Inauguration Part 1
Monday we went into DC to scope out the lay of the land, walk the grounds, and see some sights. Red Line Metro to Metro Center then the quick jog downstairs to either the orange or blue line to get to Federal Triangle. Quick note to anyone visiting DC, Federal Triangle is across the street from the old post office that has been converted to shops and food downstairs and offices upstairs but it’s a great location to use as a starting point. (Check out the observation tower too!) So, we went up 12th street and onto the Mall. WOW! “Jumbotrons” does not quite cover the semi-truck LCD screens parked conveniently every block or so. Large speakers next to the screens should work nicely. There’s not much crowd out here today, the Mall is busy but frankly not as congested as I expected. Good. Secure in the plan, we moved on to see the WWII monument and then walk around the Tidal Basin to see the FDR Monument. As we approached the WWII monument, they started playing the HBO Concert from Sunday to test the audio and video and I can tell you now that we could clearly hear the music all the way across the Tidal Basin at the Jefferson Memorial. Listening to “America the Beautiful” floating over the chilly air was magical. Seriously I know the locals would pull their hair out if music was played all the time but it really was a great addition to the feelings already in the air!
The Big Day:
We awoke at 3:30AM to leave for the Metro station at 3:45AM because they would open the gates at 4AM. We arrived to lines at every entrance and the drop-off area was at a standstill. We jumped from the car and rushed to the quickly expanding line. Once the gates opened, we rushed down and about a third of the pack peeled off for the ticket machines. Not having a ticket already is a crime and I do not feel sorry for any of them! Through the turnstiles and onto the platform as the train arrived we quickly secured seats. The trains filled very quickly and by the third stop, we were at capacity. Everyone was in good spirits so there were not any problems. We arrived at the Metro Center to an expected different situation than the day before. There were, let us say LOTS OF PEOPLE. We went downstairs like the day before but it took two trains to get us onboard. Federal Triangle we exited and went up the street toward the Mall and hit our first problem: The street was blocked by fences. We walked briefly a few blocks and was told by police the only cross point was back the other way at 15th street which is basically in front of the Washington Monument. Backtracking we made our way around the museum and onto the Mall. My goal at this point was simple: Keep walking on the Mall toward the Capitol until the mob got too thick and there we would sit. I never expected us to be closer than about halfway (near 9th street.) We made it all the way to almost 4th street in line with the edge of the Air and Space Museum, which is about 800 yards from the dais. We popped out the chairs and tried to stay warm.
It was really, really, very much, cold. Can I explain that enough? No, it was colder than that. Really.
The sun came up, they once again ran the concert from Sunday, which was awesome, and then the real show began. I love the open microphone and someone on the dais had one so we could really feel like we were sitting up there…hearing parts of some stories and picking up bits of other conversations. It was cool. I do not remember the order so I am just going to bullet some impressions:
- The kids singing were great for the first two songs but after that, they sang songs no one seemed to know so it was a bit of a disappointment, I think it would have been better if they stayed with more familiar fare.
- Yo Yo Ma is a deity among us. Period.
- Rick Warren was impressive and fair, nothing out of control or concerning.
- Aretha Franklin is a angel with a voice that God Him (or Her) self has granted us.
- The Marine Band was amazing.
- The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery’s rhyming benediction was uh, different.
- I do not really have a comment on CJ Robert’s flub. Emotions get to the best of sometimes and frankly, I could not have spoken clearly without prompting.
- The speech was frankly, what I expected. No zinger line that would be quoted through time, these are serious times with serious issues and a more straightforward outline of his approach was what I expected and received.
The moment of the day came when I looked at my Mother and she told me that this was the most patriotic thing she had ever done in her life. Me FTW!
The events complete we quickly marched our frozen bodies into the Air and Space Museum to warm up and eat. I will say it was crowded but that does not cover it…picture an airport that has been snowed in for several days and you will get a good picture.
I will update with the events around the MSNBC booth tomorrow…it’s late!
The Big Day:
We awoke at 3:30AM to leave for the Metro station at 3:45AM because they would open the gates at 4AM. We arrived to lines at every entrance and the drop-off area was at a standstill. We jumped from the car and rushed to the quickly expanding line. Once the gates opened, we rushed down and about a third of the pack peeled off for the ticket machines. Not having a ticket already is a crime and I do not feel sorry for any of them! Through the turnstiles and onto the platform as the train arrived we quickly secured seats. The trains filled very quickly and by the third stop, we were at capacity. Everyone was in good spirits so there were not any problems. We arrived at the Metro Center to an expected different situation than the day before. There were, let us say LOTS OF PEOPLE. We went downstairs like the day before but it took two trains to get us onboard. Federal Triangle we exited and went up the street toward the Mall and hit our first problem: The street was blocked by fences. We walked briefly a few blocks and was told by police the only cross point was back the other way at 15th street which is basically in front of the Washington Monument. Backtracking we made our way around the museum and onto the Mall. My goal at this point was simple: Keep walking on the Mall toward the Capitol until the mob got too thick and there we would sit. I never expected us to be closer than about halfway (near 9th street.) We made it all the way to almost 4th street in line with the edge of the Air and Space Museum, which is about 800 yards from the dais. We popped out the chairs and tried to stay warm.
It was really, really, very much, cold. Can I explain that enough? No, it was colder than that. Really.
The sun came up, they once again ran the concert from Sunday, which was awesome, and then the real show began. I love the open microphone and someone on the dais had one so we could really feel like we were sitting up there…hearing parts of some stories and picking up bits of other conversations. It was cool. I do not remember the order so I am just going to bullet some impressions:
- The kids singing were great for the first two songs but after that, they sang songs no one seemed to know so it was a bit of a disappointment, I think it would have been better if they stayed with more familiar fare.
- Yo Yo Ma is a deity among us. Period.
- Rick Warren was impressive and fair, nothing out of control or concerning.
- Aretha Franklin is a angel with a voice that God Him (or Her) self has granted us.
- The Marine Band was amazing.
- The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery’s rhyming benediction was uh, different.
- I do not really have a comment on CJ Robert’s flub. Emotions get to the best of sometimes and frankly, I could not have spoken clearly without prompting.
- The speech was frankly, what I expected. No zinger line that would be quoted through time, these are serious times with serious issues and a more straightforward outline of his approach was what I expected and received.
The moment of the day came when I looked at my Mother and she told me that this was the most patriotic thing she had ever done in her life. Me FTW!
The events complete we quickly marched our frozen bodies into the Air and Space Museum to warm up and eat. I will say it was crowded but that does not cover it…picture an airport that has been snowed in for several days and you will get a good picture.
I will update with the events around the MSNBC booth tomorrow…it’s late!