At the airport, my mom is looking at a map of the Mall to plan our route. When I planned the trip I didn't want to risk driving or taking a bus for fear we would get stuck in horrible traffic (this was when they were predicting 4-5 million people). But all the regular trains back to Philly on Inauguration Day were booked, so we could either take the high-speed train or fly. Turned out flying was a lot cheaper than the high-speed train!
At the airport we bonded with an African-American mother-daughter pair from Los Angeles. When we got off the plane I saw the mother getting into a wheelchair. It was a testament to how important this day was - that an elderly woman who uses a wheelchair will travel across the country for this occasion.
At Dulles Airport I had a celebrity siting: Courteney Cox. Two photographers were taking her picture and one was quizzing her, "What number president is Obama?" We got on a bus that took us to the metro, which was packed even though it was midnight. Someone near us said he was heading to Union Station, where he was planning on spending the night. The man, who was traveling alone and looked about 70, said with a big grin," It's an adventure!" There was truly a spirit of excitement and adventure in the air. As we were taking the escalator at the metro, we heard people chanting above, "Obama, Obama....." It felt like Christmas, New Year's and your birthday all wrapped up in one!
I took the trip with my mom (on the right, who never says "No" to a trip) and we stayed at cousin Carol's house the night before. She was so sweet - she drove us everywhere we needed to go, had breakfast ready and packed us lunches in case we got hungry. She had even sent us metro cards and lots of info and maps. Thanks Carol!!
We were on the metro first, but it kept stopping because of an accident so we got off and got on a bus. Later we found out a 68-year-old woman had fallen on the tracks. Cousin Carol said a train was coming and a police officer realized he didn't have time to get her out, so he told her to get down in the tracks as far as she could. The train ran over her and miraculously, she was OK.
Lots of vendors on the street - buttons, hats, tee-shirts, posters, you name it. I wanted to buy a tee-shirt for the boy I sponsor in Haiti but one vendor said they had sold out of smalls and mediums the night before. Every vendor had crowds of people around them.
I saw a bunch of these bike guys transporting people - what a great idea!
This is what the streets looked like leading to the Mall. Reminded me of Broad Street during the Phillies Parade!
I got a kick out of the name of these porta-potties, Don's Johns. There were so many, I joked to my mom, "There's more porta-potties than people!"
We walked down 23rd street, which leads to the Lincoln Memorial, then walked a bit down and found a nice spot on the side of the reflecting pool. There was a hill so we had a decent view of the last big screen they set up along the Mall. There was plenty of room around us so we didn't feel overwhelmed by the crowd.
In the photo above, I look like I was being attacked by a red, fluffy boa constrictor! Contrary to what it may look like, we weren't very cold. We had walked a long way from the bus and we only stood there for about an hour.
The crowd was a huge melting pot - every age and race, families, young people, couples. Lots of African-Americans, every one of whom seemed to be adorned with buttons, hats, shirts and flags.
Everyone was so happy and excited - it was such a great feeling being a part of this incredible moment in history. Everyone was so nice to each other - strangers were chatting with each other, people were helping others. When we got off the metro the night before a woman pulled up in a car and asked us and the other people if we needed help getting anywhere. It felt like everyone had a common bond that day.
The Lincoln Memorial was always my favorite - it gives me chills for some reason.
Not sure if Pepsi did this campaign only in the DC area, but there were signs and buses reflecting the uplifting feeling of the moment.
My mom and I had a few hours to kill between the Inauguration and dinner at a friend's house on K street. We went to McFadden's bar on Pennsylvania Ave, which was a mob scene, and shared a table with 2 college students from Emory University. They were so excited about the election they drove 11 hours from Atlanta to be here! Marianne, on the right, from Alabama, was so eager to vote she was the first in line at her precinct. She got there at 4:30am and it didn't even open till 6!
The bar had several screens, and every time they showed the Bushes getting on the helicopter or plane to go back to Texas, the entire bar cheered and clapped and some even started singing, "Na na na na, na na na na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye." I'm not a big Bush fan, but it did bother me when I heard some booing when President Bush was announced during the ceremony - I thought it was inappropriate and downright rude.
Our gracious host for dinner, C.B., set a beautiful table that included 44 American flags. It was fun to watch the proceedings on TV with a group of Washingtonians!
Tags: Main Line Children's Photographer, Main Line Photographer, Main Line Family Photographer, Children's Portraits, Family Portraits
