charlie goes to the white house

In between birthdays, vacations and baseball games, we recently crossed something off our DC bucket list. A friend working in the White House took us on a West Wing tour. It pays to know the right people! West Wing tours are only offered on certain evenings and weekends. Our friend was kind enough to spend part of his Saturday showing us around. 

It's much smaller and less opulent than you might expect. I was prepared for it to be cramped, but it was even less roomy and unimpressive than imagined. We saw the door to the situation room - the area around it reminded me of a cruise ship with its dark wood, windowless rooms and naval-inspired decor. It's below the oval office, and I had a hard time imagining the President walking down that same small, dark hallway. If you had shown me a photo, I would have thought it was a nondescript budget hotel hallway. If there is anything I've learned since living in DC, it's that government work ain't glamorous. ;)

The Rose Garden was my favorite part of the tour. It too was smaller than imagined, but quite lovely. Seeing the iconic white columns that frame the outside walk from the residence to the oval office was pretty cool. The Oval Office itself was exactly as you see in photos or depicted in TV shows and movies. It's just a very nice office with tall windows, thick curtains and a big ol' desk. 

We couldn't take any photos inside (other than in the press room) so you'll have to settle for outside shots. Even though Charlie slept in the Ergo the entire time, it's still really fun that we'll be able to tell him all about his visit to the White House someday. 

At the West Wing entrance 

Asleep in the press room. I'm sure he's not the first. Zzzzzzzz.

From the steps of the EEOB with the West Wing in the background.

Post-tour meltdown - probably wondering why we woke him from his Ergo nap. Luckily he didn't do this inside!

After the West Wing tour, we made a bonus stop at Dad's office, which is just a few blocks from the White House. His office is *almost* as nice as the one we toured earlier. I mean, check out that scenic view. ;)