Washington DC Tours

A step on guide is a person who gets on a bus to give a tour to people he or she do not know. I am a step on guide. As a step on guide you never know what kind of group you will get. Some groups are great. The great groups usually are people that ask questions , are not talking while I am giving the tour, keep their cell phones vibrate and the bus driver has a good knowledge of where the sights are.The middle of the road group trends to take their time getting off the bus, getting back on the bus late, people not staying with group and the driver do not have a clue how to get anywhere. The worst group is no one seems to be in charge, no discipline with students, adults on school trips talking to their husbands back home or talking to their office about work that they haven't done yet.

Here are some do and don't about group touring.

• Make sure everyone is physically able to take a tour
• Plan your trip (be very detailed)
• Pick the bus company carefully. (if the bus breaks down will they have one to replace it soon. How well does the bus driver know the city you are traveling to . Have the bus driver check the microphone to see if it is working
• Have people make all phone calls before the tour starts.
• Hire a professional tour guide
• Reseach the places you will be visiting.

The don'ts

• Wait in line for tickets for the Washington Monument (get them online)
• If you have a group of students do not go to the National Archives at 10am (wait later )
• Wait line for a tour of the Capital (try to get your Senator or Congressman to get you a tour)
• If you do not like crowds do not come to DC in the spring

Washington is a great place to visit with a group.

Check out my Slide Show!

Visting the Capital building

Over two million people a year tour the United States Capital building. The tour is done by Capitol Guide Service or by a Senate or Congressionial intern. If you have a private tour the tour is done by an intern.Before you leave home check the Capital website for prohibited items. http://www.aoc.gov/ You will meet the intern at the Congressman office or Senators office. You should be in the office a little before your schedule time. It is always better to be early than late.If you bring any of the prohibited items you will have to leave them in the office.You will leave the office and go directly to the Capital. If you are leaving from the Senate side of Capital hill you probably ride over on the little subway system. If you are on the House you will walk through a maze of coridoors and buildings.
Depending on what time of year you come the tour can take from 30 minutes to two hours. The reason for the difference in time is the volume of people in the Capital and security. In the spring there are thousands of school kids from all over world here. The security at the Capital is very tight . You must remain with your guide at all times. If you leave your guide a Capital hill police might find you and escort you out of the capital. The tour starts in the Rotunda. It is very hard to hear in the Rotunda because sound bounces off walls. The next stop will be Statuary Hall. The final stop will be cyrpt where George and Marta Washington were almost buried .
If you are in the public line for tickets , be in line at 7:45 am in the morning. Each person taking the tour must have their own tickets. In the spring time many bus loads of people try to get tickets early. The public tours are every 10 minutes. The ticket you recieve has a time on it. you should be in line 10 minutes before the time on the ticket. From the time you get line to the time the tour ends is about 2 hours.

Lincoln Memorial

As I was giving a group of young students from New York city a tour of the Lincoln Memorial I realized they had very little interest in what they were seeing or what history had taken place there. One of the most important speeches in American history was made on the steps of a memorial to a man who keep the union together. The step on which the speech was given is engraed in the mable steps. As the group stood over the engraving it seem to me most of the students had little excitement at what they were looking at.
We walked up a few more stairs weaving between the 36 colums each 44 feet high. As the group walked into the chamber they saw the 19 foot statue of our 16th president. Lincoln statue has the american flag drapped over the the left side of the chair Lincoln is sitting in.

As the group faced the southern wall of the chamber the students had an opportunity to read one of the greatest 100 speeches in American history, the Gettysburgh Address. Above the speech the group noticed the Mural of Truth. The Mural of Truth on the southern wall depicts the freeing of the slaves by President Lincoln. On the northern wall written in stone Lincoln's second inaraugal address plus the Mural of Angels of truth. The second inaraugal address has been high rated as one of the best speeches in American history

Visiting Washington DC

Visiting Washington DC can be a great expierence . The White House, Capital, National Cathedral, Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Bureau of engraving and Printing are some of the topics I will be writing about in the next few weeks. I will explain how to get a tour of the White House or the Capital. I cover subjects like when to visit Washington DC, how you can lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, what are the best places to listen jazz. Have you ever been to Washington DC and been totally lost. I will explain the best places to park without getting a ticket. I look forward to hearing from you