I Was There - Part Two

This was also the perfect spot when it was time to leave.  This was one of the exits from the National Mall to the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue.  I don’t think we planned it that way but we were having a very lucky day.

After President Obama’s Inaugural Address, we decided to head to the parade route and beat some of the crowd leaving the National Mall.  We walked quickly toward Pennsylvania Avenue and noticed people walking in the street but decided to stay on the sidewalk.  At first, this seemed like a mistake because we became separated from the crowd and routed away from everyone.  We couldn’t get out of the gates and had to continue until there was an opening, which happened at the Metro station.  This also happened to be the checkpoint area for the parade.  There was a short line that seemed to move faster than the others so we jumped in.  After a minute or two, a woman came to our side an announced that the line was for volunteers and military personnel.  We reluctantly moved over to the much longer line to our right.  Shortly thereafter, another came to the gate and announced that our previous line was for volunteers, military personnel and federal government employees.  We looked at each other and wondered if that meant all federal employees.  Lisa, the federal employee in our midst, went to the lady and asked.  We held our breath and prayed silently while we waited.  “YES!”  Lisa signaled for us to join her in the much shorter, faster-moving line.  We were standing along the parade route in a matter of minutes.  I’m sure it didn’t hurt that we were traveling lighter than a hummingbird.  We didn’t know what would be allowed and what would be confiscated, so we traveled with nothing but bare essentials: phones, ID, money.  The crowd wasn’t very thick at that entry point so we decided to just stay there – only three or four people away from the barricade.

There were still two hours before the start of the parade, so we started to amuse ourselves.  First, we chatted with the people around us - discussing our hometowns and making jokes.  Then we started moving around trying to keep warm.  We laughed at the young people who were bundled up and sitting on the curb like they had been abandoned.  We watched the people in the office buildings who sat in their windows waiting for the parade and laughed at the few who forgot we could see them.  We even had a brief sing-along of patriotic songs finishing with soulful rendition of “Solid Like a Rock” eventually substituting “Barack” for “a rock”.  Once it was decided that we would sing it for him if he happened to get out of the car at our section, we decided to rest our voices.  With another hour to go, we started watching the security on the rooftops and other clandestine places high in the sky.  As we neared closer to the start time, there a few false starts with people cheering empty buses and cars making their way to the end of the parade route.

Finally, it started.  The cheers were real.  The motorcycles and first few vehicles passed by and I had an unobstructed view.  Then the Presidential motorcade started to pass by.  The news flew through the crowd, “He’s out of the car!”  President Obama was walking on the street less than a block from where I stood.  All of the short people in front of me suddenly grew a foot taller.  All I could see were coats and images from everyone’s cell phone cameras. I couldn’t believe it and said as much.  Just then, the lady in front of me asked me if I wanted her to lift me up to get a better view.  As she offered, she was grabbing me around the legs and trying to lift me.  I stopped her just in time.  All I could see was us toppling over and causing a commotion within ten feet of the Presidential motorcade and being shot by the snipers. Then just as quickly, he was getting back in the car.  The crowd parted and there was an opening. I could see to the street.  Then I saw it.  President Barack Obama’s hand was  waving above the car roof as he entered the car.  No one else in my group saw it.  They were too busy getting their cameras ready for the next shot.  I saw the President of the United States of America in person.


I may not have a digital picture or a video but I have a memory.  One that I will tell anyone who is willing to listen and even if they aren’t.

I’ve been inspired by my family and complete strangers.  My trip to Washington, D.C. was full of wonderful memories.   I can’t wait until my next adventure to make some more.

I Was There! - Part One

As you know, I'm always ready for an adventure.  Well, here is the latest one - a trip to Washington, D.C. for President Obama's Second Inauguration.  I went with my two youngest daughters, their aunt and one of her friends.  My girls often travel with their aunt Lisa, their dad's sister, but this was my first trip.  (Little background: their dad and I were once married but have been divorced for over ten years.)  The drive there was uneventful and we reached our hotel room late Monday evening.  We ordered delivery and prepared for the big day ahead of us.

