I love living in the DC area — this is one reason why:

[mahatmakanejeeves]

23. Yes, it is. You have to go through the scanner to get into the building, so

don't try to bring in a pocket knife or anything else that could get you in trouble. Since the Supreme Court is also an office building, I assume there's a cafeteria where the workers chow down.

My two favorite interiors in DC are the Great Hall of the LoC and the lobby of the Willard Hotel.

The Great Hall is not the main reading room, which ain't too shabby, but the huge room that greets the public. I was there at Christmas - sorry, the holidays - to see Magna Carta. The Christmas holiday tree was set up, and the room was just beautiful.

I always head over to the Willard Hotel to look it over too. Sheesh, what a swell joint. The lobby is also decked out for the holidays. It's always worth a visit. I let the staff know I'm just there being a tourist, and I ask their indulgence for a few minutes. Last year, they invited me to have some hot cider and cookies. I take pictures, but no one is recognizable in the pictures I take. I respect the visitors' privacy.

Over the weekend, I found a paperback copy of Gore Vidal's Lincoln, and Willard's Hotel shows up a few pages in. 150 years ago tomorrow (March 4), Lincoln had his second inauguration.

I work nearby. One of my coworkers used to enjoy eating in one of the Senate Office Buildings. The cafeteria we went to had quite the selection. It too is open to the public.