State Capitol Take Two

As this was my second visit to the Capitol in just under a month, I can honestly say I was excited to go. My first trip was as a staff member for the World Food Prize. As such, that trip was less about visiting the Capitol and more about making sure a member of the Russian Delegation didn't get lost, or finding the Minister from Mali before the Ceremony began... so on and so forth. Very stressful stuff. That experience was very fun, but I'd much rather have sauntered about the Capitol and take time to enjoy the sites.

This trip was much more about leisure and much less about work. The tour of the Capitol was very informative. It's always interesting to visit some

where you've been as a young child and see the place through your now-adult eyes. Most of the information I learned was new, though I've always remembered the fact about the dome every since my first trip.

It was good to actually be able to see the Capitol. During the World Food Prize, there were so many tables on the first floor it was difficult to get a feel for what the interior of the building looked like. While it was a beautiful setting, it did not look like the type of place where the state government was kept. I thought maybe seeing the Capitol on it's own would change my opinion on the inside of the building. I love the outside, but the inside (with how it was dressed) looked more like a ballroom than a state capitol during my first visit.

I quickly found out that it wasn't just the tables everywhere influencing my opinion. I thought the interior of the Capitol was quite garish. The tour guide mentioned on several occasions that our dear old Capitol is very highly thought of by many people who visit capitols and think about these things, but in my opinion there was just too much excess it seemed. Maybe 19 different types of marble isn't the right way to go if the colors of the marble don't work well together. Maybe we should sell some of that marble and deal with some

of our budget troubles heh...

Overall, however, I'm glad I had the opportunity to take a guided tour. The library was wonderful (if a bit musty smelling) and the old Supreme Court chambers were my favorite part of the trip. While this fits right in with the excesses, the hand carved bench where the justices used to sit was a thing of beauty. It's too bad proceedings don't take place in there anymore. I'd go just to study that bench more.

~Justin H.