Ed. Note: Do you have questions about the history of the White House? Join us for a special session of "Office Hours" on Twitter with White House curator William Allman at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 5th. Ask your questions now with #WHChat and follow the Q&A live @WHLive.

The White House isn’t just a home to First Families or meeting space for world leaders. It’s also known as "The People’s House" -- a place that should be open to everyone. And that’s why President and Mrs. Obama have made it a priority to invite young people, military families, and Americans of all ages to join them here at the White House.

And, because experiencing the White House shouldn't be limited to the those who are able to visit in person, the Obama Administration has worked hard to offer unprecedented access that opens up the People's House to virtual visitors as well. 

So, whether you're at home in California or at school in Maine, let your fingers do the walking and take this as your formal invitation to see the White House. Here's three great ways to get started.

President Barack Obama is surrounded by local and federal officials as he delivers a statement on the ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Isaac in LaPlace, Louisiana, Sept. 3, 2012. Standing with the President from left were FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Rep. Jeff Landry, Rep. Cedric Richmond, Saint John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom, Sen. David Vitter, Sheriff Mike Tregre, Sen. Mary Landrieu and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama yesterday made his way to St. John's Parish in Louisiana to take in the damage from Hurricane Isaac and meet with officials responding to the disaster.

The President highlighted the “extraordinary work” done by local first responders who worked around the clock to rescue residents stranded by high water in a place that hadn't flooded in 17 years.

"Some of the folks that we just walked by literally had to be saved by boat. They were in their homes, trapped. The waters came in so quickly," he said. "But because of the great work of law enforcement, National Guard, Coast Guard, making sure that folks were out in rescue mode rapidly, even in some cases at risk of their own lives, no lives were lost."

Today, we're excited to announce some big changes to the way you connect with the White House. More Americans rely on tablets and smart phones for news and information than ever before and we've certainly seen these trends reflected at WhiteHouse.gov. Over the past two years the number of mobile visits to the site has tripled, reaching 15.17% of total traffic. In order to meet this growing demand, we've relaunched the entire White House mobile program, making it even easier to see what's going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

First, we revamped the mobile version of WhiteHouse.gov, giving it a new look and making more than 99% of the site available to mobile users. We've also released new versions of the White House apps for the iPhone and Android, rebuilding them from the ground up and adding several new features. For the first time, these apps are also fully compatible with the iPad and Android tablets.

  

Ed. Note: There's been a lot of buzz online recently about the recipe for the White House Honey Ale and White House Honey Porter, including a popular petition on We the People, the White House's online petition platform.

With public excitement about White House beer fermenting such a buzz, we decided we better hop right to it.

Inspired by home brewers from across the country, last year President Obama bought a home brewing kit for the kitchen. After the few first drafts we landed on some great recipes that came from a local brew shop. We received some tips from a couple of home brewers who work in the White House who helped us amend it and make it our own. To be honest, we were surprised that the beer turned out so well since none of us had brewed beer before.

As far as we know the White House Honey Brown Ale is the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds. George Washington brewed beer and distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson made wine but there's no evidence that any beer has been brewed in the White House. (Although we do know there was some drinking during prohibition…)

Since our first batch of White House Honey Brown Ale, we've added the Honey Porter and have gone even further to add a Honey Blonde this past summer. Like many home brewers who add secret ingredients to make their beer unique, all of our brews have honey that we tapped from the first ever bee-hive on the South Lawn. The honey gives the beer a rich aroma and a nice finish but it doesn't sweeten it.

If you want a behind the scenes look at our home-brewing process, this video offers some proof.

Watch President Obama speak to the troops.

Two years after his visit to Fort Bliss that marked the end of the combat mission in Iraq, President Obama returned there today to speak to the troops, and discuss his commitment to standing by those who served as the nation winds down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, when I was here last, I made you a pledge.  I said that, as President, I will insist that America serves you and your families as well as you've served us.  And there again, I meant what I said.  Because part of ending wars responsibly is caring for those who fought in it.  That’s why I wanted to come back to Bliss on this anniversary to reaffirm our solemn obligations to you and your families.You see, we may be turning a page on a decade of war, but America's responsibilities to you have only just begun.

“Just as we give you the best equipment and technology on the battlefield,” the President said, “we need to give you the best care and support when you come home.” This includes continuing the efforts underway to strengthen and expand health care and mental health care service for troops, particularly for veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD, and providing resources to help returning service members get the education, training, and support they need to transition back into the civilian workforce. It also means giving our military families the respect and the support that they deserve.

In September 2009, the President announced that—for the first time in history—White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in May 2012. Today’s release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 2.5 million—all of which can be viewed in our  Disclosures section. In addition, due to personal safety concerns, the White House has withheld two visitor records related to participants in a meeting on domestic violence.

Ed. note: For more information, check out Ethics.gov.

Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It's the summer's special Mailbag Edition of West Wing Week, featuring Elizabeth Olson, Director of Presidential Correspondence.  This week we're taking a moment to pick out a few of your letters from the thousands that arrive everyday here at the White House and answer some of your questions on immigration, healthcare, and the economy.  That's August 24th to August 30th or, "It's Summer Mailbag Time!"

First, we went over to the National Economic Council to see Deputy Director, Brian Deese, who answered some of your letters about the economy.

Then we went over to the Domestic Policy Council to talk with Cecilia Muñoz about some of the letters she'd read about healthcare reform and the new deferred action process.

Watch the West Wing Week here.

Tuesday, August 28th:

• The President made a statement about preparedness for the arrival of Hurricane Isaac.

Thursday, August 30th:

• We sat down with Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, who spoke about the upcoming two year anniversary of the end of the war in Iraq for 'The Rhodes Ahead.'

Related Links:

• President Obama Discusses Preparations for Tropical Storm Isaac

• The Rhodes Ahead: Second Anniversary of the End of the Combat Mission in Iraq

(August 28 - Personnel in the National Guard Command Center in Arlington, Va., monitor the progress of Tropical Storm Isaac as it makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico. The NGCC, which serves as a hub that provides an overall tracking and coordination of National Guard elements, has gone to 24 hour operations in preparation for Isaac making landfall. Isaac's predicted path has it hitting the Gulf Coast region sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy.)

This morning, Hurricane Isaac was downgraded to a tropical storm, and by the end of the day, it's expected to further diminish to a tropical depression.

But as the storm continues moving north, federal emergency personnel are still monitoring its progress and mobilizing to provide relief for those in its path.

In the past 24 hours, federal officials have taken the following steps to respond Isaac. Check out the list, compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency below, or visit FEMA.gov for additional information.

(Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino hold a briefing with FEMA Regions in regards to Hurricane Isaac preparations.)

Late last night, as Hurricane Isaac made landfall along the Gulf Coast, FEMA provided another update about the ongoing efforts from federal officials to respond to the storm.

Earlier in the day, FEMA Adminstrator Craig Fugate and National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb briefed President Obama on the expected track for the hurricane and the preparations underway to provide relief efforts.

The President has already signed emergency declarations for the states of Mississippi and Louisiana in order to ensure local leaders get the support they need.

Before Isaac made landfall, FEMA dispatched four Incident Management Assistance Teams to emergency operations centers in Gulf states and positioned two Mobile Emergency Response Support teams and additional resources in locations nearby the areas expected to be affected by the storm.

FEMA also has supply distribution centers in Georgia and Texas and has established additional supply sites Mississippi and Louisiana. Federal officials have also deployed an urban search and rescue team to Louisiana, and additional support teams are ready to deploy as needed and requested.

For those currently in the path of the storm, FEMA has provided some useful safety information: