Eastern Excursion 23: Presidential Inauguration

Our experience back east couldn't be complete without witnessing a presidential inauguration. We requested tickets in September because we didn't care who would be sworn in. For us this was not about Barack Obama (although it was neat to be at such a historic event with the first black president), it was more about celebrating the amazing transfer of power in the United States. (Okay, it was more for me. Sam actually attended President Bush II's inauguration back in 2001.) So you want to know what it was like??

the PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

the night before: We take Seara and Elijah to their babysitters and put the kids to bed. They go right to sleep and don't get up until 8am the next day.

4:15 Alarm rings. We drag ourselves out of bed. Wake, feed, and dress Enoch right before we go.

5:20 We arrive at the bus lot and get in line for a bus that will take us to the outskirts of DC to catch the metro. The line wraps around the parking lot and everyone is frozen. Enoch is in the Baby Bjorn carrier and quickly falls asleep. We wait for an hour and fifteen minutes in line.


6:35 We are finally at the front of the line and get on the bus. They turn the lights out and I feed Enoch.


7:00 We arrive at the metro station. They have a funnel system going, so people are packed like sardines in a semi-circle around a small 8-foot entry gate. (All other gates are closed. This confuses us.) We wade through that for 50 minutes and go only 50 feet.


7:50 We finally catch the metro to DC. The metro lines are backed up and it takes twice as long as it should. Enoch is hungry. Sorry everyone! At least it is warm and I am sitting.


8:40 We arrive in DC!! There is a tangible excitement in the air. People are EVERYWHERE. Everyone is so excited and so nice to everyone else. There is a real sense of camaraderie. We make it to our ticket entrance gate. (So lucky! We were on the capital lawn, while a million people without tickets vied for spots on the National Mall.) This gate has a funnel entry, too. We finally figure out that this is to prevent rushing and trampling. We spend two hours in a hoard of people, packed so tight that the person behind me had their body completely pressed up against my back, and I had mine pressed up against the person in front of me. Same with both sides. I literally could not turn around. Often my body would be pushed forward by the crowd and my feet would scramble to catch up. We could see nothing but heads in any direction. There was no out. I would have died of claustrophobia if I hadn't realized that this mass of people created a heat bubble that kept me from freezing to death first. I felt grateful. People were so excited, everyone chatted happily with everyone else. I have never seen a friendlier bunch.


11:00 We finally get inside our ticketed area. I feel instant relief because I can move freely ... but I quickly miss the warmth of all those bodies! The ceremony is just starting. We are only 200 feet away from the podium. All the excitement is wearing off on me. This is awesome!! Then Enoch starts crying. Blast. He is hungry. So I feed him standing up in the frozen air. No one even notices because they are all staring forward in excited anticipation.


12:06 Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States! He is so nervous that he stumbles numerous times. Then, just as he is saying the final words, but before he finishes, we hear an explosion. "Oh no!! We are getting attacked!" I instantly think. I look towards where the sound came from just as I hear another explosion. Everyone around me is looking as well. Fear and confusion paint the faces. I am just planning how I will drop to my knees and crouch over Enoch's little body if we get one dropped on us, when I realize that the canons are being shot in celebration of the new president. There is obvious relief, and the people around us chuckle about the collective fear. Obama proceeds to give a wonderful speech. He talks about returning to hope and virtue. I would like to discuss the definition of 'virtue' with him.


1:00 There are so many people there that we quickly bag our plans of going to the Holocaust Museum and meeting up with some friends. We work our way out of the crowd during the final announcements made (not by Obama). We stopped for the prayer, but decided to keep going halfway through because it was, um, well ... Here, let me quote part of it for you:

"...help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."

Now, I know Reverend Joseph Lowery is a famous preacher who established a church with Martin Luther King way, way back in the day. [sigh] I won't even begin to explain my concerns with what he just said.


1:30 We race back to the metro and get on. It is crowded, but it is nothing compared to what it will be later on.

2:00 We arrive back at the metro terminal to catch the bus. Unfortunately the buses don't start going back until 4pm. It is cold (the terminal is covered, but not indoors and there is no heat).

2:05 We hop back on the metro. Hey, if we have to wait, why not wait sitting in a heated place?? Because we're at the end, no one is on it so we get awesome seats. I feed Enoch, then we ride it for the next two plus hours (to the other end and back) and nap nearly the whole time. People get on and off while the three of us sleep peacefully.

4:15 We arrive back at the original metro terminal and quickly catch the bus back to the car. I feed Enoch again. (Dang, this kid is hungry!) We are relieved to finally be out of the massive crowds.

4:30 We pick up two very excited kids at the babysitters.

5:00 We get home and sit down, exhausted and exhilarated. What a wonderful day!