Thanks to Nancy for sharing this photo of Sheryl Crow (and her momma and daddy) with our new president. I’m guessing this was taken before or after the opening ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial. Is that Jamie Fox in the background.
Inauguration Day ended like it began. Standing in the dark, bitter cold in a crush of people. We arrived at the Metro station at 4 a.m. and there were already 50 or 60 people waiting for the station to open.
It’s difficult to describe how crowded the Metro cars were. Very much like the video of Japanese train “car stuffers” cramming people into the already full cars. I must say, however, most folks were pretty friendly and patient.
We reached our security gate (about half a mile from the Capitol?) around 5 a.m. and there was a crowd of a couple of hundred people waiting for the security check-in which didn’t happen until about 9 a.m. Four very long hours, with the bone-chilling cold creeping into your feed and up your legs.
Once through security we hobbled to a standing area about 100 yards from the Capitol steps where our new president was sworn in. We could see President Obama or the others except on the the Jumbotrons, the closest of which was about 40 or 50 yards away. Another 2.5 hour wait. Temp in the upper teens. And crowded.
Just in front of us was a large area filled with row upon row of folding chairs. The cheap seats but better than no seat at all. This is where we saw some celebrities: Chris Tucker; Bruce Springsteen; Spike Lee; Al Franken. I was impressed that these folks were willing sit in the cold with the rest of us.
Behind us, stretching out along the National Mall, all the way to the Washington Monument, was the sea of people you saw on TV, waving flags.
By the time the oath of office was administered, we had been standing in line and fighting for our live son the Metro, for 8 hours. All but 30 or 45 minutes in the cold.
After the ceremony, The million+ people had to go someplace. The streets and sidewalks near the Capital were packed, so we decided to skip the parade and go back to base camp. To say the Metro was crowded doesn’t begin to describe the scene.
After a nap and some food we got in our party clothes and headed down tot he convention center where several of the inaugural balls were being held. Sheryl Crow did a nice set and a little late the new VP and Mrs. showed, which we mistakenly assumed meant Obama wouldn’t make it. We knew cabs would be scarce but after more than an hour in the freezing cold, we gave up and called our friend Dianne (out of a dead sleep). Trooper that she is, she fought the traffic and closed off streets to come down and rescue us. (There will be a small shrine in our basement)
So was our Inauguration Adventure fun? Not by any objective measure. It was… and experience. Like WWII. An important moment in time of which we can say we participated. Would I do it again, knowing what I know now? Doubtful. But that’s true of much in life.
I’ll be processing photos and video for days and will post anything that I think you might find interesting.
I have no idea what it was like at previous inaugurations, but everywhere I look, in every face, there’s a real sense of joy and excitement. And these look like people who –like smays.com– never felt like their vote made much of a difference, but do now.
My cynical (“Realistic! Realistic!”) friends tell me I am niave (nice word for chump) to believe/hope Obama is anything more than another smooth talking pol. Once in office, it’ll be business as usual. Well, there’s bunch of chumps everywhere I look. These are the true believers. They think (know?) they can knock on doors and organize and vote and, in time, change things.
Before the Net, you could sway these masses with well placed media buys. I’m thinking that might be changing (have changed). MSM has their own problems and the Net can take a politician down as fast as it can lift her up.
But the people on these cold streets aren’t thinking about that. They see a new day and they’re pumped. They BELIEVE they are part of something big and important and it’s gonna be hard to persuade them otherwise. [Inauguration 2009 flickr images]
CNN is partnering with Microsoft and using their Photosynth technology to create a 3-D version of what they are calling “The Moment.” Users are asked to take a photo at Noon when Obama takes the Oath of office. CNN will then stitch the photos together using the “synth” technology to create the 3-D recreation. [Lost Remote]
President-elect Barack Obama told CNN he thinks he may be able to “hang onto” his blackberry after all.
“I think we’re going to be able to hang onto one of these. Now, my working assumption, and this is not new, is that everything I write on e-mail could end up being on CNN. So I make sure that — to think before I press ‘send.’”
