I was unaware that this was the third office building in use for the Senate. Started construction…read morein the 1970s and finished in 1982, this building was named for Michigan senator Philip A. Hart. Like the House, the Senate buildings are all connected. With Hart, it is immediately connected to Dirksen. This building was mostly constructed due to the fact that the senate staff exploded when it was agreed upon that each member would be able to hire staff for a committee they were assigned to. The building is beautiful and it feels open. Natural light pours in over the statue in the atrium. With the contemporary style in here, it doesn't feel so institutional. Signage is ample to direct you where you need to go. One thing to check out in here is the designs that could have been the capitol building.

Such an awesome and modern building with a very cool sculpture in the middle. Was making some DC…read morePower Plays aka meetings with Chiefs of Staff and General Counsel of U.S. Senators (mine in Oklahoma) in this ultra cool and modern building, and "Felt the Bern" (visiting Senator Bernie Sanders and asking his staffers what committees he works on - from memory, Health, Education, Labor, Veterans' Affairs, Energy & Natural Resources), visited the offices of the two Senators from my home state of Cali (Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff) and dropped off my card with Senator Thom Tillis, who chairs the Subcommittee on IP. Many young staffers work here so that was very inspiring to see!

The US Institute of Peace is supported by the US government with the goal of promoting and working…read moretoward global peace. Hundreds of dedicated staff members work in a beautiful building near the Lincoln Memorial in Foggy Bottom overlooking the National Mall and northern Virginia. They don't give public tours, but if you go to an event inside or have a friend who works there, you'll see it. It's a great tour where you'll learn about peacekeeping and see their amazing rooftop of the best view of the Lincoln Memorial (you feel like you can reach out and touch it!).

This building takes my breath away every time i walk by. I'm awed by the space and light. At…read morenight sit on cement mushrooms on the front corner in trying to burn the image of the building into my head. My descriptions and pictures really don't do it justice. I need to be in a helicopter to get the right picture. The USIP's building was designed by Canadian Moshe Safdie, who also did the Vancouver Library. The name US Institute of Peace, sounded like a joke from the Daily Show. I was pulled to USIP.org because of how stunning this building is to me. I wanted to find out more but there is nothing on their website about the architect or the story of how this design/building came to be. Once on their website, I found that the USIP was created and funded by Congress to promote international peace through conflict management, conflict analysis, and teaching and training. Actually that's a really short summary. You should see their mission page. http://www.usip.org/about-us Say "World Peace" to me and I think, "what is the most common answer given by beauty queens during their interview portion of the contest." GIven the many years of war we've lived through, the word "peace" sounds unattainable but god bless the people behind USIP for trying. USIP has free online courses open to the public like 1. Introduction to Conflict Analysis 2. Introduction to Negotiation and Conflict Management. Certificates are even given after completion of the course. Their site has lots of fascinating reads. The next time I hear "World Peace" from a Beauty Queen I'm going to ask for their certificate.

Recently visited DC for a conference and had a day of meetings on 'The Hill'. This was my first…read moretrip to Rayburn, and it's a doozy of a building! Wear comfortable shoes with exploring this House Office Building. Shoutout to security - friendly and super efficient!

We visited the Rayburn office before our scheduled Capitol tour during our DC trip. An intern…read moreguided us through the tour and did an excellent job. The office has plenty of restrooms, and we found the second-floor ones to be noticeably cleaner than those on the first floor. We spent some time in the cafeteria and found it to be quite comfortable.

We exited the Metro at NoMa station and encountered the imposing facade and entrance of the ATF…read morebuilding. Gritty neighborhood with bustling streets of both vehicles and pedestrians.

I would love to give this location a 5 due to the outstanding architecture but they no longer allow…read moretours. This building is rich with geometric design couple with plants to offset the sharp angles. Designed by Moshe Safdie this was ahead of its time i t he incorporation of security elements, LEEDS and community insertion. Here is the detail of the building from the website. The building's intriguing shape - combining a commanding gateway and a courtyard memorial - made it an instant landmark in the emerging North of Massachusetts Avenue or NoMA neighborhood. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie, the 422,000 square foot ATF headquarters is one of the most geometrically compelling buildings in the city. It consists of three inter-connected wings in the shape of a reverse L with a crescent nestled inside. The main entrance is located at the intersection of N and 2nd Streets NE, directly across from the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro Station. The entrance has a large rectangular gateway that opens onto a courtyard containing a memorial honoring those who died in service to ATF and its predecessor agencies. Completed in 2008, the highly secure ATF Headquarters facility meets the most stringent blast-resistance requirements and is certified at the silver level of the U.S Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) rating system. There are a few seating areas on the Avenue side that are great for taking in the morning Sun and enjoying how the suns rays play through the geometric angles.

The Blair House is where many foreign leaders stay while visiting the White House. It's basically…read morejust across from the White House and well worth taking a minute or two to check out.

