Cannon House Office Building — Local services in Washington

A called-in favor by my niece-in-law brought the spouse and me here to meet at Congressman Yarmuth's (KY) office for a private tour of the US Capitol with an intern.

BRIEF HISTORY: The five-floor building opened in 1908 and is the oldest congressional office building. It's named after former speaker of the House, Joseph Gurney Cannon (1836-1926).

EXPERIENCE: After going through security, we ended up in the building's marble everywhere-rotunda. I gawked as I looked up towards the ceiling, trying to snap an Instagram-worthy pic and sharing it on Yelp, but I couldn't find the right angle. And, was I even allowed to take photos? I didn't see any signs but my conscience got the better of me so I put my phone away. We found the office and had a seat as no one was behind the reception desk sans for two gentlemen working on computers nearby. After a few moments, one of the interns acknowledged us and we said we're here for a tour of the Capitol. Turns out he was the lucky guy to escort us. It was a very unique experience being in a building filled with law-making people of power and their future replacement hopefuls. Did I feel out of place? Yes. Was I made to feel that way? Absolutely not.

What happened next was probably the coolest part of the visit, as we got to walk through the tunnel that connects the Cannon Office Building with the US Capitol! It really felt like we shouldn't be in the area but it was totally fine, kind of like walking the back halls of a hotel or restricted area. The tunnel was a busy beehive of activity, with people in suits trekking to and fro. I guess we could've dressed up more, but it was freaking hot outside, so no thank you! T-shirts and shorts all the way, LOL. There were about 3 security check points in the tunnel. Just before arriving at the Capitol, the walls were lined with artwork done by local students, though we didn't stop to observe.

We finally arrived on the second floor of the Capitol right next to one of the gift shops for the start of our tour. I have a separate review for the Capitol on their Yelp page if you care to read.

OVERALL: Probably one of the few buildings people venture into which was very cool...

Politics aside, this is a very cool historical building. My father has worked in this building since before I was born and I've visited it countless times. If you ever get the chance to just walk around the inside you'll quickly see the impressive architecture of this building and the history surrounding it. Some people don't know this but you can get to the other house office buildings and the Capitol through underground walkways and an...

It's about half a mile away from the Capitol steps. I honestly thought all the Reps offices were in the main building. But it seems some are in this building, which is half a mile from the Capitol...