So we layed out all of our layers of clothes... thermal underwear, sweatpants, jeans, t-shirt, long sleeve thin sweater, light jacket, heavy coat, 2 layers of ski gloves, ear warming band and a nice thick winter cap. Maria and I both stuffed every pocket we had with food, water & snacks... we were taking some cash with us but we figured the less we had to spend (and wait in hellacious lines) the better. Went to bed around 9pm and set the alarm for 2am (yes, really!)
2am came a little faster than we would have hoped, probably because neither of us got a decent 5 hour sleep and were a little restless. I can't say I was super excited... more nervous about the crowds and the amount of people and security we would be going through. But we got it into our heads early that we would be ready for the worst... the worst lines we have ever seen... the worst crowds we have ever seen.... the worst weather we have ever seen... etc....
Around 3am We headed on out the door and jumped in the car to drive to the nearest Metro station "New Carrolton". It was about a 30 minute drive away... with surprisingly little traffic, but lots of police pulling over tractor trailers... for whatever reason. We get to the Metro station with still very light traffic... but as we pull up we notice a pretty long line to park in the garage, so we shoot across the street and into the satellite parking. Lot was only about a quarter full, so we didn't feel to pressed about getting out of the car right away... but as we sat there watching cars and people stream in and out we figured we should get a move on and see if there is a line forming yet. It is now 4am.
We are in our first real crowd at this point... not a lot of people, but you can tell that we all have somewhere we are in a hurry to get to. We get into the station and start to head for the turnstiles when a security guard yells "end of the line".... oh, ok... so there is a line, no problem. So we follow the line down the hall... up the stairs... and up out into the rear parking lot. The line stretches out of sight over the curve of the long narrow parking lot. After a bit of wide-eyed "holy crap this is a lot of people already" we start to try to find the end of this line. We walk a good 5 minutes and finally get there... probably 1/2 mile long at least.
So we get in line and people are buzzing... everybody is talking, laughing... taking humor in the facial expressions of people walking by still in that wide-eyed "holy crap this is a long line" look on their face. I have the Canon Xti around my neck... and snap some shots of the line and Maria. The flash draws the attention of the couple in front of us, a couple from Connecticut who drove down just days before. We started talking cameras and we both were Canon fans so we hit it off pretty good. We had a pretty long conversation with them that made our wait in line go by fairly painlessly. We had been outside for about 45 minutes now... so far so good, still have warm toes and fingers!
So we get into the turnstile area and just fly through with our pre-purchased commemorative Obama metro tickets and up onto the platform. We wait about 5 minutes and jump on the first train that arrives... and after a few moments we notice the same couple we met in line a few seats back and continue our conversation. We also start talking with several other people around us... everybody has a story to tell, and everybody we met and conversed with were great. One lady sitting next to us was an Obama volunteer who gave us some insight into what her training was like and how she got the opportunity to help out. She was from South Carolina and wasn't too fond of the cold that morning.
So we get into downtown... the first major stop where most people got off the metro, Federal Triangle. That stop was packed! We pulled in and people were nearly pressed up against our subway car. Maria and I couldn't believe that people that it was a good idea to get off at this stop, but most everyone we were talking to either had tickets or had to get off there to help with their volunteer work. We stayed on the metro until the Foggy Bottom exit... well past the mall (about a mile), but we figured we wouldn't have any crowds to deal with or very many issues with secuirty. Plus it would give us a chance to hit up any coffee shops or doughnut places for a quick breakfast meal before it got crazy.
We didn't see much open at this point... it was about 5am now and we were in "walk towards the Washington Monument mode". The one mile walk went by pretty quickly and we were up to the back edge of the mall in no time. We started seeing our first waves of security and street closures... this whole end of town was shut down and there were national guard/military at nearly every street corner. As we started walking on the grass field surrounding the Washington monument we could look over and see the white house, and looked straight ahead to see the long line of Jumbo Trons and lights. The capital was well lit and decorated for today's upcoming festivities... it was quite a sight that sent chills up my spine (or maybe that was just the cold?).
