White House Tour

On January 16, Mari, Frank, and I took a tour of the White House, arranged by Mari’s manager at Congresswoman Hirono’s office. Our tour was a unique experience- we arrived at the White House gates at 7:30 in the morning (we didn’t realize the metro starts running at 7 am on weekends, so had to flag down a taxi to get there on time!) and waited in line outside in the cold to enter. Security was even tighter than usual- ever since the State dinner mishap where an unauthorized couple made it in to the invite-only event, they’ve installed extra checkpoints! Not only did we have to submit our personal information a week in advance to have a background check completed, several security stops along the way checked our IDs and ushered us through what seemed like many metal detectors.

As visitors, we were able to tour the ground and first floor- the second and third levels are reserved for the First family and staff. Even though we were in the White House, it was hard to believe we were actually there- red ropes were all that separated us from historic portraits and furniture, and everything was so quiet it felt like a museum. It also felt a good bit smaller than I had expected!

On the first floor we were guided past a hallway lined with pictures of Presidents, First Ladies, and their families in or around the White House. Our first glimpses of the rooms in the White House were the Library (which periodically has been used as a gentlemen’s cigar lounge), the Vermeil Room with portraits of recent First Ladies, and the China Room.

We were led up a flight of stairs to several rooms on the second floor. In the East Room on the second floor, we saw the original portrait of George Washington that was saved by Dolley Madison when the British burned the White House in 1814. Apparently Mrs. Madison originally commissioned some gentlemen in the house to remove the painting in its original frame, but found it too heavy to take out! Instead, the painting was cut out and rolled up. Our tour guide noted that the frame is unusually thick so that it can cover the edges that have been cut away.

We then proceeded to the Green, Blue, and Red Rooms named for their wall and furniture colors. The last room we entered was the State Dining Room where Presidential dinners and luncheons are sometimes held. On the fireplace mantel in this room is an engraving of a quote from a letter by John to Abigail Adams: “I Pray Heaven to Bestow the Best of Blessings on THIS HOUSE and All that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under this Roof.”

At times it was hard to separate the stories that were historically accurate and those that were Presidential myth, but such is the nature of an entertaining tour. Overall it was a great experience!