It’s been four years since I was in Washington, D.C. – Biden was in office at the time.  I usually travel to the D.C./NOVA area at least a couple of times a year for work as the company I work for is headquartered in McLean, VA.  But four years ago I went to Reston, V.A. for a work conference and stayed for a long weekend photographing and being a tourist.  I really enjoyed it – and now that President Trump has helped to clean up the crime in D.C., it seemed like a fantastic time to go again.  So I made arrangements to attend the same October conference, and extended my stay in D.C.

Thanks to credit card rewards (membership has its privileges) I was able to fly first class – the only time I get a window seat on the American Airlines flight I usually take from Dayton to DCA.  I’ve made the flight enough times to know what side of the plane to sit on for a good view of the National Mall area when landing at DCA.  I got some lovely evening shots with my new iPhone 18Pro:

The trip was off to a great start!

I think Ronald Reagan International Airport is one of the best airports in the US.  Sure, it’s easy to navigate but it’s also beautiful:

On arrival, I grabbed an Uber and headed to Reston.  Yes, I know it would have been closer Reston to fly into Dulles, but since I’d be ending my trip in D.C., it made sense to use Reagan – and I like it much better.

In Reston, I stayed at the Hyatt Regency – it’s directly across from the headquarters of one of the largest defense contractors in the U.S. – Leidos (which split off from SAIC).

The turkey burger at the Capital Burger in the Hyatt Regency hits the spot after a long flight:

I spent the next two days at the conference but did take go out in the evenings and do some photo taking with both the FujiFilm X100VI and my new iPhone 18Pro:

I’ve really enjoyed playing with the adjustable aperture of the new iPhone 18Pro – the sun starts you can get at the f4 setting are quite spectacular:

My boss works at our McLean, VA headquarters and knows Reston well – she recommended I eat at Jackson’s one night.

She’s never steered me wrong with regard to food, and this time was no exception – the Jambalaya Pasta was excellent:

After the conference ended, I Ubered from Reston to D.C. and the J.W. Marriott right on Pennsylvania Ave. – only a few blocks from the White House:

This particular J.W. Marriott is an older property and was actually under renovation during my stay.

Thanks to my Bonvoy Marriott status, my room was upgraded to a “National Monument view”:

After getting unpacked, I decided to do some sight seeing.  Freedom Park was adjacent to the hotel:

I strolled over to the White House:

I got to see the new ball room that Trump is adding on to the White House:

The next morning I had breakfast at the hotel and enjoyed my favorite – Eggs Benedict:

After breakfast,I had a busy morning schedule.  I had tickets to tour the Library of Congress at 10am, but before that I wanted to go up into the Old Post Office Clock Tower to see what’s reputed to be the 2nd best view of Washington DC (next to the view from atop the Washington Monument.

The Old Post Office is located just a couple of blocks from the J.W. Marriott where I stayed, and has an interesting recent history.  The Federal Government selected Trump International to renovate the property in 2012, and the property officially opened as the Trump International Hotel in 2016.  Once Trump was elected to his first term as President, the hotel became a lightning rod of controversy due to the fact that as President, he oversaw the agency within the US Government which leased him the hotel – so the Trump organization agreed to sell it.  The sale ultimately closed in May 2022, after Trump left office.  After a few bumps in the road, BDT & MSD Partners currently owns the building, (which was previously sold outright by the US Government) and managed by Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria brand.

The government sale of the property however did make provisions which protects public access to the tower and includes a binding historic-preservation covenant.  Admission to the Clock Tower is free, with entry at the rear near 12th and C Streets.

The “museum” aspect is little more than a hallway leading to an elevator (one of two different elevators needed to traverse to reach the Clock Tower) with the Old Post Office’s history – including Trump’s redevelopment and ownership:

As a photographer, I was a bit disappointed once I did reach the top of the Clock Tower.  The views are nice not well suited for taking photos.  Viewing windows come in two flavors – cloudy/dirty windows like this:

And windows with cables in front of them:

Nice view (which would have been better had it not been overcast that morning) – but I won’t be going back unless they make some window upgrades.

Uber then picked me up and dropped me off at my next scheduled visit on the National Mall – the Library of Congress.  Nearly all the museums and buildings on the National Mall in DC are free but some do require obtaining a timed entry ticket from their website  (which is no cost).  Don’t expect that your ticket will prevent you from standing in line:

The wait was worth it – the interior is breathtaking.  As beautiful as any building I’ve ever been inside in Europe:

The entrance to Thomas Jefferson’s Library:

Some photos from the outside after I finished inside:

Here’s a photo I got of the Library of Congress the next day when it wasn’t overcast:

After the Library of Congress I explored.  I stopped by the DC Leica store – I’ve been to a couple of the European Leica stores but this was my first time in the US:

This location is known for their in-store gallery:

I of course played with a Q3 and an M11 while I was there.  Maybe when I retire I’ll finally pick up that M11 with an EVF.

