Have you ever had one of those days where you longed to escape the hectic city life and the continuous chaos of Capitol Hill?

We have. So here are some of the most calming respites from the day-to-day bustle of life on the Hill.
 
Paradise

Under one glass roof you get Amazonian jungles, the molten rocks of Hawaii, orchid-abundant rainforests, prehistoric ferns dating back hundreds of millions of years and dozens of medicinal plants that are sure to cure any bout of people-sickness. Only a five-minute walk from the Capitol, the U.S. Botanic Garden is a breath of solaced air, and with more than 25,000 plants and a myriad of rooms, it offers a true escape. In the jungle room, frogs croak quietly from beneath lush leaves shrouded in vines, while a canopy walk gives guests a view of the luxuriant overgrowth.

A view to dine over

Situated six floors above the barricaded streets, the Madison building cafeteria in the Library of Congress offers the most beautiful vista available to lunch-goers on Capitol Hill. Windows run the length of the room, granting the view-hungry a scope of southeast Washington. The food may not be as tasty as the offerings in the Longworth cafeteria, but options are more bountiful, the seating is more plentiful and the crowd is quieter. The view spans the steeple of St. Peter’s Church to the haphazard grid of the Capitol South streets, so be sure to watch as the skeletons of trees come to life in the spring.
 
For the bookworm

While the chairs may not be the most comfortable on the Hill, just sitting in the Library of Congress’s main reading room makes you feel like you’re getting smarter. It is an ideal place for the bookworm to hunker down for 20 minutes and leave the hustle of Capitol Hill life behind, if only for a moment. It does have a few restrictions: no bags and no coats. But the well-lit marble octagon room has enough desks to seat all the senators and a good portion of House members as well.

Another quiet den sits on the fifth floor of the Adams building. The Science and Business reading room seats close to 100 at eight 16-foot-long tables. It lies off the beaten path, and you can bring in your bags and jackets.
 
An oldie and a goodie

Everyone knows about Union Station, but most people tend to frequent the crowded food court in the basement, whereas the upstairs mezzanine offers a far-removed bird’s-eye look at the bustle beneath. With about 50,000 people traveling through daily, the 90-year-old train depot offers some of the best people-watching opportunities in the area. If you’re hungry, the local favorite is Uno’s, which stays open until midnight on weeknights. For those seeking other intoxicants, there’s the Neuhaus Chocolatier and the President Cigar shop. But please, forget about past scandals involving presidents and cigars.