The Inauguration: Getting There, Being There

The sun shone gloriously, with the clouds pushed away by the gentle winds, just moments before the Inaugural ceremonies began, and miraculously lit the sky — warming us all, and filling our nation with hope for the future.
When the news came that Barack Obama was to be our new president, I felt emotionally and professionally compelled to attend. And so began my quest to get there.
It was quite a journey on many levels, but I went, I saw and I conquered the lines, the cold and getting the tickets to attend. Was I happy I did! To witness history was worth all the effort.
Life plays funny tricks on us. When Stu and I were in Cancun I knew I wanted to go to the Inauguration and had checked out hotels only to find that the ones in Washington, D.C. were sold out. By a quirk of fate we were sitting on the beach with a couple from the area and enjoyed each other’s company so much we exchanged emails. When I got home and found we had no housing for the big day I called Jeri and asked if she knew anyone who could or would host us. She graciously invited us to share her home. Hurdle one over. Then came the quest for tickets. I called old friend and neighbor, Congressmember Gary Ackerman, and his office got me a ticket (they are free and for this Inauguration in high demand). I wanted to go to the Inaugural ball and they were able to sell me two tickets for that. Hurdle two overcome.
Our next challenge was getting there. After finding out the air and train connections were sold out we decided to drive, which turned out to be the perfect solution to getting around the city and to the events. Little did I know that my stamina was to be called upon to survive the three-day experience.
Once in D.C., I had to pick up my tickets from Ackerman’s office in the Rayburn building. I got dropped off a block away, only to find the line to get into the building snaked around three blocks, and took two hours of waiting.
Always trying to find something good from something bad I had the opportunity to talk with all the people around me. Their perspective on coming was so profound I must share some of their thoughts with you: Michael from Kentucky, and a senior at the University of Michigan, had been so inspired by Obama that he had volunteered for the campaign and became interested in politics for the first time, even watching CNN for the first time! Henry from Houston, TX, a history teacher and a black American, said bluntly “I’m here to see history in the making. I’ve lived through the Jim Crow days and I’m here to pass onto my students the inspiration to get involved and vote.” Mary, head of a social service agency in Phoenix, AZ, felt that Obama “transcends all color lines and has a magical way of energizing me so I want to be a better person.” Another student, Noah from Boston, traveled to D.C. because “I think he knows what he’s talking about, he even plays basketball, he’s part of my generation and I volunteered after I saw him in New Hampshire, I even donated $50! It’s my turn to run the country now not my mom’s generation.”
And so it went, one inspired person after another.
That evening I had been given a ticket to the dinner honoring Vice President Joe Biden, and had packed an outfit for the occasion. But with streets closed down, and traffic making a 15-minute trip an hour-and-a-half, there was no way I could get there on time. So we went to dinner with our host and hostess and their friends from Manhattan, who were also staying with them, one of whom, Arthur Eisenberg, is a constitutional lawyer with the NewYork Civil Liberties Union. One of his cases is overseeing the Willowbrook Class Action lawsuit, where my late daughter, Lara, is a named plaintiff. He knew my ex-husband and all the people I knew over the years who have worked on the case! Isn’t life amazing . . .
On Inauguration Day, we woke at 6:30 a.m. to dress and leave for the big day. I had bought long underwear, hand and feet warmers, layers of clothes and double socks. I was prepared. What I wasn’t prepared for was the long line snaking around the Capitol for an hour and half until I found my seat. But I had a seat! More than a million people stood for hours to be there. With the sun shining down on me and the enormous screen to see every detail, I was crying, cheering and laughing, and sharing the moments with everyone around me. The man sitting next to me, Eddie Parks, the president of the Ohio State Employees Union, said what many African-Americans were feeling: “I never thought I’d live to see this day, it’s an historic moment that I had to be part of.” In the seat in front of me was a young Chinese man whom I asked to help me with my daughter’s digital video camera that I was borrowing. It turned out that he was a reporter for a news group in Beijing and had been recently assigned to Washington. He had the identical camera and was for the first time doing video to accompany his story and put on their web site. So we interviewed each other!
Leaving the Capitol, I felt like a lost child. The throngs of people and the closed streets were very intimidating, but I wasn’t afraid to ask directions. Finally I found a patient traffic cop who took the time to direct me to my car. It was a hike, but I took it slowly and enjoyed seeing the massive numbers of happy people all calmly finding their way too.
Getting “home,” I took a nap to re-gather my strength and then to prepare for the evening’s festivities. Stu looked great in his tuxedo and off we went to the Convention Center where the Mid-Atlantic Ball was being held. Fortunately we were able to be dropped only a long, cold block away. The security was much faster than at the other venues, but the crowd was smaller. Only 1,000 people compared to the million at the Capitol! As soon as I entered I saw Assemblymember Cathy Nolan and her husband and son and Congressmember Nydia Velazquez. As we took the escalator down to the ballroom floor I was surprised to see tables with long lines. It order to get a drink you had to wait on line to buy drink tickets and then wait on line to get a drink.
Lines, lines, and more lines, but it was all worth the effort just to be there.
Yes, the President and First Lady appeared at the ball, but I must admit, since there were NO seats in the ballroom to sit, after two hours of standing we decided to go home.
This experience for me, as for millions of others, will be the memory of a lifetime. May President Barack Obama be able to effect the changes we all yearn for and may God protect him and his beautiful family.