I grabbed some lunch then headed back out for sight seeing and photo taking on the National Mall:

The World War II Memorial may be my favorite on the National Mall:

They were having an event at the White House:

After some serious sight seeing, I headed to my dinner reservation – Cuba Libre:

The ambiance was fantastic, but the food did not match unfortunately.  But I found a whimsical ice cream shop called VanLeewen that made up for it:

Afterward I went back to my room and enjoyed a beautiful sunset – I even saw Marine 1 fly to the White House as the President returned from Mar-a-Largo:

The following day I switched it up for breakfast with another perenial favorite of mine – banana pancakes.  The secret is to cut the bananas into the pancake batter and the hotel restaurant obliged my request:

Today I had another 10am timed entry ticket – this time to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  In my last trip to D.C., I visited the National Air and Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.  Truth be told, I liked it better.  But the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall was well worth the trip…once I got past yet another long line:

The entrance:

It’s difficult to believe men survived on the moon in this:

The Skylab Orbital Workshop was pretty neat to walk around inside:

As a camera nerd I had to geek out about the camera equipment they use on space missions:

As a self-respecting resident of the Dayton, Ohio area, I had to see this exhibit:

The actual Wright B Flyer – any you see elsewhere are replicas, and I’ve seen many – it was quite a thrill to see the real McCoy:

Here’s a nice photo of exterior of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum:

After my enjoyable museum visit, I headed down toward the Capital:

Apparently the Capitol Reflecting Pool was drained for Fall maintenance.

They’re always watching:

Dinner that evening was at perhaps the most famous restaurant in Washington, D.C. – Old Ebbitt Grill:

After which I trekked back to the Capital area for some night shots:

The Supreme Court building:

Thus far it had been a great trip.  But my final day in DC before heading back to the airport I had a Capitol tour scheduled with Congressman Mike Turner’s office (R-OH).  I had also scheduled a White House tour, but it got canceled – something that I was told has been happening a lot lately due to the construction on the new ballroom.

Tours of the Capital can be scheduled on the US Capitol website or through your local Congressional office – I opted for the latter.  Here’s the Visitor Center:

This is the Statue of Freedom the Capitol Visitor Center’s Emancipation Hall.  t’s the original full-size plaster model used to cast the bronze statue that sits atop the Capitol Dome.

Once I arrived inside Emancipation Hall, I called Congressman Mike Turner’s office and they sent over the college intern that would be taking me on my tour:

The advantage of scheduling your tour through the Capitol website is that it will be a tour guided by the “red jackets” (some of which you can see in the above photos) who are trained tour guides and will provide you lots of information.  The advantage of scheduling it through your Congressman is that it will be a much smaller tour throughout the Capitol – a much more catered experience for a small group, or in my case a party of one.  Our first stop was to the old Supreme Court Chambers:

Entering the chamber really made the memories come flooding back of the tour I got when I was 19 years old.  It’s remarkably unchanged:

From there we went to the Crypt of the United States Capitol, directly beneath the Rotunda:

Throughout the capital, you will find statues of famous Americans .  Each state is allowed two statues of historical figures of significance from their state.  Billy Graham:

The Lincoln Catafalque and Washington’s Tomb.  The gated entrance to the chamber beneath the Capitol Crypt originally intended as the burial place of George Washington. Although Washington was ultimately buried at Mount Vernon, the chamber later served as a storage location for the historic Lincoln Catafalque.

Constructed in 1865 for President Abraham Lincoln’s lying in state, the black-draped wooden platform has supported the caskets of many of America’s most distinguished political figures during ceremonies in the Capitol Rotunda.  Recent dignitaries honored using the Lincoln Catafalque include Ronald Regan, John McCain, George Bush, and Jimmy Carter.

From here we ascended the steps which lead to the famous Capitol Rotunda:

Entering the Rotunda is a breathtaking experience:

Looking upward from the United States Capitol Rotunda reveals one of the building’s most impressive architectural and artistic features. Rising approximately 180 feet above the Rotunda floor, the interior of the Capitol Dome features an elaborate pattern of decorative coffers surrounding an enormous fresco titled The Apotheosis of Washington.  Painted in 1865 by Italian-American artist Constantino Brumidi, the fresco measures approximately 65 feet in diameter and depicts George Washington ascending into the heavens, surrounded by figures representing Liberty and Victory/Fame.

