Last week culminated with an Easter weekend visit to relatives in southern Virginia. I’ve included several photos from the visit, which included a trip to historic Jamestown and Yorktown as well. I was also lucky enough to go on a miniature cruise into the Chesapeake Bay, with narration of the major sights by my uncle, a retired U.S. Navy captain.
Jamestown in particular was fascinating, as a rediscovery project begun around the 400 year birthday of the settlement is continuing to unearth new clues and concepts about where European America began. The settlement feels very much alive, very close and very accessible.
After returning to D.C., the city of Northern hospitality and Southern efficiency, it took me a day or so to readjust. The culture I found several hours south of the nation's capital was a night and day contrast to anything I’m used to back home.
The pace of work in the city is still relatively slow, compared to when Congress is in session. The city is heading into an awkward and frustrating week, with a Nuclear Security Summit wreaking havoc downtown, on top of the usual scourge of lost, oblivious tourists, school groups, and oversized tour buses.
This immediate past weekend included a Sunday brunch with my darling fellow interns (some of whom almost slept through the entire event) at the Old Ebbitt Grill. We were joined by John Weinfurter, President of KSCW, and Rebecca Taylor, whose organization is a subtenant, sharing KSCW office space. The latter had generously arranged for a West Wing of the White House tour after brunch, which we were all greatly excited about.
The West Wing is fairly cramped. Nowhere near as spacious or as elaborate as the television show mockup of the same name (fantastic show, don’t get me wrong), the real West Wing was quiet on that Sunday afternoon. As we wound our way up from the basement to the ground floor, we had hoped to walk by the Oval Office. The presence of the President in that office dashed any such hopes. We toyed with the idea of knocking on the door, and informing him that we were interns, and thus would be needing the room. The presence of armed Secret Service deterred this.
However, we did spot Rahm Emmanuel. As we stood, staring lustfully down to the closed Oval Office door, flanked by Secret Service, the short figure of one of Washington’s most high-powered and short-tempered power centers walked right by. It was quite a sight. We later spotted Emmanuel outside, literally inhaling a muffin between talking to various staff.
Later on, as we stood in the visitor’s lobby, the President’s National Security Advisor, former Marine General Jim Jones walked on by. He greeted us with a smile and a quiet: “Hi, how are you?” before vanishing into a doorway marked: “No Tours Beyond This Point.”
Sadly, photographs were not allowed once inside the West Wing, aside from the James Brady press room. I’ve included some of the better shots taken.
I did pick up a fresh new batch of historical and political trivia while at the White House. The West Wing feels much more like a cramped but high-powered and comfortable office space than the Mansion, which feels like a museum. I was interested that, in the narrative provided by our host, several Presidents stood out most prominently in the construction, re-design and re-furbishing of the West Wing: Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon. This last, I was surprised to learn, actually personally bought and donated the current Cabinet Room table. This is unusual for Nixon, ever the penny pincher. My only conclusion is that he wanted to replace the more famous, previous table, which President Kennedy had sat at and resolved the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Each president since Teddy Roosevelt has had an office in this cramped building, first built as a temporary office space so Roosevelt could find quiet away from his six children. Decisions have been made in that small office space that have changed the course of world history. While there, I heard stories of busy days where junior staffers will pass political giants in the hallway, sometimes unescorted and between meetings. Looking at the close quarters of the whole setup, I can almost imagine the scenes.
"Northern hospitality and Southern efficiency"
ReplyDeleteQuite a wry statement.