It's no secret, but the buildings of the U.S. Capitol Complex and Library of Congress are extensively connected underground, and Capitol Hill staffers (like my fiance) favor using the underground tunnels (which are in many places as wide as streets) over going outside to go from building to building, especially now with the tightened security and increased limitations on streets alongside the buildings. There's everything down there that would constitute a town in most of the U.S. - cafeterias, post offices, credit union branch offices, and while I am starting to drift off topic, what's interesting about the place is how much is going on down there, and how normal it is for the staffers to work and plan and socialize as they hurry down miles-long tunnels underneath SE Washington, often with exposed pipes, wiring, and the like, with the tourists above completely unaware of the activity below. Whenever I'm down there, it's a little stunning to me - some main junctures are as crowded as any street downtown.
I've heard staffers speak of many more levels below, though how much of this is urban legend I don't know, as members of congress we know don't seem to have gone any deeper than we have.
Also, if some of you haven't heard of any of this before, you might be into this: the U.S. Capitol has its own subway system, exclusively for the use of Congress, and which is gained access by the underground walkways. Again, it makes you wonder what else is down there. There are a lot of good maps and photos of the system here:
http://www.clouse.org/capitol1.html |
