Tips to Prepare for AIDSWatch Congressional Meetings Training for Congressional meetings: On Monday morning, AIDSWatch will begin with training for all attendees at FHI 360 Conference Center, 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC. For those taking the Metro, use the Q Street exit from the Dupont Circle station on the Red Line. At the training, you will have the opportunity to meet with other AIDSWatch attendees, and we will discuss everything you’ll need to know before you attend a Congressional meeting. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. What you need for Congressional meetings: Wear a suit/business attire when attending Congressional meetings. When choosing shoes, remember that you will be doing a lot of walking between different Congressional office buildings on concrete and marble floors. We will provide additional informational materials for you to bring with you to meeting on Monday morning. If your organization has materials with information specific to your state or region, feel free to bring copies of those as well. Getting to your meetings: Taking the Metro to Capitol Hill: o If you are taking the Metro to your meetings, we recommend taking the blue/orange line to the Capitol South station. The entrance/exit for Capitol South is on 1st Street, just south of the Cannon House Office Building. o If you are planning to take more than one trip on the Metro, we recommend buying a SmarTrip card for $10 ‐ $2 for the card itself and $8 in fares – which you can add money to at any station. The alternative is paper tickets, which charge an additional $1 in fare per trip. SmarTrip cards can also be used on Metro buses. Cards can be purchased in Metro stations or in advance online. o For maps and other info about the Metro, visit www.wmata.com . Always be on time for your meeting – Congressional staffers have extremely tight schedules, so being late will not only seem disrespectful, but for practical reasons will shorten the meeting. When planning travel time to Congressional office buildings, remember to factor in the security line when entering a new building. The length of security lines can vary drastically, and springtime brings large numbers of visitors, so give yourself plenty of time! For a more detailed map of Capitol Hill buildings and for information about accessibility and prohibited items in the Capitol, visit http://www.aoc.gov/us‐capitol‐map. .