Sen. Kay Hagan is settling into Washington.

The Greensboro Democrat held a coffee klatsch for constituents in her new office in the Dirksen Senate Office Building this morning.

As a freshman senator, Hagan has one of the less-desirable office spaces, but it's leagues better than the quote-unquote temporary basement room her staff was stuck in while the Minnesota Senate race dragged on. 

The temporary office also delayed Hagan's hiring, since there wasn't enough room for the legislative assistants and constituent services staffers. She's now about 65 to 70 percent staffed, with about 52 employees in D.C. and North Carolina.

For now, the office is sparsely decorated, with just a few scenic photos of the beach and the Triad and several flat-screen TVs. As a reminder of favorite campaign haunts, four of the TVs are named for Greensboro restaurants: Grey's, The Burro, Natty's and M'Couls.

Hagan's new space, Suite 521, used to be part of three different offices: Sens. Kristen Gillibrand, Roland Burris and Wayne Allard. If you crane your neck out of one of Hagan's personal windows, you can just see the Capitol dome.

"I think I might need some curved mirrors in here," Hagan joked. 

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan has a little more leg room.

The Greensboro Democrat announced today that she has moved into a permanent office in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Because of the protracted battle over Minnesota's seat, the usual Senate procedures for moving offices had been on hold for months. That left Hagan stranded in a windowless basement office.

"The new Senators and I got to know each other very well down in the basement, but I am sure I speak for all of us when I say how exciting it is to finally move into permanent quarters," Hagan said in a statement.

The basement office also held Hagan back, since she did not have the room to hire issue experts and other staffers who could bring her up to speed on the ways of Washington. 

Hagan's new office, Suite 521, was formelry used by Sens. Al Gore Sr., Fred Thompson and most recently Wayne Allard.

She also announced she would open a new state headquarters in Greensboro. Hagan already has an office in Raleigh.