As I get older, I love surprises when I travel, not the train canceled and you are stuck surprises, but the discovery of a local restaurant that doesn’t have a social presence just the love of neighbors.  Our world is so connected now that it’s hard to be surprised or even shocked by much anymore.  So when I went to Washington, D.C. for the weekend   (pre-covid) I was pleasantly surprised by so many things. As a kid, the school tour only takes you to see the highlights but you don’t quite appreciate the history of the buildings and monuments but as an adult you can have a keen eye for detail that just overwhelms.  It is, of course, overshadowed by political theatre, media soundbites and divides all around, but if you can quiet those, you can appreciate the history, design, intent and so much more.

DYK – The Library of Congress was archiving tweets?  They had to change that from “all tweets” to “selective tweets” in 2017 given the sheer volume of daily tweets. I didn’t know that researchers were interested in my tweets about chocolate, wine and travel. 

With my love of books and architecture, I was keen to extend my U.S. Capitol tour with a tour of the Library of Congress.  I wouldn’t have access to the library and the books per se, I was able to get a birds’ eye view and be in awe from the part of the building open to the public (free to visit).  Do I wish I could walk on the library floor and peruse the stacks?  Of course.  In search of surprise stories, history and precedents. A long way from Judy Blume books of my childhood.

Walking the underground corridor from the U.S. Capitol to the Library of Congress wasn’t that exciting, it felt like walking the hallways of high school sans lockers but with many posters on the wall.  It definitely was lowering the expectations bar so I was pleasantly surprised when I emerged from the bland corridor to the stairs to a building full of architectural delights. My eyes were filled with color, textures, design and so much more, I quite frankly didn’t know where to focus first.

There is a guided tour of the Library of Congress but I was on a tight schedule (I had an appointment with the best burger in D.C. for lunch) so when I was greeted, I asked if I could self-tour and was told “yes, no problem, here is the guide, enjoy”.  Friendly staff everywhere.

When I walked the stairs up to the main lobby/center hall area, I stopped stunned by the vision up, down and all around.

At first, it reminded me a little bit of the Paris Opera lobby with the stairs, statues on either side and pillars with archways hiding more architectural wow moments and of course, the ceiling.  The spectacular ceilings in these grand buildings are eye candy.  As you looked closer, it was decorated with library sections – a virtual dewey decimal system in words and tile on the floors, ceilings and walls. Medicine, Science, Religion, Philosophy, etc.

I started taking photos every few feet as I spied something new and exciting.  The colors, the tiles, the paintings – each more interesting as I ventured further upstairs. The sweeping views made it hard to find a favorite vantage point.

As I neared another set of stairs, there was a sign to wait for the next tour group as the viewing area is limited to one small group at a time. I joined the group which was told not to stop on the stairs to take a photo of the mosaic (really tough to do, it was gorgeous).  We entered a room for a balcony view of the main library below which I thought was limited to members (and staff) of Congress but open to researchers too. The views of the stained glass windows, ceiling and stacks were good despite the glass partitions. As you walked the length of the room, your eyes found something new to take in.

The Library of Congress is the largest in the world and home of the U.S. Copyright Office.  I could get happily lost in the stacks of information to fill my brain with history, art, law, philosophy and so much more.

As we left, we all stopped on the perch to get a mosaic photo and then were moved along to allow the next group access to the viewing room.

I continued to walk around and see the highlights noted in the guide.  The last spot was to see the Gutenberg Bible and there was a line (of course).  Folks taking selfies, some people trying to jump the queue but otherwise everyone was courteous to give people time to view and take photos. The bible was an impressive condition despite its age.

My last minute decision to visit the Library of Congress was rewarded with an architectural stunner of a building and a keen appreciation for the history of books and the library.  More people need to say “add this to your visit itinerary”.  I was really impressed by it all and was able to visit in an hour.  When the world opens again, I do hope you have the opportunity to visit the Library of Congress and be surprised in your own way.  My photos, videos and words barely scratch the surface of the feel you’ll have when you are there.  That’s the best surprise that no one can anticipate or experience in the same way.

While the library is closed to tourists, you can virtually visit the library and enjoy the online programming.