As you know, I was in Washington DC over the weekend and witnessed the inauguration of our 44th President – Barack Obama – from the Washington mall. We got up yesterday morning at 5am and were on the mall by 6:45. The photo below is sunrise coming over our nation’s capitol as 10’s of thousands began gathering to endure the cold in order to watch the ceremony. We stood for the next 7 hours in freezing temperatures and I will tell you now – it was worth it. We watched the inauguration live in DC.
Some highlights:
- We were in DC since Sunday and the city was electric. Everyone was happy and joyous and helpful. I never heard an angry word or tone even though there were times when everyone was crowded or cold.
- Seeing the United States Capitol all dressed up is breathtaking. It reminds me how proud I am to be an American these days.
- The Mall was closed to entering from the north due to closures for security and the Parade, so everyone – all 2 million of us – had to enter and exit from a few entrances in the south. Washington DC did a great job of closing streets and routing us all properly. It took a while, but we all got to wherever we wanted to get.
- I’ve been in crowds, but never in one so happy and excited about what was to come. In the morning, while we all waited, they replayed the Opening Ceremonies concert and when Garth Brooks began a riff of Otis Day and the Knights “Shout!” – the audience erupted and sang along. Even throwing their hands up and shouting! It felt like Animal House. So fun.
- The Boy and Girl Scouts were handing out flags to anyone who wanted them. There were times when all you could see were those flags, waving like a wave on the sea.
- During the opening ceremonies, we had an open mic on the reviewing stand when Reps and Senators were arriving. It was interesting to listen to their banter – “Thank you sir for all your support of Indiana” or “Good to see you again sir….” It was also funny watching some of them act like giddy kids with their cameras and Blackberries, taking photos of each other and with the celebrities.
- When Barack Obama walked up to take the oath of office, the crowd screamed and then became quiet. You could hear a pin drop until he was pronounced the President of the United States of America. Then the roar was deafening.
- Even after the ceremony was over, people were still happy and joyous. Try and exit 2 million people through a limited space and one would assume some harsh words. Nope!
- When Marine 1 flew over the Mall with W inside, the crowd waved goodbye and cheered. Earlier in the day when GWB was introduced, some sang “Nah Nah Nah na, Hey Hey now, Goodbye.”
- In Washington DC, the eve of the Inauguration, when the sign says no parking after 6pm, they mean it. We were on F st. having a cocktail across from the National Press Club (we got a tour from our friend the event planner) when 6pm rolled around and a phalanx of tow trucks swooped in with police escort and were towing cars faster than you could take photos. They cleared the street in a few minutes. I would hate to see that tow bill.
- One word: Jumbotron!
I loved DC and will return. A big thank you to the WeloveDC crew for taking us out for beers and Wayan for putting us up. It wore us out and I may have calf pain for a few days, but it was worth it. I took a ton of photos and have them all up on Flickr. (Apologies in advance for them not being that organized, it has been a whirlwind of a few days of travel and such…and I’m a bit tired.) One of my favorites was when we were walking back to Union Station. We took a pedestrian route which took us into a tunnel for I395 under the capitol. With hundreds of people walking in this car tunnel all bundled up, it was like a scene out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Pretty cool.
{ 4 comments }
Thanks, @dieselboi, for the up close and personal account of the innaguration.
Very cool. Thanks for sharing your experience. From the various accounts I’ve read it sounds like it was a great moment for many people.
Wow, I didn’t know you were there!! I am so jealous. After getting choked up multiple times watching the ceremonies on TV, Christine and I realized we should have gone. So cool, man. As Aaron said, thanks for sharing this.
Man, that is so cool. I’m glad you got the opportunity to be there. What an experience.
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