest historical landmarks. However, I have seen a similar decline that Kiplinger mentioned in the number of days and visits that people have spent in D.C. One of the more interesting job activities that I partake in is making sure that constituents receive all of the help that they need to make their experience the best it can possibly be. Under this task, I am responsible for tracking individuals who request my office’s assistance and just looking at previous years, it is definitely obvious that the economy is detracting people from getting the most out of their time here in the nation’s capitol. The average number of days that people who went through my office spent last year was about five days long. This year we are down significantly to about three days per trip and it is unfortunate that many opportunities are lost due to the lack of time allotted for each stay. Unlike when Kiplinger was writing, the most popular attraction that constituents request is to have chance to tour the White House grounds for a 30 minute time period. I have spent numerous hours with the White House trying to accommodate these requests and so far I have been unsuccessful in any of my efforts. The White House is so busy that even constituents who have given me their information six months in advance have been rejected due to the lack of available tour spots. I found it even more interesting that the White House opened up its Saturday schedule to get in more visitors and I can appreciate that the administration is trying to make it possible for citizens to explore one of the greatest places in the world.

Additionally, the Capitol tour is still widely popular and with the construction of the new Capitol Visitors Center, citizens have a chance to get a new experience from their visit. Even more special in the Capitol is the Dome Tour restricted to tourists who are able to get their Representative to head up to the top of the Capitol building. I was fortunate enough a couple of weeks ago to go along with a few of the Congressman’s friends on a guided tour up the never-ending staircase to the top. It was amazing to experience and catch a glimpse of the structure and composition of areas that I had no idea even existed. Standing a few feet below the top of the Dome while inside allowed me and my fellow Arizonans to see the magnificent artwork and sculpture work that comprises the Capitol ceiling. Learning about how the painter almost fell to his death while creating the masterpiece was something that made it even more exciting to see given that even in the face of death, people were concerned with ensuring that D.C. could be amazing for everyone to see. When I got to the outside portion of the Dome, the wind breezed through my entire body and drew me back for a bit. It symbolized what I was experiencing with the visit as I was taken aback by how wonderful the sight could be. From the top of the Dome, I saw the Washington Monument on one side, the Supreme Court on another, and building upon building in each direction. My fellow colleagues felt similarly on their trip up and it just goes to demonstrate how wonderful D.C. actually is even for longtime residents of the area. Like Kiplinger described, those who keep themselves locked up in their hotel rooms and fail to get out and explore the city like the common tourist definitely miss out on their chance to experience greatness.