While in DC, I toured parts of the ground and second floors of the White House. There were no interior photos allowed, sadly. Security was tight, in that half-assed, post-9/11 American way that manages a hassle factor of 10 and a security factor of 2. I was scanned and sniffed, and then I was funneled back outside, where I walked within easy reach of the people who had yet to be scanned and sniffed.
Like most everything else on my trip, the White House interior is a recreation. The original structure was weakened by the British setting fire to it, and those charred joists had endured all manner of abuse since, including notching for innovations like plumbing and electricity. By the time Truman's piano punched a hole in the ceiling, the interior had to go. And so everything was gutted except for the exterior walls.
"Here," I solemnly thought, "Is an actual simulation of the actual floorboards that Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln, and TR actually walked."
Chills.
