Walking the Air Conditioned Halls of the LOC and the CVC

It is just dreadful outside and the week ahead looks about the same. We usually walk every morning for about three miles, but even if we got up early it wouldn't make any difference. On Saturday evening we drove out to Tysons Galleria mall and strolled a bit. Today we decided to walk the two blocks to the Library of Congress, then spend the rest of the time walking through the underground tunnels to the Capitol Visitor Center. So we entered at the corner of the building that I always went in for ten years as an employee of the library - now retired! The magnetometer and police are familiar, as are all the hallways. It was such a pleasure to walk in air conditioning rather than sweating to pieces. The Capitol Visitor Center was very busy, but the hallways and tunnels to and from were not. It's not something everyone would really know about, but I walked through there so many times before! We also passed through a few new and old exhibits - including the "America Reads" section that hosts the favorite books everyone likes to peruse. Several of my best selections were showcased. In the end we didn't quite reach the three mile average, but we got in a few staircases instead. I saw a couple of my past colleagues and was happy to know I could keep heading for the exit when we were done. It's nice to have this option in the heat - another reason my husband will probably never leave this town. 

The Tunnels and Hallways of the Library of Congress

Every afternoon I take a walk to get away from my desk, give my eyes a break from spreadsheets, and get in a little exercise. Usually it's a few rounds in the Madison Building at the Library of Congress. It is supposed to be one of the largest Federal Buildings in the country. Since I knew the Christmas tree was going up in the Great Hall of the Jefferson Building, I took a walk through the tunnels from Madison to Jefferson and noticed once again how the environment changes with every floor. In the basement is the usual drab, but very shiny floor. Once you reach the next level, things get very colorful and almost feel like Christmas with the reds, greens, and golds. But of course, the best is in and around the great hall with the absolutely beautiful surroundings. There are many more interesting halls as you make your way around the building. Imagine working in a place like that! Unfortunately the halls in the Madison Building look more like the tunnels and like most office buildings I worked in in Milwaukee. But if you just walk a bit, the other stuff is not that far away.