Looking upward from the Capitol Rotunda reveals one of the building’s most impressive architectural and artistic features.  Rising approximately 180 feet above the Rotunda floor, the interior of the Capitol Dome features an elaborate pattern of decorative coffers surrounding an enormous fresco titled The Apotheosis of Washington.  Painted in 1865 by Italian-American artist Constantino Brumidi, the fresco measures approximately 65 feet in diameter and depicts George Washington ascending into the heavens, surrounded by allegorical figures representing Liberty and Victory/Fame.

The Rotunda:

One of the remarkable things about visiting the Rotunda.  You’re standing in front of monumental paintings that have been displayed there for nearly two centuries.  Here are my five favorite of the large Revolutionary War paintings in the Capitol Rotunda – the original works by John Trumbull.

Declaration of Independence:

Surrender of General Burgoyne:

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis:

General George Washington Resigning His Commission:

Baptism of Pocahontas (taken at an angle to reduce glare):

My favorite President – Ronald Reagan:

George Washington:

One of Ohio’s two statues – James Garfield, 20th President of the United States:

I watched President Trump’s inauguration held in this room not even two years ago in 2025.

This is the Old Senate Chamber in the U.S. Capitol, which was used from 1810 to 1859 when the Senate moved into its present chamber in the Capitol’s north wing.  The Supreme Court subsequently used the chamber from 1860 until 1935, before moving into its own building.

This is the entrance to the Speaker of the House’s office suite in the U.S. Capitol:

This is National Statuary Hall which served as the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1807 to 1857, before the House moved into its current chamber.  Abraham Lincoln served in this very room as a member of the House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849:

Here we see Ohio’s second statue – of Thomas Edison.  It’s worth noting that Edison was born in Ohio but only live there for his first seven years of life.  One of the Wright brothers would have been a more fitting choice in my honest opinion:

I was then taken to a part of the Capitol that’s normally off limits to visitors – the Speaker’s Balcony, on the west side of the U.S. Capitol:

It was not the only part of the tour I was taken on that’s normally off limits to the public.  I persuaded the intern to take me to Congressman Mike Turner’s office.  Here’s the Capitol service corridor  that connects to the various congressional office halls.

The left hand side of the wall is lined with winners of the Congressional Art Competition.  The exhibition, titled An Artistic Discovery, showcases artwork created by high school students from congressional districts across the country. Members of Congress sponsor the competition in their districts, and winning artwork is displayed at the Capitol.  In this photo you can see the entries from Ohio – the left center piece with the large white border was personally chosen by Congressman Turner.

Soon we reached Rayburn Hall – home to Mike Turner’s office:

There’s a subway that goes directly to the Capitol so the old guys can get to the House Floor in time to vote:

Office space in the U.S. House is allocated largely according to seniority, and desirable offices can become something of a status symbol.  Members generally have an opportunity to choose from available offices according to their seniority, with longer-serving representatives receiving earlier selections. When members retire, lose reelection, or move into leadership offices, their former spaces can become available.   Mike Turner has served since January 2003, giving him nearly 24 years of House seniority. His office at 2183 Rayburn is in a building that has historically been especially desirable.  In fact, Roll Call reported in 2022 that Rayburn was the most sought-after House office building, partly because it’s the only one connected directly to the Capitol by subway.  Here’s the reception area inside the office:

I was taken inside the Congressman’s personal office but was not allowed to take photos in that space.  But I was allowed to photograph the terrace directly off his office – incredible view!

Mike Turner has served in Congress since 2003 – so he has one of the nicer offices.  I received a very nice letter from Congressman Turner’s office a couple of weeks after my visit:

Sadly, Mike Turner lost re-election less than one month have these photos were taken to Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker.  As I type this on Wednesday, Nov. 4th – one day after the election, I am broken hearted for both Mike Turner and Ohio.  Thank you for your service Congressman Turner.

I literally walked the halls of Congress to Cannon Hall:

Note how beautiful, almost austere the congressional hallway is: marble floors, classical architectural details, flags.  Then you get to the spectacle which is a certain New York Congresswoman’s office…

After my extended private tour it was time for me to visit the galleries of both the House and the Senate.  I was provided passes to each by Congressman Turner and Senator John Husted:

Being inside the House Gallery in particular is quite a thrill.  You can imagine the room filled with politicians and distinguished guests while the President delivers a State of the Union address.

After spending time in both the House and Senate Galleries, I left the Capitol, packed up and headed back to DCA for my flight back to Dayton.  It was a fantastic trip.  Someday I do want to get back to D.C. in the Spring to photograph the cherry blossoms in bloom.