# Ever been to the capitol of your country? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639 "2015-02-02T21:28:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anon01245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b77776/32.png) [@Anon01245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anon01245)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/1 "2015-02-02T21:28:28Z")
Have you ever been to the Capitol of your own country? What experiences have you had there and what did you do? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/2 "2015-02-02T21:46:03Z")
I’ve been to the capitals (a capit **o** l is a building) of at least 20 countries including my own. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/3 "2015-02-02T21:52:37Z")
I’ve lived in or within short proximity of Washington, DC my entire life. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/4 "2015-02-02T22:09:17Z")
I visited the US Capitol building when I was 12 with my family. Somehow we arranged a private tour with some sort of congressional aide. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/5 "2015-02-02T22:20:06Z")
I live in DC and grew up in the area. I don’t think I’ve actually been in the US Capitol since I was a littel kid. A few years back my niece worked as an intern there giving tours, but I never took the opportunity to go. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/6 "2015-02-02T22:25:56Z")
I’ve been to DC four or five times over the years. I’ve been inside the actual Capitol once or twice - definitely only once in the actual dome part. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/7 "2015-02-02T22:27:09Z")
US: I lived in DC for several years. I grew up in Reston, which is about 20 miles away. Korea: I lived in Daegu, but visited Seoul 4 or 5 times a year. I still go there when I can find an excuse (Seoul has the nearest H&R Block office to me when tax time rolls around). China: I’ve kind of avoided Beijing as much as possible, but will be meeting friends there in a couple weeks. I had to do a long layover there once and the hotel the cabbie brought me to was filthy and looked like a crime scene. I’m reliably told the rest of the city looks much the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/8 "2015-02-02T22:35:27Z")
Canada doesn’t have a capitol. It has the Parliament buildings in the capital city, Ottawa. I worked in Ottawa for a year, and have visited it several times. In the summer, one of the attractions is Kingsmere, the summer estate of former Prime Minister Mackenzie King, in the Gatineau hills. The Parliament buildings themselves are worth a tour, as is the Supreme Court building. The War Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown are just outside the precinct for Parliament. There’s also loads of museums, particularly the War Museum and the National Art Gallery. There’s also the Canadian Museum of History, which has a great section for kids. Here’s a thread from last year on the topic: [Vacation (short) in Ottawa.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=728445) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/9 "2015-02-02T22:43:03Z")
I lived in Washington DC for five years, Panama City, Panama, for 23 years, and Wellington, New Zealand, for a couple of years. Otherwise, capitals I’ve visited include: Ottawa Mexico City Guatemala City Managua Tegucigalpa San Jose Bogota Caracas Quito Lima Buenos Aires Port-of-Spain St. John’s Nassau London Paris New Delhi Manila Yaounde Libreville Nairobi Antananarivo Canberra Suva ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/10 "2015-02-02T22:50:32Z")
I interned in the Senate Office Building (Hart). Spent a lot of time in all parts of the Upper House. Other than than, I have visited DC now and then. Can’t tell if the OP is asking about the Capital City or the capital building. DC has lots of fun things to do, and I think there was a recent thread on that very subject. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/11 "2015-02-02T22:54:49Z")
I was born in the capital of my country, and I’ve been in the Capitol as well. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/12 "2015-02-02T23:02:36Z")
I love these, if just for the trip down memory lane, but also for the excuse to post a list that no one else will care about, or probably even read. Washington, DC Quito San Jose London Dublin Paris Brussels Amsterdam Vienna Athens Rome Berlin Moscow Helsinki Seoul Hanoi Phnom Penh Vientiane Bangkok Wellington Canberra (passing through only) Cape Town and Pretoria, but not Bloemfontein Mbanbane, but not (IIRC) Lobamba ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/13 "2015-02-02T23:07:25Z")
I live there, so probably. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/14 "2015-02-02T23:48:16Z")
As has been pointed out, that’s capitAl, not capitOl. But yes. Have been to many capitals including my own, Washington DC, three years ago. Stayed almost a week, and we just did tourist stuff. Been to many other countries’ capitals too and even live in one, Bangkok. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/15 "2015-02-02T23:59:16Z")
I’ve been to it but never in it. The last time was a couple of months ago. I was interested to see that the dome was covered in scaffolding. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/16 "2015-02-03T00:06:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > As has been pointed out, that’s capitAl, not capitOl. But yes. Have been to many capitals including my own, Washington DC, three years ago. Stayed almost a week, and we just did tourist stuff. > > Been to many other countries’ capitals too and even live in one, Bangkok. Dang, 52 years on Earth and never noticed the different spellings… ETA: Including post #2 explaining it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/17 "2015-02-03T00:22:06Z")
I have been to Washington DC many times. Other capitals I have visited: Tokyo Caracas Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) Havana (visited age ?9 ?1958 on a pre-Castro family cruise) Singapore Kuala Lumpur Cairo The Hague Copenhagen London ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/18 "2015-02-03T00:24:18Z")
I have twice been to Washington D.C. Once when I was 10 and then a few years back. The vibe is that of unspeakable corruption, the gray and white buildings of the most powerful government the world has ever seen interspersed with a grassy mall with such lousy upkeep that would embarrass any American male homeowner and dangerous slums less than a mile away. The thought that the locus of the nation’s bureaucratic inertia of unstoppable gooey force is run by an officer corps of 525 of the biggest idiots from around the country and their own personal staff of hand chosen brown-nosing rumor junkies who would otherwise be on the dole makes me appreciate that they set the premise for The Daily Show every night. It makes my state capitol, Sacramento, seem like a pantheon of elder statesmen by comparison. (And I don’t think highly of them either.) D.C. is like the pervading evil of Las Vegas unleavened by high morality of Vegas’ over-the-top consumerism. Virtually ever other powerful government in world history was much worse, so D.C. does have that going for them. Plus the Smithsonian is cool. Rising sea levels should take care of all of this. The irony will be lost on them. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/19 "2015-02-03T00:29:04Z")
Australia doesn’t have a capitol. We do have a capital city, Canberra, which is the most boring place on earth. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639/20 "2015-02-03T00:39:15Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > Australia doesn’t have a capitol. We do have a capital city, Canberra, which is the most boring place on earth. I see someone’s never been to Vientiane. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-the-capitol-of-your-country/711639.md?page=2)