I tried finding this place on two occasions. My first attempt was unsuccessful because I Googled…read more"Blair House" and the address in Google took me to was in a really ghetto neighborhood which was apparently the Blair House DC Shelter, not to be confused with... the Blair House, guest accommodations for The President. Also, the picture on here submitted may be deceiving, this is not a stand alone building it is actually sandwiched between two red bricked edifices. It is disappointing that there are no tours and when I went they were restoring the front of it so it was hard to even see that I was in the right place with all of the construction frame and fencing around it. I was mostly there just to get a picture standing in front by the plaque but wasn't even able to accomplish that. You could tell there was a significant amount of security "interest" on the premises because there were cameras and officers standing closely nearby. Since I couldn't go in, and couldn't get a decent picture I'm rating this place just A-OK, it does, after all, have some serious historical significance.

Right next to the Capitol South Metro, this massive building is one of the House office buildings…read more Anyone can visit after going through security. There's clear signage to find the room number needed and plenty of restrooms, underground tunnels connect it to the U.S. Capitol.

I don't believe there are pulic tours available here but if you happen to be here meeting with your…read moreRepresentative or have other business in the building I recommend taking the time to look around. There are a number of exhibits and artworks to look at and the Beaux Arts style architecture is wonderful. This is the first of the House office buildings, built in 1908, to alleviate overcrowding in the Capitol Building. Prior to this, Representatives worked at their desks in the House chamber.

I didn't even realize that we could enter this building until our hotel concierge mentioned it…read more Considering we were staying directly across the street, visiting was a no-brainer. We went into a dark curtained air-conditioned room with a documentary experience that was interesting and only took a few minutes. We looked at the various computer projections in the lobby, which were constantly changing and showing really cool visuals and data. We didn't stay very long because we had to be on our way, but we could have probably lingered longer to learn more. Last but not least, we took a photo with the iconic NASA letters outside. There was a gift shop in another part of the building, but we didn't go in.

This place was a pleasant surprise. I stayed in the hotel across the sttreet from here and was…read morewondering what this place was all about. I stumbled across there with my kids. I was surprised to find that even though this is NASA's Headquarters, there was a very nice information center which is like a mini-museum. There is a nice photo op out front and interactive exhibits inside. It is nice a big area, but my kids still found it entertaining. The information Center is where data on Earth science from across the US federal government is consolidated. This is where is visitors can see how Earth is changing in nine key areas: sea level change, air quality, biodiversity, wildfires, greenhouse gases, energy, disasters, water resources, and agriculture. You will also find some freebies in there as well, including stickers, posters and books. The Center features a live Earth Dashboard and Space to Earth interactive room (our favorite). There is metered street parking in front of the Center and a gift shop and coffee shop on the opposite side of the building to visit, with t-shirts, magnets, costumes and other souvenirs. This was a nice stop, but keep in mind not a big time filler, But it can and should be used to fill time on your way to or from another larger attraction. I recommend checking this place out if your are in the area.

AVOID THIS BUSINESS!!! I requested this business many times…read moreto remove their url webpage with my personal information on it and they refused to remove it. All other websites when asked removed my personal information!

Beautiful, modern, well-lit bookstore with all sorts of books, maps, posters, national park guide…read morebooks, and every other kind of publication produced by federal government agencies. A quiet respite a block from the Postal Museum and close to the Capitol, it even has a kiddie corner for children to read some of the children's books, and some comfortable chairs for adults, too. Their collection of military history, national park books, and small business books, as well as books on Congress and the federal budget are first-rate (and in some case, can only be found at the US Government Bookstore retail store or online at http://bookstore.gpo.gov). They occasionally hold book signings and book launches there with lots of press, (Watch for press releases from GPO at http://www.gpo.gov/newsroom-media/ or call them for special event schedules.) I particularly liked the Presidential Commission reports like Deep Water (BP Gulf Oil disaster) http://bookstore.gpo.gov/actions/GetPublication.do?stocknumber=040-000-00784-9 and the 9/11 Commission http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/911anniversary.jsp. Some teachers and businesspeople were browsing when I was there, while one mother was picking up the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans http://bookstore.gpo.gov/actions/GetPublication.do?stocknumber=001-000-04747-7 where they replaced the old food pyramid with an easier-to-understand dinner plate. I'd recommend stopping first at the FREE GPO 150th Anniversary Exhibit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFTu8a-PLao&feature=player_embedded) going on next door in the main Government Printing Office building. They have the original printer's proof of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation on display that the first GPO printers used to print the speech and other cool historical artifacts of government printing. Note: Both the exhibit and the bookstore are only 2 blocks from Union Station (out the 1st Street exit) so they're convenient for DC workers or tourists before or after a lunch stop. As you leave the exhibit, make sure you pick up the peach and turquoise Bookstore brochure/card with a 25% OFF COUPON at the exit before heading over to the bookstore to shop. Who said the government doesn't give a good deal? ;-)