At the White House, you must provide a picture ID and follow the rules, which you will receive beforehand. They are the strictest rules for any "sight" in D.C.: no cameras, no cell phones, and no packages, bags, purses beyond a specified size. One lady ahead of us failed to follow the rules and could not enter with her giant purse. If you do as your asked, though, getting in was easier than I anticipated, just a quick check of the list by a uniformed officer, a run through what must be more than your typical airport detector, and you’re in.

There are no tour guides following you around, but instead, guides are posted in the various rooms you will see to answer any questions and give you a short spiel on what your seeing. It’s quite odd to realize you’re walking down the same hall you see the president using when he has a speech to deliver in the East Room.

Rooms are filled with period furniture and paintings. The most famous paintings are the full-sized portrait of Washington in the East Room and Lincoln in contemplation in the Formal Dining Room. Portraits of our most recent presidents and first ladies are also displayed. The White House is surprisingly warm and inviting, not at all intimidating like the Supreme Court was.

Tours are conducted beginning at 7:30am every half-hour until 11:30am, when visitors are shooed out, the carpets fully rolled back, and VIPs like foreign dignitaries start to arrive. You are allowed to take a good look and only be prompted to "move along" should the crowd begin to bunch up. The day we visited, an Amish family with their 19th-century dress was in line, along with a fellow who only needed a sprig of wheat to complete the farmer tableux of overalls and work boots. Then came us Hispanic Americans. We are certainly a diverse people. E plurubus Unum!

You bring just your wallet with your driver's license if over fifteen. I was lucky enough to have Billy Tauzin get my group into the White House. After passing a secret service man and a woman who doesn't check the ID anyway if you are a kid, you walk down this long alley. I was alone, except for a few guys behind me, and had an exciting, anxious feeling bubbling inside of me. In a tent, other Secret Service men check you for metal items or anything.

"It'll be my luck if I set this thing off," I remember saying. I didn't set it off, just like the nice Secret Service man said. The White House was filled with classical decor. The rose garden looked fresh and lively. Portraits of the Oval Office throughout the years hung on the walls near all the Presidents. We moved into this big fall, not far from this white room where President Bush would be making his speech that night. A Secret Service man was standing near a carpet, and one of my classmates asked if she could touch the rug. How could I avoid temptation? I touched it too! There was a room for every color. The Secret Service men don't want you touching the silk material on the walls. I didn't do it, but the woman in front of me did. After seeing three rooms, we were let out into another lonely alley and went past a cherry blossom tree. When was I ever going to get a White House cherry blossom from? Out front, I picked up a petal as my souvenir from my experience.

Today, about all you can do is walk in front of the gates outside and look around. Most people want to have their pictures taken in front of the White House, so there is never a shortage of people around to ask to take your picture. During peak times, there are hordes of people in front of the White House, so please be considerate to others and limit your time here. If you want to discuss politics, the President, or White House architecture, do that elsewhere.