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White House Freak Out

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There aren’t that many places that I can’t go, should I choose to spend the time and money. I think that’s what makes getting an invitation to the White House so amazing.

In my last post I talked about Let’s Move, the First Lady’s amazing campaign to get kids moving and eating better. This post is about the White House itself.

Pretty much all I thought about, from the time I left NYC to the moment when I was actually let onto the White House grounds ,was that I couldn’t lose my ID. I couldn’t get mugged, I couldn’t accidentally leave my wallet somewhere. Without ID I wouldn’t be let in. But I made it to the gate with my license!

The gate we entered was on Alexander Hamilton Place. Given my obsession with Hamilton, and the fact that the entire cast had been to the White House the day before, I thought this was a good omen. Alexander Hamilton Place, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's Move I’m not sure where the White House tours usually go. I think we were in the same area, the East Wing, but we were allowed to wander around in rooms that are usually roped off for tours. I think. All I know is that I was standing in rooms that I’ve seen pictures of and seen recreated in movies and on TV shows. It was thrilling! First I checked my coat into what is sometimes used as a screening room, and sometimes used as a coat check room. I guess those four chairs up front, with the foot stools and blankets and pillows, are where the First Family usually sits!! Nice. The Screening Room slash Coat Check Room, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's Move

The rooms were all ornate, with lots of giant paintings and tchotchkes.  

A room in the East Wing, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's Move  China in the East Wing, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's Move

How freaked out was I just to be there? I was in the Vermeil Room, and forgot to take a picture of the Vermeil. Why is this important? If you don’t know, you’re probably not a West Wing freak. (“It’s our history. Better or worse, it’s our history. We’re not going to lock it in the basement or brush it with a new coat of paint. It’s our history.”) My favorite spot was, actually, in the Vermeil room, this couch and a rather goth painting of Jacqueline Kennedy.

Jacqueline Kennedy's Portrait in the Vermeil Room, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's Move

And it turns out, the Schuyler Sisters had been right there less than 24 hours before I was! (You can see the vermeil behind Lin-Manuel Miranda as he’s doing the intro.)


  At some point, I had to pee.

And what’s a trip to a White House bathroom without a selfie?

  I’d heard somewhere that pretty much the only thing you can take (legally) from the White House that has the seal of the president on it is a paper hand towel from the bathroom. In fact, apparently they put out a ton of them because they know that people are going to take them. If I’d known that, I probably would have taken more than one! I’d post a picture of it, but A) I’m not home and B) I’m waiting to get a frame.

Eventually we made our way upstairs to the Grand Foyer. (Was this the “main foyer” that Leo mentions on West Wing, where Andrew Jackson put his big block of cheese? I don’t know for sure, so I’m going to say yes.)

A member of the Marine Corps Band was playing a very ornate piano below a painting of Bill Clinton. This was all getting difficult to absorb. It was too much (in a good way).

An ornate piano being played by a Marine Corps musician, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's Move

There were drinks and snacks set out for us and we mingled.

The Grand Foyer, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's MoveAfter the panels and the First Lady’s speech were over, we went outside to see the Kitchen Garden. But first, we passed by the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden.

The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's Move

That’s just me, in front of the White House. NBD.

Amy on the South Lawn, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's MoveI’m usually on the other side of that gate there off in the distance.

The South Lawn, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's MoveIt was still early in the year, but there was a lot growing in the Kitchen Garden.

The Kitchen Garden 2, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's MoveThe Kitchen Garden 3, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's MoveThis is where the White House bees live. The White House chef had used some of their honey in a demonstration for us.

The White House Bees, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's MoveAt first I thought there was something wrong with the water in that fountain. I mean, ew. But it turns out they’d dyed it green for St. Patrick’s Day!

The South Fountain and Washington Monument, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's MoveAnd that was that. It was time to go. I didn’t want to, but I had a train to catch.

After a long day I had to remember to get a picture of Alexander Hamilton’s statue in front of the Treasury building, which is right next to the White House.

Alexander Hamilton Statue at the National Treasury, Selfish Mom Visits the White House for Let's Move

And that was it! I said goodbye to my friends and grabbed a cab back to my hotel to pick up my suitcase, then to Union Station.

It was a pretty amazing day.

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I got to visit the White House recently, and I freaked out a little.

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