If you’re in Arlington, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area, Abigail Robbins, assistant director of legislative affairs, recommends taking advantage of a little known opportunity: a front row ticket to Congress.
Arlington, Virginia, is full of restaurants, theaters and picture-perfect walks, but like a lot of cities in the area, its connection to Washington is unavoidable.
It’s why Abigail Robbins, Northeastern University’s assistant director of legislative affairs, recommends any visitor to the Arlington campus take the time to cross the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and head to the nation’s capital.
But while most locals might recommend going on a monument walk or visiting one of the many famous (and free) museums in the city, Robbins suggests a little-known opportunity: watching Congress in action.
“From your member of Congress or senator’s office you can go and get viewing tickets for being able to see the proceedings on the House floor or the Senate,” Robbins says.
For a region defined by its connection to the workings of federal power, there are few things more evocative of the Washington metro area experience than that.
And Northeastern’s Arlington campus is only five miles from the U.S. Capitol.
The House and Senate galleries are open as long as the two chambers are in session, and the only requirement is to request tickets through the office of your House or Senate representative.
With a valid international ID, even international visitors can gain access through the House and Senate Appointment Desks in the Capitol Visitor Center.
The congressional gallery experience is an activity that even a lot of locals either don’t know about or don’t take advantage of, Robbins adds. However, Robbins says it’s worth a visit for anyone interested in learning how some of the country’s most important decisions are made.
“I’m literally up on the Hill every day, and I forget that I can just go do that,” Robbins says. “I’m watching C-SPAN, and I’m like, ‘No, I can literally just … watch.’ If they’re in session, you can actually go up into the gallery and watch very important decisions occur right in front of you.”