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My drive down to DC was as nice as I'd expected; AI Tony was as fun as usual and the pod itself was so comfortable and luxurious that I hated to get out. I've had hotel rooms that were not as nice.  The weather was beastly the closer I got to Washington, but I was warm and comfortable.

The First Family, the president, her husband, and their two girls, were to be in the photographs, but the parents were running late when I was admitted to the White House. The girls, in their mid to late teens, took it up on themselves to entertain and educate me. "The complex contains six levels, 132 rooms, 412 doors, and 28 fireplaces," Alina said, the older girl.

"And there are are 35 bathrooms, so there's no waiting when you have to go," added Ella. Alina rolled her eyes.

"It takes 570 gallons of paint to do the exterior. There's a music room, made for President Clinton and improved over the centuries," Alina went on. "There's a workout room, Mom lifts when she's got a thorny problem--"

"Which is a lot," Ella interjected.

"I imagine so," I said, fascinated.

"And the bowling alley and movie theater. That's nice when we get to have friends over. There's the Vermeil Room, where there's a collection of gilded silverware. The China Room was one of the rooms badly damaged in the... sixth, I think, Kree invasion and most of the china was broken, so the leftovers were put into the Vermeil Room. There's the White House Curator, Calligraphy Office, the florist, and the Chocolate Shop. Unfortunately, we can't buy chocolates there, Dad says it's for White House functions, not snacking teenagers, but the chefs sometimes slip us goodies." I grinned. "There's the solarium on the top floor, that was restored after the last alien attack. And there's a games room and a swimming pool. The pool needs to be refurbished, it's dingy and sad, and some of the tiles are damaged, but it's not a priority because of the budget, which sucks. Um, it's too bad," she said, reddening, and her sister snickered. She was saved from some sibling ribbing by the arrival of her parents. I stood, and the President formally welcomed me to the White House.

We went to the Diplomatic Reception Room in the basement for the photos, since it was a great favorite of all the family. "It was once a room used by staff for the polishing of silver, then it the first huge furnace was installed here in 1837. That was taken out in the 1902 renovation. Today, it measures about 36 1/2 feet by 29 feet," Ella announced.

"Mrs Kennedy remodeled it in 1961 and furnished it as a drawing room of the Federal Period (1790-1820)--with great examples of the craftsmanship of New York and New England cabinetmakers. The gold-and-white color scheme was chosen at that time. A Regency chandelier of cut glass and gilt bronze was added in 1971. The current rug is a reproduction of one from 1983, which was woven specially for the room, and its border incorporates emblems of the 50 states," Alina added, not to be outdone.

"The original striking panoramic wallpaper in this room was chosen by Mrs Kennedy, called "Views of North America," and was first printed in 1834 by Jean Zuber et Cie in Rixheim, Alsace. The complete set of 32 somewhat fanciful scenes, based on engravings from the 1820s, showed American landscapes that were particularly admired by Europeans. In the 2267 renovation, the reproduction of the originals were finally taken down; the scenes had a bias toward European preferences and only incorporated views of the East. There was just paint for some time, then my predecessor, Mr Callahan, had a competition to replace the wallpaper. I love it," the First Gentleman said, looking around with satisfaction. "It shows scenes from the National Parks, and they were painted by Native American artists."