Posted by Florian Gathmann at 3:27 p.m. CDT
Ever wondered, why the shoes of U.S. senators look so shiny all the time -- whether black, brown or blue?
Perhaps you didn't, considering they are not in the spotlight as much as the senators’ faces. But they do shine, and this is due to the barbershop in the basement of the Russell Senate Office building, where you can also get your footwear polished.
For a reporter, this could truly be a place to get good stories – if the barbers and the shoe shiners talk. I haven’t tried. But I definitely will, next time I am here.
P.S. As senators were leaving for their August recess, I took a seat on the shoe shiner's chair -- a true delight!
Guest blogger Florian Gathmann works as an editor for the German daily “Thueringer Allgemeine” and is with the Tribune for two months on an Arthur F. Burns Fellowship. He spent the week in the Washington bureau.
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Comments
Florian - the thought never crossed my mind. Maybe other blggers on this board have thought about it since they always seem to have their heads down.
Posted by: Terry | August 4, 2006 7:57 PM
Let me guess. Your shoe shiner was an ol' black man. It's appropriate that the senators would keep this kind of thing in the basement, out of view from the public.
Posted by: Jorge from Bloomington | August 5, 2006 5:09 AM