Inaugural Day
Posted Wed, Jan 21st 2009, 04:48Inauguration Day 5 Tuesday
Today is the day we have all been waiting for and I must say, up here in DC it was truly surreal.
Our assignment had us at the Mid Atlantic Ball as the pool camera…that was our only charge for the day. I was tempted to head to the National Mall with the other several million people to see the inauguration first hand but since were scheduled to meet the producer at 3p. Not knowing what kind of obstacles may lay ahead, we thought it best to stay away from the actual Mall area and watch it on TV instead.
Walter and I hit a local joint for lunch, a little sports pub with TV’s everywhere and of course all tuned to the Inauguration festivities.
As we’re eating and watching, I looked around and EVERYBODY was in a festive mood. You could feel it in the streets…everyone was truly jazzed by what was getting ready to transpire. As they brought my order of fish’n’chips, they were broadcasting the the pictures of George W. getting on the helicopter and leaving Washington for the last time and as that helicopter took off, the whole place burst into spontaneous applause!! I mean it was great! It was like all the liberals were able to come out of hiding.
Totally electric!
We finish up and head to the Dupont Circle train station to head to the Verizon Convention Center where we are going opposite about…oh I don’t know, about a billion people coming from the Mall area. I got tell you, the Washington transit system really works well. The folks at METRO ran those trains often and the trains were long butt getting to the Center was as predicted.
The METRO station at the Verizon center was indeed closed….so we hiked 5 city blocks to our designated area only to be stopped at the press security checkpoint because the Secret Service were still setting up the metal detectors. We ere supposed to have gained entry at 4p but it was closer to 6 before we actually get so we had to just wait outside and of course we’re on the shaded side of the building so it was freezing, literally. Walter and I brought some sandwiches along and they were frozen in the bag. No place to wait but on the windy street.
Lots of female reporters and producer types who were dressed to the 9’s but with only a nominal outer wear. They froze. They learned.
We finally get in the building, made our way to our spot and pretty much just waited until the big guy got there.
While waiting, we and the other 7,000 party goers, were treated to a concert by the Grateful Dead. Not my favorite group but better than say, Barry Manilow…IMHO!
Our schedule said Biden was going to show at 11:05p and Obama at 11:35p, however we are now getting word that the parade ran an hour and a half late and that Obama is not going to show until 12:30a or a bit later.
At this stage of the game, it’s pretty much guess work. We have a liaison with the planning committee but he’s also on kind of a “need to know” basis, so we just have to be vigilant.
Now I know that the President always has a traveling press corps who pretty much cover his every move.
All the networks, foreign press, radio and print media…all have credentialed representatives who are attached to the presidential detail. They’re called The Traveling press and they have their own camera platforms that I can see to my left. Having been part of that detail in the past, I know when you see that platform start to fill up with folks and gear, the President is only about 10 minutes away.
So I keep my eyeballs on any activity in that general area.
Sure enough at about 11:00, the press corps starts filing in and setting up and about 10 minutes later the big guy himself hist the stage.
He gave a short speech thanking everyone for making history and then challenged everyone to participate in this effort.
Then he and Michelle danced, waved goodbye and that was it. He was there for exactly 15 minutes.
Through my close ups of the couple dancing, I could see that Michelle was really tired and it got me to thinking, they as a couple, have had the most grueling schedule on the planet, compounded by the fact they are the parents of young children. It made me think that for the next 4 years, they may never get a long nights sleep.
I mean they still had 4 more balls to attend and then there was an ultra private party AT The White House…so I’ guessing these guys didn’t hit the sheets until dawn, if then; and Barack’s gotta get up early to start fixing the free world, so they will be sleep deprived.
What a way to start you first day on the job!
Before Barack arrived at the center, an interesting sight kept occurring
Every time the crowd thought Obama was about to enter the ballroom, thousands of people raised their digital cameras for a chance to get a picture of the 44th president; but from my vantage point, seeing all those viewfinders raised in unison, kind of looked like hundreds of crocodiles poking their eyes out of the water.
Just an observation!
So it’s down. We knock down and make the journey back.
Now we have to carry all the stuff we’d brought in the day before. No cabs, just humping about the 5 blocks back to the METRO station and pushing ourselves on board along with thousands of others.
One cool thing….all the METRO tickets were special Inaugural souvenir tickets, which is probably the cheapest and most leg mate keepsake one could have of this event.
On our way back to the hotel I made another observation and that was of all the poor women who wore those designer high heels. I saw hundreds of women in agony as they walked blocks and blocks in their high heels, feet bending over, limping and in some cases shoes in hand as they walked barefoot in below freezing weather on cold, dirty concrete!
There’s gotta be a better way!
Off to bed for an early start back to Atlanta!
History was made today and I was there….pretty cool, pretty dang cool!
Allen
I’ll post some pictures later!!