Jeff's Diary: January 20th 2009

0600 – Alarm goes off, I hit snooze.

0617 – OK I’m moving…

0650 – Armed with cameras, warm clothing, chapstick, etc, and my formal attire for later, I nervously drive my car, aka mobile locker, towards Objective #1: place to park in neighborhood near Foggy Botom metro line. The City is not exactly bustling, but people are walking, biking, and on the phone in moderate numbers.

0710 – Bingo! Good parking spot only 4 blocks from metro. I leave everything in my mobile locker except cameras and "survival" gear. Phone Angela as I head to metro to see how she is doing regarding our rendezvous pt at 3^rd & Independence Ave south of mall...no answer, left message. Angela is a “long-lost” elementary school friend from Connecticut who is visiting DC from Boston for the Inauguration.

0730 – Oh my…after waltzing into the metro, even with not too many people on platform (yet), the first train that arrives is jammed in mad fashion; few people on platform able to board.

0735 – Second train comes jammed like first but I literally squeeze into doorway. Lots of people got on this thing way far out. Train is so full you don’t need a handhold despite lots of jerking due to abnormal slowdowns, stops & starts. Delays start to add up due to difficulty getting the doors closed at each stop. People are either asleep if they have a seat or chatting excitedly and making jokes. Can barely get my camera out to snap a couple photos because its so cramped.

0815 – So far so good. Reached Objective #2: Federal Center metro stop. My theory is that this is the gateway to less populated southern Mall ingress, as far forward towards Capitol as possible.

Oops. Platform is so packed with people getting off trains it takes forever just to exit. Metro authority opens the gates to keep it moving. (Now my metro card will be confused next time I use it.). There are not enough police/metro officers to smoothly orchestrate the exodus.

0841 – Daylight! Angela can’t make rendezvous point and neither can I. Following directions from smiling red-hatted volunteers, I head to 7^th & Independence ingress point for non-ticket holders (Angela has Blue ticket near reflecting pool and is in security line).

0850 – Curses…7^th street gate is closed “Area Full” sign is blinking. Must push on to the west along the Mall outskirts to try for Backup Objective #3: 14^th St gate. Conflicting info obviously given out about when the Mall would open. I thought either 0800 or 0900 but I hear it may have opened at 0400.

0920 – Going gets more and more crowded…slows down around 12^th st. Inching along now in a throng that is alternately bottlenecked between parked buses and outer Mall fencing and security people and whatever else. Slowly reach the first and then the second of the two arches stretching overhead from the Dept of Agriculture building. Can’t even seen the Mall or the Capitol. People pour onto Independence from the south.

0945 – 14^th St gate is closed. Damn it. Not only that but no one is giving out any info and there is a weird eddy in the current of people movement that has much of the area there immobile except for a mass of people going over and under barriers and pushing through bushes…its tempting but I sense there are further barriers closer in to Mall perimeter. Going in opposite direction, I do a reverse Schlieffen Plan and circle around the gate to head for…ad hoc Backup Objective #3: a clear line of sight towards the Capitol no matter how far away and proximity to big screen TV and speakers.

0955 – Ha-hah! I slither through people forming up against 15^th street, which is the one crossing the Mall in front of the Washington Memorial. There is an ocean of people rippling about the Memorial as far as the eye can see.

There are still enough open holes for me to make it about 1/3 of way to centerline between Memorial and Capitol. I’m on a slight downslope about 4 meters from the edge of 15^th St, which is the top of the slope and is barricaded by security. Can’t really see the Capitol over people’s heads, etc, but I can see the single gia-normous TV set up for the Wash Memorial area people – only because I’m 6 ft tall though. Later on I relay some imagery to my shorter neighbors.

1125 – Officials and VIPs starting arriving at the Capitol, according to the TV and speakers. People have completely filled in behind me. There is some getting to know people around you as we all wait and wait. Any little disturbance to the status quo in the neighborhood (someone trying to push further, etc) stands out like a sore thumb and is suppressed. A wind chaffed and very-white pair in late 20s or early 30s from Iowa to the left. Three beautiful black women from NYC to my right. A 40-something couple with 2 young kids from San Fran area, rock climbers. A black high school student in front who has been separated from his group after using a port-o-potty. Unfortunately a tall guy with dreadlocks a few feet ahead requiring me to bob-and-weave most of the time for good views of the TV.

