In 2014, during the #SOTUSocial, I took a tour of the White House residence-you know the China room, Blue Room, Green Room, Red Room, East Room, State Dining Room, etc. I also, by chance, saw Bo and Sunny while talking to a Secret Service Agent about the rooms on the first floor. You can read about my experience in this blog post.
Wednesday night, I was lucky enough to have a gracious, intelligent host who works in the White House Office of Digital Strategy take me the most inspiring tour of the West Wing–the heart of the White House.
The White House does not allow pictures within the West Wing and even within the Residence. I will try to describe my experience as best as I can because words escape me while trying to describe the emotions I felt.
When I first walked into the West Wing, the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was heading out. Of course I said, hello.
When you first walk into the West Wing, the first doors you see are to the Situation Room. Yes, I thought the highly secure Situation Room was in the basement–in a dungeon. No, it’s RIGHT there when you walk into the main entrance to the West Wing. The tour then took me past Pete Souza’s Photo office and then to the Navy Mess where West Wing staffers can grab lunch. I heard it’s not uncommon to see President Obama or Vice President Biden enjoying lunch in the Navy Mess.
A shout out to Pete Souza and the photography staff. The walls are covered in photographs–both of pictures released to the public and some that have not. The pictures are brilliant and tell stories. Each. And. Every. One. The pictures are changed out every Thursday.
I also was in awe of the art work, especially a series of Norman Rockwall paintings never seen by the public called So You Want to See the President.
Then I was taken upstairs and outside where I saw the famous 45 second commute–the West Wing Collande. You have all seen the President walk from the Oval Office, along side the Rose Garden, to the main residence.
After envisioning the President and former Presidents (yes, you can feel the influence of all the Presidents in this space) walking to and from the Oval Office, I was taken to the Cabinet Room. The Cabinet Room is regal. My favorite was the bust of Ben Franklin. All the chairs are in order of when that department was established. The oldest departments, such as the State Department, means, the Secretary of State sits closest to the President. Of course, the President’s back of his chair is a bit higher than the rest of the cabinet member’s chairs. And, in front of his seat is a plaque that documents his spot and also serves as a pen holder. Very functional. Here’s a fact that I didn’t know and found very interesting: President Nixon bought the long table used in the Cabinet Room for only $4,000. That same table is used today.
Past the Cabinet Room is the Oval Office and the Roosevelt Room. I first took in the Roosevelt Room, which is directly across the hall from the Oval Office. In fact, the last president to use the Roosevelt Room as the presidential office was President Roosevelt. The Oval Office that we know of now was added in 1941. I saw President Roosevelt’s Nobel Prize hanging on the wall. Both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt were highlighted in the room. My favorite picture of Theodore Roosevelt was hanging above the fire place-him on the back of a bucking horse. That night, I had no idea that the Oval Office was on the tour. I thought I would see a few offices and that would be it. But, no. I saw THE West Wing. A few steps away behind me, I saw the Oval Office. Here I had to take a moment and soak in the fact that I’ve seen the Oval Office. THE Oval Office. Not a replica, but the real, working office of the President of the United States. Let’s take a moment…
I have no words to describe the emotions I had when I saw the inside of the Oval Office. You can see President Obama’s personal touches to the office. There are a few things that each president can personalize. The Oval Office looks very comfortable. Fresh flowers, elegant wallpaper, regal curtains and superb art work. I noticed behind the Resolute Desk, personal pictures, one was a black and white photo of the President and First Lady. You could tell the table behind his desk was filled with snapshots that meant something to the man, not the President, but the man–as I hope every President uses that space to do so.
I was also shown this picture below while looking at the famous Resolute desk. The picture is of President Obama who successfully figures out how to remove the front panel of the Resolute Desk where the famous picture of when John F. Kennedy, Jr. hid while his father, President Kennedy, worked.
I can’t put into words what it felt like to take a moment and soak in every aspect and detail of the Oval Office. Most popular media get the room wrong–Sorry House of Cards. The Oval Office is not as big as you would expect, and the office is more cozy than you would expect. No matter what your political beliefs may be–the Oval Office is a powerful room that is the keeper of our nations most important decisions and the keeper of our nation’s worries. I felt as if you could feel the past Presidents within that space… the feelings are overwhelming. You felt the energy.
It was truly an amazing experience that I’m forever grateful to have had a chance to experience. And, I hope to experience again.
After the Oval Office, the West Wing Lobby is next. This is where people who see the President wait–just like any other office would have. I stood beside one of the oldest pieces of furnitures in the White House. The cabinet held books containing presidential papers from past administrations. The longer the administration, the more books.
Next, we headed to The Press Room. The Press Room was built over the original swimming pool. Hence the name, Press Pool. In 2000, the White House renamed the Press Room to honor James S. Brady, President Reagan’s Press Secretary who was shot during an assignation attempt.
Each news affiliation has an assigned seat. The press room, again, is much smaller than what I expected. I could only imagine all the reporters squeezed into this tight space.
I cannot thank my host enough for this opportunity. This is the first time any administration has opened up the West Wing. I cannot tell you how much fun it is to roam around the White House grounds after hours. With social media and the blasting of public opinion–it is important to step back and feel grateful to live in a country that allows its citizens to see where the political process takes place. I’m grateful and blessed to have had these opportunities to understand our political system and to feed my passion for all things Presidential.
- This is how my passion for the Presidential office and engaging the digital citizen started– with my dissertation.
- Read more about the West Wing. Some of the rooms and decorations were much different than what I saw on Wednesday.