Tuesday morning, I awoke with a sense of urgency but didn't feel that all the members of my traveling party were experiencing the same.  I had showered the night before, so my preparations were quick.  (Something that is very important when you have 5 people sharing one bathroom.)  I started with my layers: tights and turtleneck shirt; lined wool pants and thick sweater; satin bonnet and GSU blue beret.  I stopped here because I still needed to go to the lobby for breakfast.  Tunde and I went for breakfast while Lisa and Shannon made their morning preparations.  Abiola was just waking.  I made sure to eat warm, filling food because I didn't know what the day would bring and I wanted to be prepared.  Even with the snail-like movements of my child, we were dressed and out the door around 8.  I know, very late for the event we were attending.  I completed my ensemble with thick socks, quilted coat with hood, GSU blue scarf and gloves.  I even carried an extra pair of gloves in my pocket.  We piled into the car and made the quick drive from the hotel to the Metro station.  After following the confusing, winding road around construction, we made it to the parking deck and found a space.

Until this point, the inauguration had been an event on the television.  But as soon as we hit the train station, we were in it.  People were pushing commemorative newspapers into our hands, we were trying to get to our cash to purchase our bus passes (of course, the ones Lisa had ordered online which were assured to be delivered before we left did not arrive on time), and rushing down powerless escalators to catch the train.  The trains were filled with other excited people from all over the country making their way to the National Mall to watch this great event.  We talked about our hometowns and compared the transit map to the Inauguration map to determine the best stop for our departure.  D.C. natives offered advice and directions.  We decided to get off at the L'Enfant Plaza.  We thought we'd miss the larger crowds by using a peripheral stop - well, Lisa did.  She's the only one who had been in D.C. for any period of time.  Shannon and I just smiled and nodded like foreigners who didn't know the language.

We exited the train and marveled at the number of people trying to get through the exit gates from our stop and decided to try another gate.  It was just as crowded but it was moving and soon we were on the streets of Washington, D.C.  Oh my!  There were so many people.  There was electricity in the air and everyone was just happy to be there.  There was a little tension because you didn't want to be separated from your group but not in a bad way.  Right at the train station exit, there were vendors hawking their wares: bags, t-shirts, buttons, calendars, any and everything that could have President Obama's image put on it was for sale.  Some were cute, some were sad, some just made me shake my head.  We opted to wait to make the majority of our purchases on the way back.  First, the prices would go down for some items once the event was over.  Second, we'd have a better idea which items we wanted after we had seen a better selection and also know the best price.  But there must have been a meeting or something because all of the prices were pretty consistent for similar items.  And three, and probably most important, we wouldn't have to carry these items all day long.  Shannon bought a bag to hold the newspapers that had been thrust upon us at the train station.  That's probably the only reason we still have them.  (Thanks, Shannon!)  L'Enfant Plaza was probably the last time we moved freely until we reached the National Mall.  We joined the throngs of people and were herded like cattle from one spot to the other.  We had hoped to enter the Mall on the 7th but that street was closed off and we were told that we would have to enter the Mall on 12th.  We pushed on with the other cattle, unable to see more than the head of the person in front of us until we reached 12th Street.  Most people moved along quietly, making small talk with the people around them and checking to make sure their groups were still intact.  The adults in my group were all wearing very bright and/or unique hats and we stayed close together.  I held Abiola's arm. The only scary moment came just as we reached the gates to the Mall.  Someone shouted that they were going to close the gates and people started pushing.  I felt like I was on an incline and sliding downhill.  I suddenly felt I knew how stampedes started.  I could feel the pressure against my body as I held my child's arm, tried to keep from being crushed and made my way through the gate.  It only lasted a few seconds but it left a lasting impression.  Once through the gate, we could move freely again.  We wandered around to find a good spot to watch the Inaugural Ceremony, looked for the volunteers passing out American flags and finally decided on a spot near the back of the Mall where we could clearly see the monitors.  This was the best we could hope to do since we didn’t get to the Mall until nearly 11.

My child held up her “Free Hugs” sign and started to give out the first of many hugs on the Mall.  One of her bucket list items was to have a “Free Hugs” sign and display it.  The hugs were just a bonus.  Once she mentioned it, her aunt knew she wouldn’t have a better opportunity than this.  We flew into action and within 10 minutes she was ready to check off one of her bucket list items.  This turned out to be a perfect spot.

And then it started… the music, the pomp, the circumstance, the flag-waving.  I didn’t know I’d be so excited.  We heard the performers sing and watched the swearing-in ceremonies.  And then he started to speak.  President Barack Obama was delivering his Inaugural Address.  I was there on the National Mall with the President of the United States of America.  Sure there were nearly a million other people there with me, but I was there.  I wasn’t watching it on TV in my living room or on the computer in my office.  I was out there, feeling the same sun on my face that he felt, the same breeze, hearing him speak without delay or buffering.  I didn’t have to think about losing the signal or a power surge or any mechanical malfunction.  I WAS THERE!