Inauguration

On Tuesday, I went to President Obama's inauguration. It was cold but a really great experience.

I left Tarrytown at about 9:15 p.m. or so Monday night and drove down to DC. It's only about 4.5 hours or so and it went quickly. I was going to park at a particular DC Metro Station called Largo Town Center, but signs kept directing me to Greenbelt station, so I parked there. At 2:15 a.m., there were already a hundred cars parked in a line waiting to get in. I was able to quick run into the station and buy the DC equivalent of a Metro Card and then waited to park and stand in line for the first train. The first train left a little after 4 a.m. and we arrived in central DC by 4:30 or so.

Once we got into town, I was happily able to find a bathroom in this underground mall because I know that I would not be able to use the bathroom for a long time. After using the bathroom, I went to the National Mall at about 7th Street. The lines for the people with tickets were already thousands of people long! To get into the non-ticketed area, there were just unorganized throngs of people (1000's) waiting by gates. The rumor was that the gates wouldn't open until 7 a.m., but that didn't happen. By 5:20 or so, the gates opened (and one came down) and we flooded the mall.

I was able to find an area very close to the front of the non-ticketed area, near 4th Street. Once all the people got to the front area, there was nothing to do but wait. A hundred or so mostly college-aged kids decided it would be smart to lay on the ground and sleep, but that made things cramped and hard to find a spot to stand safely. Plus, it was bitter cold and the stupid hand warmers I bought at Kmart didn't work. I had gloves and a hat though.

At about 8 a.m., they played the musical concert from the prior Sunday on the JumboTrons. That made everybody happy. I had a terrible time trying to text people or call out during the entire morning, so I'm sorry if I missed anyone!

At 11:30 a.m. or so, the program started and I was able to watch both through my binoculars and on the JumboTrons. The crowd was very pro-Obama and Democratic. They cheered when Clinton appeared on the JumboTron, but also more obscure Democrats, which says to me that the attendees were pretty politically "plugged-in" people.

After the speech, I was going to try to go to the parade, but that was absolutely impossible. The parade route was 100% full and the masses seeking to leave the National Mall were seriously delayed. So instead, I watched a little of the days events on TV's at MSNBC's mini-studio, where Olberman, Chris Matthews, Eugene Robinson and Rachel Maddow were broadcasting. It was cool to see them because I really like all of them and watch them on TV frequently.

I walked around DC and found a bar on Pennsylvania Avenue by the Capitol, by Seward Square and Eastern Market. I drank a glass of beer and wine with some people I met. All three had, at one point, lived and worked in DC for various Democrats, including one that worked for Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow. In fact, he told me that Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman, had actually helped on Stabenow's campaign when she first ran for Senate. I didn't know.

After walking around and watching people go in and out of brs, I took the subway back to Greenbelt and got my (rental) car and drove to Baltimore. I stayed at the Spring Hill Suites in downtown Baltimore and I am so happy I was able to find something so much closer to DC than my original Philly area hotel. Baltimore is only 45 mins or so from DC. t was a nice hotel, though I did little but sleep there. I got a huge discount through Marriott, of course.

Wednesday morning, I walked around Baltimore's "Inner Harbor" for a while. It looks really fun, having a lot of bars, restaurants, a Children's Museum and the National Aquarium. Corey and I may go back in April to visit. I got back to Tarrytown by about 4 p.m. Baltimore's only 3.5 hours or so.

Inauguration

I'm looking forward to going to the Inauguration tomorrow! Looks like the weather won't be too bad- just 32 degrees or so but no snow or rain. I was happy to be able to get a discounted room in Baltimore instead of by Philadelphia. That means I only have to drive 45 minutes or so at the end of the day instead of more than two hours.

Hope everyone has a great MLK day!

Snowstorm

Looks like we are going to get the same snow storm that is hitting Chicago/MI right now (4 a.m. on Sat.) today. Doesn't matter to me. I'm going home and sleeping today. After that, we are going to play our new Wii, which took almost three weeks to find! We finally got one tonight after work at the Game Stop in Ossining.

Only a little more than a week to the Inauguration! I'm hoping everyone is too afraid of the cold weather, terrorists, crowds, etc., to come. It will be just me, Obama, Biden, Roberts, Jill and Michelle :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I was at work at midnight but that was ok. White Plains had a nice fireworks and ball drop at midnight. There were quite a few people right at midnight, but because it was very cold, few people were outside immediately before or after. The restaurants and shops looked pretty busy.

Corey should come home from MI today. Hopefully, we will be able to find a Wii somewhere soon. I'm looking forward to playing it. Every store I've called since before Christmas has been sold out of them. I can't believe they are that popular.