The Supreme Court and Library of Congress, Washington, DC

We trust everyone was treated to an exciting Halloween. I believe this is the first time our kids haven’t been home on Halloween (my memory isn’t as good as it used to be, so I could be stretching the truth a little). They started the morning studying for their final history exams. We left the campground at 11:30 and drove to the University of Maryland (College Park) where they took their finals. Brian felt confident in his performance, while Laura wasn’t happy with a couple of the questions. She went in with a high “A”, so she should be fine.

From College Park we drove to the Greenbelt Metro station and made the trip into DC. Exiting the subway at Union Station, we walked to the two buildings that were the target of our afternoon’s explorations – The Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. The two structures sit side by side and were the only construction projects I have ever heard of in DC that came in under budget and ahead of schedule. Both programs gave money back at the end of construction!

That’s where the similarities end. The Supreme Court Building is magnificent from the outside, with its soaring column pillars. The Library of Congress displays a handsome facade, but not anywhere near as dramatic as the Supreme Court. The insides are exactly the opposite. The Supreme Court building has a cold conservative feel, with giant granite columns and hard back leather chairs. Conversely, the construction manager for the Library of Congress hired leading artists to design elegant tile murals, sculptures and soaring archways -- it is absolutely stunning! The differences don’t end there. The Supreme Court won’t allow any pictures of the main courtroom – either by tourists or even journalists during trials (something about it not being respectful). They also don’t allow computers in the courtroom, so everything is done manually. Perhaps this is why they are only able to hear 80 of the almost 10,000 cases that are submitted each year! The Library of Congress on the other hand, has embraced technology. They have chemists and engineers on staff who work to preserve the historical items in their collection (from Thomas Jefferson’s book collection to five Stradivarius violins). They have also undertaken a huge initiative to put their entire collection on the web, so that all Americans can benefit from these treasures.

We were extremely fortunate to have two experienced tour guides leading us through each building. They provide stories you just can’t get touring on your own. We learned a wealth of new facts – now if we can just remember them!

When we returned home, the campground staff was conducting a pumpkin carving contest, so the kids continued their annual tradition of dissecting large orange gourds. The judging, along with trick or treating for the younger kids, occurs November 1st (everything in DC happens a little late). It is supposed to be 70 degrees here, so we might even have a campfire to keep warm while passing out candy!