Blog

Name: Off The Record Tours
Address: Washington, D.C.
Telephone: 202-255-5685

July 11, 2023

THE FORMER BLACK LIVES MATTER PLAZA

One of the first things people ask me when they talk about visiting Washington is whether they can visit Black Lives Matter Plaza. The answer is alway...

July 11, 2023

Motorcade Spotting

One of my favorite things to do in Washington is trying to guess who’s in a passing motorcade. The president’s motorcade is easy to spot: Two identica...

July 11, 2023

Hammers and Helicopters: Getting Ready for Inauguration

In Washington, we know how to do big events. Between marches and international meetings, we have lots of practice. But nothing beats an inauguration....

July 11, 2023

Big Blue Hahn/Cock

Here’s something you don’t see every day: A fifteen foot blue rooster. After spending eighteen months crowing over London’s Trafalgar Square, Katharin...

July 11, 2023

Memorial on the Edge of Town

You’ve probably driven by this memorial dozens of times and not noticed it. Between Memorial Bridge and National Airport (on your right heading south...

July 11, 2023

The Capitol’s Christmas Tree

Since 1970 the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service has provided the Architect of the Capitol with Christmas trees. The source of the trees rot...

July 11, 2023

EXPLAINING BASEBALL TO SOMEONE FROM OVERSEAS

Many of my guests come from overseas and one of the things I love to do with them is to go to a Nationals game. But have you ever tried to explain bas...

July 11, 2023

Decoding the Flags on the Inaugural Stage

The only references in the constitution to installing a new president address the oath he or she must take and the date and time of the transfer of po...

July 11, 2023

Visiting the Speaker’s Office

The images from the US Capitol following the recent terrorist attack are shocking. So, to try to return to some resemblance on normalcy, I thought I’d...