Note: this was originally posted to Ben Around the Block on June 16, 2025. I have made minor adjustments based on grammar, logistics, and protection of privacy.
Ah, that was a nice weekend, filled with Mario Kart 8 and the Spider-Man trilogy, my primary relaxation aids. Back to work and excitement!
Today was less about work and more about excitement, as it was my day off. I celebrated it by doing something I had been meaning to do all year: visit the Oregon State Capitol!
I’ve wanted to visit this place for two main reasons: 1) I have been to the Texas, California, and Hawaii state capitols, and 2) I literally go to college right across the street from the Oregon State Capitol and have no excuse not to see it. I finally got to achieve this desire today, along with a pair of friends.
We arrived shortly before 10 in order to take the 10:00 tour. The tour, which was hosted by an awesomely energetic tour guide, started nice and easily…by taking us up to the roof of the capitol! Several flights of stairs later (which caused me to have flashbacks to St. Paul’s Cathedral), we were up fairly high, with a gorgeous view all around us.
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| Willamette University |
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| more Willamette University |
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| Eaton Hall, my college stomping grounds |
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| The Golden Man, who tops off the capitol |
I don’t know if it’s clear from these photos, but it started to rain while we were up there. With the grace and beauty of a drowned rat, I climbed back down and resumed the tour with the others. Next up was the state legislature and senate chambers, which reminded me a great deal of the Texas and California capitols. In all of my infinite wisdom, I did not take any grand sweeping photos of the chambers themselves, so enjoy these paintings in each chamber that I did photograph:
In the House: a depiction of Oregon
deciding to join the Union
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In the Senate: a depiction of Oregon getting the news that it has been made a state |
Finally, the tour was concluded by a trip to the governor’s (empty) office. As with the Hawaii gubernatorial office, it was a small, yet ornate room that left me impressed. Also like the Hawaii gubernatorial office, the governor’s chair looked really comfy (no, I didn’t sit in it).
The tour took less than an hour, but it was awesomely rich. I haven’t had a proper educational trip like this since my time in London, and it was great to see some historic sites again!
So yeah, that was my nice little adventure for today, where a good time was had with friends. I head back to work tomorrow, and I’m really looking forward to it: I’m scheduled to watch an actual jury trial! It should be grand (Get it? Grand jury?…Please drive home safely.)! Stay tuned for future updates!
Present observations:
As I write this, I am getting ready to move back to Salem. Reading this reminds me that there's still some historical sites to seek out in that neck of the woods. Then again, as seen in my trip to Tillamook's local museum, there's a lot of interesting history everywhere if you know where to look.
Given that the Oregon Capitol has had a lot of construction/renovations done over the past 5 years and has been the site of political unrest for the past 4 years (especially in January 2021, when state capitols all over the U.S. were threatened by thugs), I don't know if tours like this are still open to the public. I'm lucky I got to visit when I did!
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