Washington, D.C., Underground Tunnels and Congressman Polis

Following our screening at George Mason University, we drove into our Nation’s Capitol, where we had scheduled a dinner with Rae’s college friend Alisa and my high school friend and newly-elected Congressman, Jared Polis. Traffic in the area wasn’t as bad as I had feared, though the wet weather made for some extra careful driving. In total for the day, we drove less than 100 miles; that’s less than a typical trip to San Francisco and back for us in the Bay Area! Still, I think I’d prefer to take public transportation as much as possible; the city and outlying suburbs reminded me a lot of Paris, France.

Parking near the restaurant spot, we took the metro to South Capitol, where Jared’s office is located. My what a difference a year makes! A few days shy of exactly one year ago, I was documenting the final week of Jared Polis’ campaign. We had just finished our first cut of Autumn Gem when Rae and I decided to fly to Colorado for the election week. Now, a year later, we’re on tour with the film, and Jared is finishing up his first year as a freshman congressman. We got a tour of the underground passageways from Danielle. I actually never knew that there were underground tunnels under our Nation’s Capitol, but it makes perfect sense. I only wish that I could have seen the special subways for the politicians! Perhaps next time!

For dinner, we met up at Saigon Bistro in Dupont Circle. Everyone had busy schedules well into the evening: Alisa with her dance practice, Jared with more meetings, and us with our car ride into Baltimore. Still, what little time we were able to share was well worth it. Touring, while tiring, is great because you really are in a different place every night. Friends and family have scattered over the years to many of these places, so this tour gives us the great opportunity to see everyone on a single trip. Try that with a typical vacation to one location!

And now, photos from our little jaunt to our Nation’s Capitol!

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*Outside Jared’s new office building in our Nation’s Capitol. *Outside the office of Congressman Jared Polis. *Jared is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the State of Colorado. *Pss… don’t tell Jared I sat in his chair. *Jared Polis’ office in Washington D.C. *Walking through the underground passageways beneath Washington D.C. *Danielle gives us the tour through the underground passageways in D.C. *Lying in State. *Fallout Shelter sign beneath the Capitol building. *Jared, always in contact, always in motion. *This gate reminds me of the Gates of Hell sculpture at Stanford University. *Checking things out with Danielle. *Bust o George Washington. *Where’s Nancy, asks Rae. *Beautiful rotunda view in our Nation’s Capitol. *In the Capitol Rotunda, there’s a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. *Bookings for Jared Polis. *Jared speaks with his staff members. *Alisa and Jared at Saigon Bistro in Washington D.C. *Despite our busy schedules, we were able to have dinner with our friends Alisa and Jared at Saigon Bistro in D.C.