On a recent trip to Washington, DC, I had the opportunity of alifetime: a special tour of the White House. My uncle, a specialassistant to the President, is allowed to give tours that venturepast the "No tours beyond this point" signs.

When I returned to my hotel after a day of seminars, I called myuncle who said he could get me a special tour that night.

Arriving at the White House, I needed to be cleared for entry, whichtook fifteen minutes. When I was finally all set, the guards let myuncle and me in the gates. We began in the West Wing. I got to seethe Roosevelt Room where many of the press conferences and meetingswith the President are held. Across the hall is the Oval Office; youwould be surprised at how small it is. It is filled with paintings ofpast presidents and special furniture. President Clinton has his ownspecial touch, with pictures of Mrs. Clinton and Chelsea and assortedBeanie Babies. Next, we made our way to the Cabinet meeting room. Inthat room, there is a large table with chairs for each cabinetmember. Also, each president is allowed to choose five paintings todisplay. Our current president chose paintings of four pastpresidents (two Democrats and two Republicans) and a depiction of thesigning of the Declaration of Independence.

Making our way to the East Wing, my uncle and I stopped at the RoseGarden. We then walked through the residence area. I saw the PressRoom and the workshop area, where reminders of the fire of theoriginal White House still exist. At this point, the tour wasover.

The next day, I returned to the White House to have lunch in the NavyMess Hall. It sounds casual, but in reality, the "messhall" is quite fancy and proper. My friend accompanied me, andwe both received Presidential M & M's as well as copies of themenu.

For the remainder of my trip, I was known as "the girl who wentto the White House." It was very special to see where thecountry is run from. Each room in the White House has many, manystories. It was also impressive to me that everyone who works at theWhite House (from politicians to janitors to security guards) knowsthem all. This first-hand experience was very informative, and eventhough I didn't get to meet the President, I had a wonderful time.Seeing the White House has given me a new occupation to mull over.






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By Tracy C., Westport, CT

Related Resources

The White House Homepage

White House Tours


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