Saturday, May 10, 2014
This trip was a mini-vacation and celebration of our 12th wedding anniversary. We went downstairs to the Cafe du Parc where we enjoyed Illy coffee outdoors on the sidewalk. The weather was warm and humid with rain forecasted for the afternoon. It was a treat to sit outside after such a long winter.
Escalators to the Metro Platform
Afterwards, we walked to the nearest Metro station to take the subway to the Library of Congress. I remember reading about the completion of the first line of the Washington Metro in 1976. The system has grown in thirty-eight years and is still expanding with planned completion in 2018. According to Wikipedia, the Washington D. C. Metro is the second busiest rapid transit system in the United States after the New York City Subway System. There are almost 800,000 riders per day.
Waiting for a Train at the Station
The Washington Metro had a complicated fare schedule depending on which stations a rider gets on and off the train, as well as an extra cost of $1.25 for using a paper ticket. Plastic commuter tickets were preferred but the five dollar per person additional purchase fee did not make sense for one day. We rode five stops to the Capitol Building Station and then walked to the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.
United States Capitol Building
I suppose some day we will visit the Capitol Building, but our interests lean towards museums and libraries, not politics or government. The Library of Congress, which consists of three buildings, is the research library for our elected officials on “Capitol Hill”. The library has an excellent website: www.loc.gov for additional information.
The Library of Congress – Jefferson Building
The Beaux-Arts style Jefferson Building which was completed in 1897 is very impressive with a magnificent center staircase leading to the main entrance. The Great Hall leads to the Main Reading Room which is off bounds to tourists. There is supposed to be a tunnel which connects the library to the Capitol Building across the street.
Staircase to the Library of Congress – Jefferson Building
After passing through security gates similar to boarding an airline, we entered the magnificent Great Hall. There were several interesting exhibits being held. We eventually climbed up to a bird’s-eye view of the Main Reading Room from the third floor balcony.
A Corner of the Great Hall
One of my reasons for going to the Library was to gather information for a mystery story that I’m currently writing. I wanted my main character to attend to a reception for a new exhibit at the Jefferson building. I asked at the information desk if this was possible and the woman said that the library held many receptions during the year. She led me to the Great Hall and said that tables could be set up on the balconies for up to two hundred people.
A Balcony and Partial View of the Ceiling
She pointed out the place on the balcony where a small orchestra could be positioned and the area under the stairs where the bars were usually set up. The woman also stated that dancing took place on the mosaic floor of the Great Hall. Then she asked me, “Do you want to see where your character can hide the body?” Oh course I did, so she led me to the large case which holds the Mainz Bible.
The Mainz Bible Case with Tourists
The woman described how someone could open the case and hide a body in the large empty space behind the bible. She also described in detail what was behind two doors on the wall behind the bible case. This information was too delicious and will be a great help to me. Now all I have to do is write that chapter! On the opposite side of the hall from the huge Mainz Bible there was a similar case which held a Gutenberg Bible.
The East Balcony
After exploring, we left the Library and walked to a local place called “We The Pizza” which was just a few blocks away. The pizza was excellent! Then we found the Metro station again. It was raining so we decided to return to the hotel to rest. Unfortunately, we’re not as young as we used to be and we got tired after several hours of walking. We rested for a while and then took the elevator down to the Round Robin Bar for a light supper of crab cake sliders and good tomato soup. It was a good end to a busy day.