Our family is visiting Washington D.C. in one week and I would love information on how to get the best, or VIP tour of the White House. I may be running out of time. Please respond if you can help. Thank you.

I am assuming that you mean the congressional tours, and not the tours which include the West Wing that White House passholders give to friends and family. To get on a congressional tour, which is early in the morning and guided, you must contact your representative or senator. However, these offices only get about 10 tickets per week and request that constituents contact their offices at least 3 months in advance. You can try contacting them to see if they have any tickets, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

If you work for big tobacco or the NRA I'm sure you'll be able to have the run of the Bush White House.

If you are unable to get these tickets, I wouldn't bother with the regular tour. It's not worth the wait.

If the White House tour doesn't pan out you might try contacting your Congressman's office for a tour of the capitol building. I'm under the impression that it can include a visit up to the walkway that encircles the dome above the rotunda. It's reputed to be the best view available of DC and the area (the view from the Washington monument is disappointing because the windows are small, smudged and crowded.

The only way you can go up into the walkway in the Rotunda is if you are escorted by a member of Congress. Many a congressional staffer has gotten engaged up there.