Lost on Labyrinth Hill

The wheels of the trolley I use to carry my camera equipment screeched as I maneuvered past wide-eyed tourists and preoccupied staffers inside the U.S. Capitol. I was lost in the basement and the walls of the narrow passages were caving in on me.

I had ten minutes to reach the Radio-TV Correspondents’ Gallery before the members of the House of Representatives would begin voting on the State Aid Bill.

After stepping into the building on a hot summer day, the basement seemed deliciously cold. I was on deadline and the soles of my feet were on fire.

After about ten minutes of going back and forth in what seemed like a maze, I followed a tour guide who was hustling tourists to the Capitol Visitor’s Center. Signs on the wall finally led me to the press gallery.

When my teammate and I got there, the members were debating before casting votes. We plugged in our cameras to capture the video feed. About a minute later, we could hear some fellow reporters snickering behind us. My teammate and I looked at each other in horror as we realized that our camera was only recording sound.

We forgot to bring a digital converter with us. I ran out to call my editor for some damage control. Thankfully, we were able to get a feed from the FedNet wire service.

With this predicament behind us, we sat in the gallery and took notes as we watched live proceedings on C-SPAN. As the vote drew to a close, I noticed an exodus of reporters from the gallery. They were heading to Nancy Pelosi’s press conference.

Still reeling from the shock of our previous goof up with the converter, we missed our cue to leave. We quickly packed up and scurried behind them. But we were late and found ourselves lost in the basement again.

After some more running around, we were stopped by a staffer who had been watching us dash back and forth in the passages. He was hearing impaired but figured out we were looking for an elevator. He directed us to a sign and left.

As my eyes searched around for the Good Samaritan – who disappeared around the corner – I inadvertently stepped into the elevator reserved for House members.I shamefacedly turned around and ran into the next one.

I had no idea that the nightmare we found ourselves in had only just begun. Now on the third floor, we couldn’t find the broadcast crew. We didn’t know the location of the Pelosi conference. My teammate called the press office and we finally found our way to the room. While others had already begun shooting Pelosi’s initial address, we were setting up our camera and cutting through the crowd to find a spot. I literally did the Limbo below a mass of tangled wires to plug in our camera into the mult box for an audio feed. Back behind the camera, we took a deep breath and focused our shot.

On the train ride back to the newsroom, I reflected on the day’s happenings. I realized that to be a good congressional correspondent one has to be able to conquer the territory on Capitol Hill. You have to know every nook and cranny, the short cuts, secret passage ways and hot spots to stay on top of things.

Here are 10 tips to escape being trapped in a reporter’s nightmare in the labyrinth that is Capitol Hill.

1. Before your reporting stint on Capitol Hill, take a day to familiarize yourself with the complex and its adjacent buildings. Make a mental map of the Senate and House chamber, the press galleries, the elevators, surrounding buildings and entry points for press members.

2. The Architect of the Capitol’s website has this map that is useful to find your way around. Make sure you know the difference between the Senate side and the House side.

3. Use the Senate subway to get around and save time. You can get to the Dirksen, Hart and Russell Senate buildings from the Senate side faster on the trams than you would on foot. Plus, it is a great place to network with fellow reporters and chat up politicians.

4. Know where to find landmark spots on the Hill like the gorgeous rotunda (in the center of the complex), the old Ohio clock (in front of the entrance to the Senate chamber), the exquisite Statuary Hall (on the House side) and the lunch halls (by the Senate chamber on the third floor) where members meet every Tuesday.

5. Before doing a video or print story, call the press office and badger them with questions so you know exactly where you have to go and what you have to do to get your story. Make sure you register in advance when necessary and have all the necessary equipment.

6. Plan to get to your event at least an hour before the stipulated time to find a spot and set up.

7. Wear comfortable shoes.

8. Know the areas where you can and cannot shoot stand ups.

9. Know the spots where you cannot shoot with a tripod in advance by asking the press officers and Capital Hill police. Here are some rules every broadcast reporter be familiar with.

10. Be alert and aware of what is happening around you. Take cues by watching experienced reporters. Do not panic when you are lost. Keep calm, seek help and carry on.