1145 – Every time the younger Bush appears on TV, and especially at introduction, there is mass booing. The vibe is at least as hostile regarding Cheney. Even Bush Sr. gets booed. I discuss the possibility with someone that this may be simply for raising George W ? Mostly there is a positive pro-Obama vibe, but there are a few anti-Bush banners and signs. Carter looks very old but moves well. Bush Sr is dottering. Speaking of which, a stumbling, fainting woman appears, we help her smear through the crowd the 4 meters to get to 15^th St and security personnel for help. Angela phone messages indicate she did not make it into the Mall. Arnold Schwarzeneggar seems to get a little more camera time on the TV than the other governors. Why are they showing Wesley Snipes and some woman? What is this, the academy awards?

1200 – Obama is officially President at noon by rule somewhere, people say, even though the oath is still some minutes away. The ceremonies seem to go pretty snappily, in the order advertised. Every speaker is really good except the last one, who seemed to have a disjointed message, or maybe I was just thinking more about how to get to Objective #4. The Chief Justice dorks up the oath a bit, which later turns out to be significant as Obama repeats the oath just to be safe the following day. Weird. The crowd varied between intent silence, individual affirmations, and unanimous cheering during Obama’s speech. I welcomed the nod to the role of science and analysis in problem-solving and the fairly clear message that past policies have been wrong-minded. I also thought hard about how short-sited and fast-paced American society is, yet that Obama was right that collectively, we cannot be outlasted by people who seek ill against the US, despite the so-called long term and patient mentality of the cultures that they come from. What stays with me the most is that America is not on some inevitable downslide, but that growing America’s strength does not result by projecting American power, in fact the former occurs because of restraint regarding the latter. Its not just the cold affecting people, there seems to be a lot of emotion in the crowd, and people seem to have a sense of being part of a historical event.

1325 – The crowd starts to break up little by little like a springtime thaw. Strangely, there were busloads of people departing the mall via 15^th St before Obama even finished speaking. People mill about taking pictures, eating, just soaking it all in.

Others head for the exits…which are poorly designed in my opinion. Everyone is forced west towards the Lincoln Memorial instead of being able to exit north. Objective #4 for me is to meet Angela at the Anheiser-Busch party right on the north corner of the Capitol at 102 Constitution Ave. That means an even more ambitious Schlieffen Plan circling all the way west to north to east around Pennsylvania Ave which is problematic due to parade route.

1400ish – Made it to Farragut West Metro. Crowds are loose and getting on the metro is easy compared to earlier. A lot of people are going into restaurants or probably situating for the parade. I go a few stops easily enough, including a transfer, to Judiciary Square – only a short walk to Objective #4!

1445 – Success!!! Seemingly random security barriers are just beyond Louisiana Ave, allowing me to meet up with Angela and get into the party with a pass from her cousin who works for the beer company. Alriiighty then…this is how the white collar class does it…The 11 story building has terraces on the top few floors and roof with perhaps the best line of sight to the Capitol that exists.

Angela never made it through security even with a ticket and ultimately walked around the back of the Capitol to get here. We both had to acknowledge that this would have been the simplest and best plan to just come here from the start. Oh well. Snacks are tasty, the beer is cold, and did I mention the view? Whether wimping out behind the huge windows or out on the roof, wow. I am starv-acious after not eating since 0630 oatmeal.

1525 – Finally. The parade is late getting started. Part of it may have had to do with Senator Ted Kennedy needing an ambulance. The parade includes lots of police sidecar motorcycle things that look like graphics from the old space invaders or galaga arcade game. I finally have a chance to use my telephoto to snap Obama. A few minutes after he passes our building, he and Michele get out walking and waving! Damn the luck, no photos possible, I’ve gotta get to a Ball and Angela has a plane to catch back to Boston.

