Capitol Visitor Center

I used to walk over to the Capitol Visitor Center more regularly on my afternoon break when it first opened. The last time I went was about a year ago when our grandson visited from California. So I decided it was a long overdue walk to head back in that direction instead of my usual route through the long halls of the Madison Building. It was surprisingly quiet. Security was a snap. There were no long lines waiting for tickets or tours of the Capitol. The "museum" part of the exhibit was practically empty. The signs have been updated for the 113th Congress. The view of the dome from the skylights is just as stunning, particularly on such a sunny day. The floors gleam from being shined with some glossy wax buffing. But the most interesting part is walking to and from the exhibit through the tunnels that connect the Library of Congress with the Visitor Center. I had the opportunity to attend the groundbreaking ceremony when the wall of the Jefferson building was hit to start the work on the tunnel building. I still have a small piece of that original red 1897 brick sitting on my desk at work. I've attended a few ceremonies and ribbon cuttings for health care events, but probably not any as significant as this.