As many of you know I had the opportunity to go to DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President. The following is what I experienced that day. From the mundane details to the overwhelming emotions. I hope you enjoy. I began this post at work and did not have time to finish it so will turn it into a two part (at least) posting. I am headed back out for vacation tomorrow so at least wanted to get this started. I will also try and get a post up about the rest of the weekend when I return.
At 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning I set my alarm for 5:30 and crawled into my borrowed bed to try and get a few hours sleep before the big day. Unfortunately I have had a life long issue with falling asleep the night before a big event. First day of school (even all through college), start of a new job, these kinds of things keep me tossing and turning for most of the evening. So it was not until 4:45 that I think I finally fell asleep. Luckily all I had to do was wake up, put my shoes on (being on vacation and bouncing from house to house meant I slept in my clothes that night) and walk out the door which is what I did by about 6:30.
Just before 7 a.m. we met up with my father and step mother and the four of us (my brother was there as well) started the walk towards the mall. The parental units live on the Metro line in Maryland and had taken the train to what we had pre planned out was the closest spot that was still easy to meet at. We started at 13th and U Streets. As we headed towards the Mall area the streets slowly began to fill around us. It was a gradual process, city buses much more loaded than the pavement we were pounding cruised by to closer drop off spots. The streets were eerily absent of vehicular traffic. By quarter to eight we were a mile and half closer, standing in line at 12th and E street for a security checkpoint into the viewing area. My family insisted that all areas would have security check points. I disagreed but was out voted and as is my fashion when confronted with family I kept quiet. And so there we stood not moving for probably close to half an hour.
The sun rose onto the street around us during this time. The pavement swelled with people. There was no instructions or help. We simply waited. People chatted with their neighbors. About every 10 minutes we moved forward about 2 feet. It was slow and as the minutes ticked by we began to get worried. Was this where we needed to be? Would we spend this historic moment standing on a street corner with no jumbo-tron, no speakers? Still, all was relatively calm until a young man, early 20's maybe, tried to make a joke when a fellow pedestrian unfolded a newspaper. He tried to make this joke by yelling "gun". It was not so loud that the whole crowd heard it and panicked. But it was loud enough for the 20 or so people around us to become startled. He was quickly admonished by not only his own friends but the crowd as well. And I overheard his companion explaining that that shit is not only not funny it's a felony.
After hearing through grapevine and old school telephone conversations (my friend says that her cousin was told by a guy standing next to her that...) that there was no security at the 18th street entrance. After much debate on whether to believe this and give up our spot or stick with our original plan we decided to send my brother over there to check it out with instructions to call back and report. 15 minutes later my brother called and said that yes, 18th street was totally open. All we had to do was get back up to I street and then come down 18th and we would be in. Just follow the crowds. So my father, thinking he is always so helpful, raises his voice above the crowd in that "I'm a professor listen to me now" tone (which ironically he is so he has down pat) and announces that we have personal conformation from someone who is there that 18th street is open. And then we worm our own way out of the crowd and start heading towards my brother. Later on we discussed how amazed my father was that people didn't seem to listen to his advice at the first check point. I tried to explain that people don't believe people they don't know, no matter how great and euphoric we all were feeling, those people just didn't know who he was, and why should they trust him, we didn't trust any of the reports that came before from others? I neglected to mention that his professor voice also sounds like he is belittling and patronizing you all at the same time (because really, that might just be me). But I don't think he would of understood anymore if I had left that in.
The three of us start to head towards my brother at a slow and steady pace. I walk with my camera above my head, trying to get at least one decent crowd shot in the growing light. The streets become more and more full. As we round the corner onto 18th street there are 2 cops standing on the corner handing out something, figuring this might be something useful since they are cops and all I snag one and put it quickly in my pocket (of course then I completely forget it is there).
We manage to find my brother again at the entrance to the Mall and begin the trek into history. We wind around what google now tells me is the Constitution Gardens Lake where I was able to at least stop and get a few pictures.
From here we headed into the main event which I will finish in another post after this weekend. Sorry for the delay. Hope you had your own amazing memories on Tuesday.
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