Day 83: Tour of the California State Capitol

11 staff from CPCA gathered for a tour of the State Capitol this afternoon for a "field trip" organized by the Fun Team.  I led the planning efforts and was really pleased that we had such a cross-section of folks joining the tour, including our two summer interns.  With a larger group, I had made reservations through the California State Capitol Museum, which provides both public and private tours:

The Capitol is an impressive edifice, surrounded by 40 acres of grounds:

Our tour began in the 1st floor rotunda, which includes a central statue, tiled floor, and classical architecture:

We gained access to the Assembly Gallery, the floor of the Senate (a special for our group, thanks to tour guide Robin Davis), the East Annex (aka blah administrative space), and ended by the big bear statue in front of the Governor's Office.

All of us enjoyed the architecture and decorative elements of the building, and G pointed out this beautiful stained glass version of the State Seal, which is in the hallway outside the Senate Chamber:

The same seal is carved and embedded into the area in front of the west entrance to the Capitol and also appears in numerous other incarnations throughout the building.

Mr. E and I have an affinity for Capitol cities and Capitol buildings, given the amount of time we lived in Madison.  I proposed to Mr. E the first time in the Ohio State Capitol in Columbus and the second time (with the "real" ring) in the Massachusetts State Capitol in Boston, and he proposed to me the first time as we walked through the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.  We got married in the beautiful Senate Parlor of the Wisconsin State Capitol, and we've toured the Texas State Capitol in Austin.

We've taken pictures outside the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre, and the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort. We have also driven by the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe, and we walked by the Hawai'i State Capitol in Honolulu.

In addition, I toured the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln with F during a trip for a production by Le Theatre de la Chandelle Verte when I was still managing the troupe, and I drove by the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau during a 1-hour impromptu taxi tour with Mom and an older couple from our tour group during the Elder Hostel trip "Exploring the Inside Passage."

There's just something about these buildings that appeals to us, and it's always fascinating to learn historical facts and trivia about each State during a tour and to muse about how the differences among the Capitol buildings might be reflective of the differences among the states themselves.