What if all of our leaders understood that everything they say an do “could end up being on CNN” and they had to think before pressing send?
I love that O wants to keep his Blackberry, even if he can only use it for personal communication. The man wants to stay connected.
The inauguration of President Barack Obama is just a couple of weeks away and it’s looking more and more like Barb and I will be in D.C. for the historic event. We’re told we have tickets. A friend of Barb’s has graciously provided a place to stay. And we have two insanely expensive airline tickets.
Given that our tickets are two of 250,000, we have no illusions about this adventure and are approaching it like Woodstock: cold, muddy and a lot of fun. No, I wasn’t there.
But now there’s some talk of tickets to one of the many Inaugural Balls. In for a penny, in for a pound. In the event we do get tickets to a ball, yesterday I got fitted for my first tuxedo since my high school prom.
There was some discussion of showing up in a powder blue number but the Sean Connery model (From Russia with Love) won out. All Barb would say about her new dress was, “It’s sparkly.”
Stay tuned as this story unfolds.
“How much is it worth to someone who is coming to town for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration in January and needs a place to stay? One three-bedroom house in suburban Virginia is said to have gone for $57,000 for inauguration week. A week at a four-bedroom in suburban Maryland was listed at $60,000, though that, like other offerings, may be wishful thinking.” — NYTimes.com.
One more from the Barbara Walters interview:
WALTERS: I have one final, very important question. I, Mrs. Obama, I sent you a picture of my dog, Cha Cha
MICHELLE OBAMA: Uh-huh.
WALTERS: Who is a Havanese, and a very perfect dog, and
BARACK OBAMA: Cha Cha?
WALTERS: Cha Cha. Cha Cha is a dog, he's a Havanese, he's from Havana… name is "Cha-cha-cha."
BARACK OBAMA: Cha-cha-cha.
WALTERS: Yeah. (overlap)
BARACK OBAMA What is a Havanese?
WALTERS: Oh, it's like a little.. it's like a little terrier. And they're non-allergenic, and they're the sweetest dogs in the world.
BARACK OBAMA: But, but it's a… it's like a little yappy dog.
WALTERS: Yeah, you don't want (overlap)
MICHELLE OBAMA: Don't criticize.
BARACK OBAMA: Yeah, it like sits in your lap and things?
MICHELLE OBAMA: (Overlap) Yes, it's a cute dog. (Laughs)
BARACK OBAMA: It sounds kind of like a… a girly dog.
MICHELLE OBAMA: We're girls. We have a house full of girls.
WALTERS: We know… we… what about whatever you were saying?
MICHELLE OBAMA: (Laughs)
BARACK OBAMA: Well, well, we're gonna have a big, rambunctious dog.
“I’m negotiating to figure out how can I get information from outside of the 10 or 12 people who surround my office in the White House. Because, one of the worst things I think that could happen to a president is losing touch with what people are going through day to day.”
— Barbara Walters interview
I don't like crowds. And I don't like waiting in line. But if Our Source comes through with tickets, Barb and I plan to attend the inauguration of President Obama on January 20. Barb has a friend who has graciously invited us to stay with her (no hotel rooms for miles and miles).
I really don't expect to see much. Or even as much as we could see on TV. But it's one of those historic events that even I can't pass up, given the opportunity. Should be a blog-rich environment. And the experience might make all future airport check-in's seem like a walk in the park.
"People attending the ceremony and parade can expect to be searched by machines, security personnel or both. Precautions will range from the routine — magnetometers like those used at airports — to counter-snipers trained to hit a target the size of a teacup saucer from 1,000 yards away. Plus undercover officers, bomb sniffing dogs and air patrols.
The Secret Service — the agency coordinating the security — also has assigned trained officials to identify and prevent cyber security risks. And, as it does at every inauguration, the service has mapped out escape routes for the 44th president.
In addition Washington's 5,265 surveillance cameras, spread around the city, are expected to be fed into a multi-agency command center." [Article at RawStory.com]
This could still fall through. Our Source is a Republican big wig and they aren't swinging as much weight as they once did. Stay tuned.