The Arrival
I arrived at my friend's apartment on Sunday. We didn't get there early enough to go to the free concert but I was tired from driving anyway. I need to thank my friend again for letting us stay! Anything you need from me (in the near future…don't be calling me 20 years later!) you got it! I wish I would have taken more photos in the beginning but I didn't so here is a canned shot of the place that we all went out to eat. Man that food was good!
Monday
On Monday, we wanted to plan out our attack… we knew it was going to be crazy the next day. Armed with a Metro map and lots of layers of clothing we went out. Here is the layout of where we were supposed to stand. The package of stuff that they gave with the tickets was really cool. All of the stuff that came in the envelope is in the photo.
Just so you know where we were in reference to the capital, we were staying in Rockville, MD. The metro ride was great…on Monday. No real issues. The people we were around had the best attitudes. Everyone was upbeat and having a good time. Everyone had a hustle… Selling Obama everything! Pins, cups, hats, shirts….you name it, it had Obama on it. We got down to the mall and started taking in the moment that was going to happen the next day. There were camera crews all around. We stood and watched the CNN area where the Kenyan Boy's Club was performing…shut up Brandon… I know I was a dark as most of them! Ha Ha
Brandon and I kept walking down looking at all of the people taking in the scene.
See I am strong! Holding up the capital!
As it got darker, it got colder so we headed back to the Metro to warm up. We planned on going out in the evening. Again, due to my lack of photo skills I forgot to capture the evening L. We meet up with my sister and her friend downtown for dinner. Bar Louie was the name of the spot. See the canned photo. It was a good time…somehow I ended up buying my sisters drink…I must love her or something.
The Big Day
With six layers of clothes on and my jacket zipped up tight, we headed out to see Barak Obama take the presidency by storm. This time the subway was completely full. It was crazy. I have never seen that many people in such a small space (the metro car). We played a game of who was from the farthest away and I lost quickly. The girl from Alaska took second while the lady from Nigeria took home the gold. People from all around the globe wanted to see this. I really felt like I was participating in history!
People were amped getting off the train at our stop. Chants of "Yes We Can" echoed out of the tunnel.
There were people everywhere! It literally was a sea composed of humans! We waited in the cold to get into our section. We had blue tickets so we were pretty close to the front. I didn't realize that about 200,000 other people had blue tickets too! That crowd was huge! We got to the line at about 7:30 AM and didn't get through the security check point until about 10:30 AM. Three hours in 17 degree weather is a VERY long time. Once we got thru the crowd and into our standing area we decided to use the port-a-potties…man that is a story all of its own. If you ever see me in person, I will give you the stinky details…..
At our standing spot we had a pretty good view. Here is a shot of where we were from a satellite… (I got connections with the NSA).
The ground view is just as impressive…
Once the ceremonies started you could feel the crowd getting ready to break out in a singular roar. Once Joe was sworn in it was Barak's turn….
President Barak Obama! Man that has a good ring to it. The moment is larger than any number of words I can type. So I will just use one…Defining.
After that we bolted with the other two million people. The subway was crowded and I picked up a few President Obama pins. Again, the sea of people was just amazing.
Dinner again that evening and then we both headed back home the next morning. It was an experience that I am SO glad that I was able to get in person. It's not every day a black man is sworn in as President. Now I can tell my kids and grandchildren that I was there. I was there to see President Obama begin the change that our country so desperately needs and deserves. Thanks Barak (I mean Mr. President) and let's get to work!
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