1604 – We leave the party, only to find the Judiciary Square metro station is shut down. Arrrrrrgh. Angela accompanies me to the next stop, Metro Center…which is a madhouse…so we say goodbye and I start jogging to the next stop, Chinatown.

1630 – I made it! But…exiting the platform at Foggy Bottom there is a huge line trying to get into the station and I surmise that I need a plan B for Objective #5: Pentagon Center to rendezvous with my date. I get back to my car, dump the cameras and grab my other bag of Ball prep stuff. Taking metro to use Gold’s gym locker room on the way to Objective #5 is “out.” Using a nearby Subway sandwich shop bathroom is “in.”

1650 – Emerge from bathroom in Air Force mess dress much to the delight of girls working behind the counter. Another girl wants to know about my medals but I have a Ball to get to.

1725 – Arrive Pentagon Center via my car, only needing to circumvent one blocked off exit. Remember, I don’t know this city to well yet. Only driven here once. Miraculously, Georgetown M Street and the Key Bridge are virtually empty of traffic. The next day I understand that people were either stuck in metros or watching the parade and things got crazy later.

1808 – I meet my date Shawn in the lobby of here high rise condo.

She helps me do emergency repairs on a shoulder board photos button pop-off a few minutes earlier and a broken bow tie. We take some photos and off we go on the yellow line metro…back to what is becoming my favorite station: Chinatown.

1915ish – There is no authorized coat or really any sort of accounting for cold weather with the mess dress. It’s a cold walk to the National Building Museum. Police and Secret Service check our tickets three times. We have arrived at Objective #6: The Commander-in-Chief Ball.

And the venue is glorious. Massive pillars, long pale veils of hanging translucent gauze, red, blue, gold, and white lighting. A mix of Roman coliseum, Louis XIV and a Chinese Buddhist temple. There’s food, drinks, music, dancing, all the rest.

Attendance is mostly military, heavy on junior enlisted and some junior officers, purportedly based on direct admonishment from Obama that this was not to be a VIP colonel and general party. Speaking of which, I tap Shawn when I see 4 stars on a man’s shoulder boards and she identifies the new Chief of Staff of the Air Force (19^th one), General Norton Schwartz. He’s amazingly personable.

2100ish – The Vice President arrives to talk to the troops. Very warm, very excited appearance. He engages via satellite with half a dozen troops overseas who are on big screen TVs. His wife appears and they dance briefly on the catwalk before retiring. It is interesting being at the corner of the podium and seeing the security folks in action.

Meet some interesting people (besides my very cool date, an Air Force reservist who spent the day on the Capitol steps, no less, escorting VIPs during the swearing in): An black veteran who was in the Navy in the Pacific front during WWII – and ALSO switched to the Army and went to the Western front. Before he retired in 1970 he was in Vietnam 1966-7. One very young marine medic is missing a leg. He recalls the event in the Kunar area of Afghanistan, even while he struggles to stave off the exhaustion of standing on one leg with crutches all this time.

1015ish – Jon Bon Jovi has to interrupt his gig when The President arrives. He is perhaps 20 meters away. He doesn’t look tired. A rousing talk and another satellite hookup to overseas troops. This time when he and Michelle dance on the catwalk, they also dance with a guy and girl from one of the services. The Marine Band is in fine form. Everyone has a camera going, including me, thanks to Erica lending her sleek little Canon elph.

1200 – Smokey Robinson sounded great. The party is over and we grab cups of hot chocolate before making a run for Chinatown metro. Yup, Judiciary is still apparently closed.

1245 - Unbelievable, the metro is really busy. Not quite like in the morning, but more than the afternoon and evening. People are very interested in us and our uniforms. Maybe I should wear mine around more often.

1345 – After getting Shawn back to her place in Pentagon Center, I make it back to Georgetown and the inevitable lack of anywhere to park after 6pm situation. I have a $20 parking ticket the next day to tell me I really wasn’t dreaming everything that happened the day before.
[PS. I would have included video, but apparently this blog site interface sucks - it won't properly upload videos ]
SEE FLICKR for the complete photo trail...