Another Day Exploring in DC

Today, after a nice breakfast at union station in DC, the group travelled to the largest of the senatorial office buildings where we met with U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, Jean Shaheen. After a nice ice breaker chat with Senator Shaheen, we took advantage of a photo opportunity (see our previous blog post) and headed to the Capitol for a tour and another meeting with New Hampshire’s District 1 Congresswoman, Carol Shea-Porter. During our time with the Congresswoman, she taught us about the intricacies of congressional meetings and the game of politics. As well, the Congresswoman provided us a window into the kinds of decisions she has to make every day. While traveling from different parts of the Capitol, we were allowed to take an underground “subway” that was created to transport congressmen and women quickly. 

After lunch we continued to the “fireproof” (built from Marble), Library of Congress. While on tour with our good friend Art, he made us aware of the fact that the Library of Congress is a living monument as well as the oldest cultural institution in America. The interior of the Library of Congress was painted with an Italian Renaissance design, and we saw one of three remaining, perfectly bound copies of the Gutenberg Bible; which was the first book printed in the West with moveable type. Following that we had a well deserved hour to nap before a nice dinner out and a movie. 

Heading into tomorrow the group will be exploring some more sights of DC through the eyes of the 5 founding ideals (Liberty, Rights, Equality, Opportunity, and Democracy) as we continue to develop our own understanding of what an American Identity is.