Our second stop is the Supreme Court, where we can take pictures. My niece has been inside one of the courtrooms as part of her law school rotation through DC, so she is adept at taking us through the building. First of all, this building is one of my all-time favorites. When people see the other amazing structures and ask, "Is THAT the Supreme Court?" I respond with a wry smile and shake my head. Wait for it, I assure them, just wait for it.The outside of the Supreme Court is magnificent, and the inside is just a grand. The halls are wide, the ceilings are high and covered in designs, and the pillars and artifacts are awe-inspiring. There is a long, straight staircase that leads to the courtrooms, complete with a Caesar-like bust of John Jay that monitors the corridor. At the bottom of the staircase is an elevator with decorated gold doors. It is so much like a Greek temple that stepping inside is like stepping into another world, another time.
The most impressive thing, though, is the engineering marvel known as the Spiral Staircase. There are photos of it being built (upside down, then disassembled, then reassembled as it was put into place), and I feel like I'm ready to see it. I mean, it's a giant spiral staircase. I've seen one before years ago in a DC office building when on a Girl Scout tour with some local Congressional muck-a-mucks. So what, right?
So wrong.
The view of the Spiral Staircase can only be seen from a small landing the size of a doorway. My niece, who directs me to it, knows exactly what's coming. I, apparently, do not. I tuck myself into the alcove, look up, and ... exclaim ... "Hoooooooooly shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" The Spiral Staircase is not only impressive, it's inspiring; it's magnificent; it's ridiculous because it's that cool.
I have to turn my phone's camera screen around, lean a little over the railing, and extend my arm. If I drop my phone, I'm never, ever getting it back. I snap a few pictures, step away, and wait for my sister to take her turn. Her reaction is a nearly perfect instant replay of my reaction. It would almost be funny if it weren't so damn amazing.Okay, seeing the Magna Carta was also flipping amazing, but I cannot get a photo of it, so I'll settle for posting the Spiral Staircase because that's almost as fascinating as things like the copper plate copy of the original Declaration. No accidental lost-tourist stuff today, but without my niece as a personal guide, I would've missed the courtroom staircase (hidden down the end of a hall) and the Spiral Staircase (hidden in an alcove).
