White House!

Okay, so I basically live in a town with a population of 12. I kind of misjudged rush hour. Oh goodness, where do all these people come from! Well, the answer is Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Started my trip with 7 people on the train... ended with what looked like a few thousand. Then who all decided to get off at the same station as me. I then had to find luggage storage to store by bag and umbrella and camera etc as these are all forbidden in the big white house. I had 7 minutes spare to get to the precise yet unknown gate etc. Let's just say that South West is not necessary in the same spot your internal compass tells you it would be...

So, I came around the corner at speed huffing and puffing along only to be confronted with a huge line of people, then being waved forwarded by the secret service agent dude person and asked if I have an appointment. I did and he pointed to my name on his list. Hehe, I was one up from the party crashing couple that is in the news so much... My name was on the White House list! Dang it, if I only had a camera! So, off I went.

So there I was , perusing and you know, thinking that maybe red was not a good color for that wall, as you do in other people's houses, when I realised that my shoe is extra squeaky today. Well, what gave it away was that as I was squeaking along you would have a secret service agent's head popping from behind a pillar looking at me with a certain astonished look. So I tried my best to be less squeaky and walked with a funny walk the rest of the time. How much china do you need in one house!

There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.

At various times in history, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace," the "President's House," and the "Executive Mansion." President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.

Presidential Firsts while in office... President James Polk (1845-49) was the first President to have his photograph taken... President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) was not only the first President to ride in an automobile, but also the first President to travel outside the country when he visited Panama... President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45) was the first President to ride in an airplane.

With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000.

The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.

For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane.

It was a bit emotional and overpowering to realise you are standing at the seat of the most powerful man in the world.