Washington DC in January is COLD. Really cold. I spent 2 days in DC, photographed a fantastic concert (Frightened Rabbit), and witnessed the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. Witness is sort of a grand term. From my vantage point I could only see the proceedings on one of the massive jumbo-trons in the National Mall. Despite the bitter cold, and the hours of walking carrying my photo gear just to get into the National Mall, it was an amazing day.
It started at 5am when I woke and struck out in the dark morning, greeted by swarms of likeminded people. It is a strange thing to find yourself in mobs of people at such an early hour, still dark, shuffling towards the same goal. Luckily I grabbed a bagel and coffee on the way. OMG, It was crazy. More people than I’ve ever seen in my life. Fences, barracades, and lines of people as far as you can see. I walked and walked and walked, carrying my gear, trying to document the day. It truly was amazing. All these people, all cold, and yet, everyone happy and excited. People helping each other. It took me about 2 hours to walk all the way around to the other side of the National Mall to enter near the Washington Monument.
The Toilets Of Change
People, as far as you could see
walking on the freeway
When the choir began to sing, we all started to get excited. When Biden was sworn in, it was dead silent. Two million people and not a peep. Then everyone just exploded with excitement. Now onto the main event. Oh, what? We have to wait? While we all enjoyed the beautiful classical music, we all were anxious to what was to come. It was like everyone was just bouncing with anticipation, waiting for Obama to be sworn in. Again, dead silence. Most were watching on the jumbo-tron, some were looking down as they listened, but all were quiet. Looking around, there was so much emotion. So many tears. Clenched fists just waiting for the moment. We all stood there, with tears of joy and hope, which turned into an eruption of emotion. Listening to President Obama’s speech amidst 2 million other people was an experience I’ll not forget.
It took about 3 hours to walk back to my car. That was an adventure in itself, at times a bit scary when a sea of people, me included, became trapped and unable to move. Thankfully everyone remained calm and waited it out for about 30 minutes until the passageway was cleared. By this time, the 2 days of walking, bitter cold weather, and lack of sleep were taking it’s toll on me. I was in pain. Everything hurt. I was cold. I just wanted to warm up and rest. I made my way out of the city and headed back to North Carolina. Oh what an experience.
I put together a slideshow of images from the experience. I hope it gives you a little glimpse into what the day was like being there in person. CROSSTIDE graciously allowed me to use their recording of (What’s So Funny ABout)Peace, Love, And Understanding, as the sound track to the slideshow. They’re a great band based in Portland Oregon. If you haven’t heard their music, be sure to check them out at www.myspace.com/crosstide and www.crosstide.net
by leighann
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