Kitty Felde

Fire Drill

Maybe it’s a spring ritual here in Washington - an excuse to get outside when the weather is warming up. Or maybe they just have more fires here.

On Capitol Hill today, there were THOUSANDS of people out on the streets. Now, Congress is not in session and it’s been pretty quiet. Not today. At first, it looked like several busloads of tourists had just arrived, all patiently waiting in line for a peek at the halls of power.

But no, these were staffers, standing a line two blocks long, waiting to get through security to get back into their House office building.

Turns out, it was a fire drill…for ALL of Capitol Hill. Everyone was in a jolly mood…mostly because it was a nice day outside for a change. Sunshine instead of two days of rain and temps that keep dipping back into the lower 40’s.

One woman brought her laptop, Blackberry, personal cell phone, and three other electronic devices I couldn’t identify. But most people stood empty-handed, squinting up at the sunshine.

It was also a bit of a runway show for the type of fashions staffers wear when the boss is back in the district. Very California: flip flops, sundresses, and a lot of denim.

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• April 16, 2009 2:08 PM by Kitty Felde
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