A Capitol Idea

Took guided tours today of Tallahassee's Old Capitol building and the newer one, built in 1977. Florida was at one time two different territories, with capitols in St. Augustine and the other in Pensacola, so when it became a state, they compromised on Tallahassee, which is halfway between the two. They were going to demolish the Old Capitol building, but decided to preserve it due to its beauty.

The state house chamber in the new building looks like the U.N. You can see a side-by-side picture of the 1802 legislature room and the new one at the end of today's blog.

Legislators in FL are in session for only two months and get paid $29,000 per year. Contrast that with PA at $86,000 per year and more time in session to develop laws that are not usually helpful.

This is where the infamous "hanging chads" took place in the 2000 election between Bush & Gore.

We had lunch at Harry's, a branch of the St. Aug restaurant we visited last week. The meal was just as delicious. We split a blackened shrimp salad with Harry's vinaigrette and fish tacos.

After lunch, we took a short stroll around this pretty town. We then did a short trip through the Florida Museum. Good local stories, including people like deLeon, Columbus and deSoto.