Inauguration Report 2
Posted January 25, 2009 3:56 am (about 1108 days ago)
OK, so that’s an exaggeration, but it was pretty hectic. Again, an estimated two million people crammed onto The Mall were trying to leave. However, the parade was about to begin and Pennsylvania was closed off until 7 PM. It was only 2:30. The problem was, most of the restaurants, hotels, and such were on the other side of where we were. By this time I got a hold of both Ernie and Juan, who were heading with friends to some restaurants to go celebrate. I told them I was trapped on the wrong side of the border, but Ernie gave me an address he said I could get to. I took off for this corner, looking forward to getting out of the cold and reconnecting with my bros. Once I got to the address, there was clearly a problem. They were on H Street NW and I was at H Street SW. The address that was passed on didn’t make the distinction..jpg)
Apparently Ernie, Linda, and Andrew weren’t even able to get on The Mall, for reasons including their entrance being closed due to a water main breaking. As a result they ended up on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue. I began to wander back, passing by Metro stations which had hundreds of people gathered around, waiting to board trains that weren’t set to run from these stations for hours. There were people everywhere, just wandering around, trying to figure out there next move, as most of the streets were still blocked off, thus no cab or bus rides out either. I’m a young, single guy so I was cool, but was feeling for many others, particularly the older folks, many of whom were in wheelchairs.I wandered back to the Mall and even Seventh Street was blocked off in key areas, serving as a parade staging area. I began to feel like I was walking in a huge maze, just to cross a few feet of asphalt! I asked different guards if I could just walk all the way around the Capitol building, walk back through the 395 tunnel, or were there any other ways out. Just about everyone was from out of state so they weren’t sure, beyond, “you can’t cross Pennsylvania Ave.” After being out in the cold for nearly 12 hours, I was tired of walking, hungry, still cold, and didn’t feel like going on a wild goose chase so I went to the Smithsonian Air and Space
Museum. Apparently hundreds of other people had the same idea. I walked around the museum, taking in the sights and there were people spread out everywhere, in halls, behind exhibits, leaning on exhibits, posted in the bathroom, just about anywhere there was space. The museum staff seemed to take everything in stride, although there was one guard who was power tripping and I seriously had to bite my tongue for. The museum itself has a great collection and I was glad to see it, but after a few hours I decided to chance the wilderness again. I talked to a cop and he told me TWO ways to get to the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, which included my original thought to just walk around the capitol. This is just one of many things that I would’ve done differently in hindsight, but I simply didn’t know and can't really complain when alternative was to visit a Smithsonian.As I began, hopefully, the last leg of my treck, going around the capitol, the parade ended so we could cross Pennsylvania
Avenue, which took all of three seconds! I made my way through Chinatown, which looked like a night market, except with everything being Obama-related. I picked up a few items before finally reconnecting with the team, who had been inside for the past six hours, enjoying the warmth and fine food and drink. I quickly made some new friends before we finally jumped in a cab back to Linda’s place and all crashed. Day 6
We got up at 4:30 AM to grab some newspapers and there were already like a dozen people at the local Seven Eleven. The Washington Post hadn’t even come in yet so we walked down the Metro station and a guy had several huge stacks of them there. I went back to my stash spot and found my papers from the day before. We went back to sleep for a couple of hours before I had to leave to catch my flight.
Reagan Airport was absolutely swamped. For some reason all the other airlines were moving fairly quickly, but not US Airways, which covered the first leg of my trip. The line to check in nearly ran the entire terminal. I kid you not. After three hours, I still hadn’t checked-in, although I could finally see the counter. People further up had been there for an hour longer than me! I haven’t checked in a bag in nearly two years, but was weighted down by memorabilia. I considered dumping it for a second, but decided to hold on to my treasures. I usually print out my boarding pass in advance, but didn’t have access to a working printer. A guy kept coming by, asking who had checked-in online, which I did, but a number of us hadn’t printed our boarding passes so that was useless. Nonetheless, I came on this trip expecting delays so I didn’t sweat it too much, which was the attitude the majority of people had. This can’t be overstated. All of these people in town, with there being serious delays and what not, and most people kept their cool. I saw a handful of people raise their voices, but that was it, over the course of DAYS! Say whatever you want about Obama, but he had that much of an impact on people. A few people were upset, insisting that they HAD to leave, but if the Rosa Parks look-a-likes weren’t getting out, I knew I had no chance.
I finally reached a point where I could call to reschedule, which I did. I had tried calling earlier to rebook and they were going to charge me $500 for the change. By waiting in line a bit more they covered everything. Once that was squared up I just returned to Linda’s and we relaxed for the rest of the day.
Day 7
I got out of D.C. with no problems. When I checked in, there were only two people in front of me. Granted, I chose a much earlier flight on this day. I picked up some gifts, before flying out to Boston. The store was packed, but I was still able to get my hands on some leftover McCain/Palin gear. People were still in a joyful mood, even if tired.
By the time I hit my layover in Boston, the “oneness” had dissipated. No one was rude, but people were just back in their own worlds, including me. I didn’t feel like talking to everyone around me and thought about what awaited me in Oakland.
Well, what awaited me at the MacArthur BART station was more Obama! They even had the New York Times for sale. Another vendor actually had Inauguration memorabilia that I hadn’t seen in D.C.! I dropped another $20 before finally crashing at the crib.
As I sit here, still soaking everything in, I think I have some idea of
how people feel about hearing Dr. King’s speech at the Mall or how JFK made them feel. I feel a special kinship to other people who were there.To see Barack and Michelle's impact on people simply puts me at a loss for words. One of the most powerful images was seeing how many older African Americans came from all corners of the country and braved the weather. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like to grow up in the ‘30s, ‘40s and so on. As inspiring as Obama can be, seeing these folks was just as invigorating. All silly stories aside, I think I’ve barely begun to truly understand the magnitude of this event but feel incredibly grateful to have been a part of it!
i finally got the chance to read your blog and look at the pictures. yay for being a part of history and feeling the spirit with others...over here in the middle schoolers clapped a cheered too...but it wasn't cold