From the Washington Post:

For Alito, who trudged through meeting after meeting, sometimes with a dazed look, the drill was overwhelming and often alien. One 25-minute meeting, with Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee (R.I.), a key Republican moderate, took place on the Capitol steps at Chafee’s insistence so they could both be looking and pointing at the Supreme Court when they spoke.

Perhaps he needed footage for a NRSC-financed reelection spot?