It was a this point when you really started taking in the magnitude of what we were going to witness this day. Police lights flashing everywhere... military humvees and solders walking the streets at every turn, helicopters buzzing overhead. It was truly an electric scene that really was quite awe inspiring. This is a big f**king deal I said to myself....
We keep walking and pass all the news outfits.... CNN, MSNBC, FOX, local news people... people in crowds behind reporters acting like fools trying to get their ugly mugs on TV. We didn't see any places serving coffee or hot chocolate yet... so we figure we should just keep walking and see how close we can get. I figured before coming that the crowd would already be close to the Washington monument... but it wasn't even close yet. We got up pretty close, way closer than we expected... and stood there for a while. The constant streaming of people behind us filled in around us pretty quick, about an hour later you couldn't tell how far back the crowd was. So after standing there for a bit we were bored... and getting a bit chilly. A few people started sitting down or laying down to kill some time... it is about 6am now.
We kill time by talking.. shivering.. getting bumped into by others. At times the wait unil 10:30 seemed to drag on... but were had some cool people around us and eventually started visiting with those around us. Everyone we talked to or sat next to were so friendly and again, everybody had a story to tell. This older couple next to us was from northern Ohio.. and scoffed at how people were complaining about the cold.. saying that northern Ohio winters were much worse. He was also a Cleveland browns fan that was pretty bitter about the Ravens and thier success. The couple behind us was from San Diego California... and it was an understatement to say they were cold. I don't think they could function below 70 degrees as they lay there bundled up under some blankets shaking.
So the sun starts to rise and most people are sitting down now... people are getting pretty cold and a bit cranky about it. The jumbo trons come on shortly after sunrise and start replaying the concert from a few days previous. The crowd really got into it when Garth Brooks was singing... I didn't think I was in a Garth Brooks type crowd to tell you the truth.. but it was fun and you could clearly tell that most everyone was still in good spirits and still excited about what the day had in store for us.
Maria and I were numb at this point... our toes and fingers were not doing so hot. And once your hands and feet get cold it's all downhill from there. We decide to take a walk on the side street and see about getting some coffee or hot chocolate as we still had a few hours to kill. For as many people that were there it was surprisingly spread out and easy to get from place to place. So walking in front of the National Air and Space Museum I spot some police horses coming my way. I snap a pic of them... then notice a small group walking behind... and I locked eyes with the tall guy in the middle and then realize that it's Samuel L. Jackson! Pretty cool celebrity sighting... by the time I take his pic knowing who he is he's already walked past. I'm not one to fawn all over celebs so I figure oh well... and we head back to our spot. Maria doesn't believe me at this point... and I'm a bit bummed I didn't get a good shot. Then about 10 mins later it dawns on me that I might have a pic of him afterall and I start looking on the camera and BAM! There he is, clear as day... "I have to show this to somebody" I tell Maria and turn around to the couple from California and show them to their shared excitement..... and Maria thought they wouldn't care... pffft.
So now the dignitaries and celebs are on the terrace of the capital and we can see them on the screens. People are getting excited and are naming off the people as they were recognized. And pretty soon some big wigs started pulling up in their motorcades. You could see the video of them driving down the street and had no idea of who they were until they got our of their limos. Most everyone was greeted to cheers (except Bush and Cheney got a fair amount of jeers.. not surprising in a group of Obama supporters).
Overall it was a tremendous experience and we had infinitely more fun than I imagined we would. To me is was mostly how cool everyone we met was... how we were all sort of in this thing way over our heads and were just along for the ride. I was glad to be there and glad that I can tell others that I was there to witness history. Even when I got back to work the next day... very openly anti-obama coworkers were very interested to hear my story from the day before. It is a day I will not soon forget.
1 comment:
Going to such gatherings would definitely be a great way to mingle with those who also support Obama during this momentous day. I kinda laughed at the fact that your anti-Obama co-workers seemed to be on their toes as they listen to your story.
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