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.