I live in DC. This morning, the U.S. federal government shut down. My military friends went to work as usual. My federal employee friends went in to work to sign furlough paperwork. Battered by sequestration furloughs all summer long, they took yet another hit to their salary. Some of them are deemed essential personnel, meaning they are now working for free. Some are being turned loose on the streets. This sucks.
But hey - where there are lemons, make lemonade. (Or limoncello, if you’re attending one of the many government shutdown day-drinking parties my Facebook feed is telling me about.) And in that spirit, let’s recap the free or nearly-free things to do in the DC region this week. No longer tied to the office during daylight hours, but definitely on a budget, the furloughed can finally explore the city!
FREE
Visit Congress
The Capitol is affected by the shutdown like everything else – there are no official tours and the visitor center is closed. However, the House and Senate Galleries are open. Call ahead to your senator or representative, arrange to pick up a gallery pass (you’ll likely get a pass to each gallery), and enter the galleries via the Capitol Visitor Center. Prepare for long lines, be ready to leave your bags outside the gallery, and expect to be encouraged to leave after about 15 minutes. Sitting in the Gallery is rarely participatory, but you’ve already made your views known when you picked up the passes, right?
UPDATE: Given the shooting at the Capitol and the reduction in a lot of staffs, you MAY not be able to get passes to the galleries. Call ahead.
But hey - where there are lemons, make lemonade. (Or limoncello, if you’re attending one of the many government shutdown day-drinking parties my Facebook feed is telling me about.) And in that spirit, let’s recap the free or nearly-free things to do in the DC region this week. No longer tied to the office during daylight hours, but definitely on a budget, the furloughed can finally explore the city!
FREE
Visit Congress
The Capitol is affected by the shutdown like everything else – there are no official tours and the visitor center is closed. However, the House and Senate Galleries are open. Call ahead to your senator or representative, arrange to pick up a gallery pass (you’ll likely get a pass to each gallery), and enter the galleries via the Capitol Visitor Center. Prepare for long lines, be ready to leave your bags outside the gallery, and expect to be encouraged to leave after about 15 minutes. Sitting in the Gallery is rarely participatory, but you’ve already made your views known when you picked up the passes, right?
UPDATE: Given the shooting at the Capitol and the reduction in a lot of staffs, you MAY not be able to get passes to the galleries. Call ahead.
