E Pluribus Unum

The overwhelming theme for the day was this: out of many, one. E Pluribus Unum. It is our nation’s motto and as my mom and I explore the United States’ Capitol, I think it is a perfect saying. It is so inspiring seeing so many people venture here to study our nation’s history; every age, ethnicity, and accent (from Wisconsin to Texas) is present. You really feel  like you’re a part of something here; so many have come before and hopefully many will come after.

Unfortunately Washington D.C. is not as visitor friendly as I hoped, though. I guess my high school classes left me with the impression that I could just sit in on a Supreme Court case and watch my Senators debate a bill in Congress. This is sadly not the case. If you want to see anything up close, you usually have to show up three hours in advance or pre-order tickets months before hand. While we did get to see the Supreme Court, we weren’t able to actually see a case. Which is a bummer considering how I gave a pretty good rendition of Justice Thomas in my twelfth grade class!

We then went on to the Capitol building where thankfully, we did have tickets to see the Senate and House of Representatives Chambers. The bad news? They were on break. So close, yet so far. That’s alright though, we still had a great time seeing the Rotunda and the beautiful sculptures. The best part though was seeing one of my best friends and sorority sisters, Nivedita. It was so ironic that we were both at the Capitol building on the same day; of course we had to get a picture! It was so meant to be.

Right on the way was the Library of Congress. What an impressive building dedicated in Jefferson’s name. Two of my favorite sights were Jefferson’s library with over 6,000 of his books and the Guttenberg Bible. It is incredible that they can preserve such dated documents from the 1400s; not to mention the immaculate penmanship of the authors of that time!

We also ventured to the Botanical Gardens which was absolutely stunning. The gardenias smelled heavenly and the Hawaii segment of the garden brought back a little piece of heaven.

Lastly, we spent the evening in Georgetown. What a fun and lively city! Of course we had to stop at the TLC DC Cupcakes show shop, Georgetown Cupcake. I had their famous red velvet cupcake (after waiting 20 minutes). We had a great time exploring the city and we even took a little stroll around Georgetown University.

More adventures to come—my feet need a break from walking and my hands need a break from typing!

Keep shining,

The Sunny Girl, Lauren Cook