Our Journey To The White House

Philippine Airlines flights from Manila to New York fly only 4 times a week. While we initially wanted to go back to Manila by Friday, PAL's schedule would not allow it and we were forced to stay another day in the US. Making most of the situation, we looked into the possibility of squeezing in a DC side trip to our NY side trip.

The White House

With a little googling research, I found out that the famous landmarks of DC are within walking distance from each other making it perfect for a day trip. My wife found out that it's even possible to go inside The White House. And so our journey to The White House begins.

US Capitol

I wanted to book the train tickets right away to avoid rising prices as the day gets near but we unlocked the secret to get inside The White House and booking had to wait. Apparently, you only need to get in touch with a US congressman or a senator to give you access to The White House Tour. Congressmen and senators are given slots for the tours for their constituents.

Our first glimpse of the Washington Monument

We reached out to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton representing D.C. as suggested by some blogs we read and immediately got a response:

August 17, 2017

Dear ron2ron@gmail.com:

Thank you for contacting the Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. 

We would be happy to schedule a tour for you if you are a D.C. resident or an international visitor. If not, please contact your representative to schedule tours.

In order to submit a request, please visit https://norton.house.gov/, click the ‘Constituent Services’ tab, and then click on ‘Tour D.C.’

If you are an international visitor, please fill out the request with the street address of where you will be staying during your stay in Washington D.C.

These self-guided tours are available from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (excluding federal holidays or unless otherwise noted).  Request for tours must be submitted three to four months before the requested date. The White House Visitors Office will e-mail you approximately three months prior to your requested tour date.

Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Sincerely, 

Tour Coordinator

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

136 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515 

We submitted a request through the website mentioned but after a day, we got another email:

Dear Mr. Ron Go:

Thank you for contacting the Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. 

Unfortunately, the dates you selected for a White House Tour are unavailable. Requests for tours must be submitted 3 to 4 months in advance. You may submit a new request on our website with additional availability.

These self-guided tours are available from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (excluding federal holidays or unless otherwise noted).  You may request a tour for up to 100 guests.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely, 

Tour Coordinator

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

136 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Things were not looking good but we were still hopeful that there are other ways to get in.