Jack Frost loses to ALF on Obama’s Inauguration in Washington D.C.

Well, for those that know me, I’m not a big fan of cold weather.  However, I said no matter what, I will take part in history by attending the President Obama’s Inauguration. Label owner of  Hip Hop Slam and WFMU’s radio DJ, Billy Jam and myself traveled to the National Mall in Washington D.C. to take part in history.  Billy and myself basically stood out in the cold (30 degrees) for roughly 10 hours.  We figured out a gameplan the night before in terms of which subway stop, where to get warm, and when to leave. We both woke up at 0400 and caught the Metro Subway at 0600.  Even at 0600, there was loads of people boarding the subway.  So, we rode the subway all the way to L’enfant Plaza station, and the result outside the station is shown in the picture below.

The walk from L'Enfant Plaza to 12th Street

The whole day, Billy and myself were less than a foot away from the person we were either walking beside and standing next to.  That was how packed it was down there.  Metro smartly shut off the escalators and people moved along just fine.  I even saw elderly folks making the long hump up the escalators with the assistance of total strangers.  There were times in the station where the crowd was at a deadlock in terms of the crowd moving.  This was due to the fact that people took their time to move up the escalators in a slow safe matter.  With that being said, there was an incident where a lady fell on to the tracks.  I don’t know if she was accidentally pushed or simply slipped off.  The platforms of course are not designed to hold the magnitude of people that came through that day.  The video below explains what happened.

We arrived at the The National Mall around 8am.  We were pretty much standing near the Old Post Office building 90% of the time we were there.  I couldn’t help but to keep looking at the tops of the Smithsonian museums at the Secret Service personnel keeping an eye on the crowd.

Secret Service personel sitting under the white flag on Old Pos Office Building

You would be really stupid to do something bad down there during that time.  I mean there was security out the yin yang down there.  PLUS, there are loads of cameras in the downtown area of D.C.  I grew up in the MD/DC area and I’ve rarely heard about an major incident happening down there.

The next four hours we were shown the Inaugural festivities that happened at the Lincoln Memorial a few days prior.  There were many speakers and musicians ranging from Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks, Jamie Foxx, John Cougar Mellencamp, Usher, Stevie Wonder, just to name a few.  Watching that broadcast on the big jumbotrons kept my mind off of the cold.  At times during the broadcast on the jumbotrons, updates were flashed about street closings and parade information.  I think around 8:30am, information came across the jumbotrons saying that you will not be able to enter the parade route because it was filled to the capacity with people.  That right there told me that again, there was lots, and LOTS of people.

ALF of Hip Hop Slam on the National Mall

As you can tell in the picture shown of me, I wasn’t playing around in the cold.  I had roughly four layers of clothing on, a Camelback, and loads of hand warmers which I put in my boots as well.  The only thing I had a problem with the crowd was that there was times when people were passing through with coffee filled to the brim with no lids that they bought from the vendors.  I was just hoping that would not spill any coffee on me or others.  During that day, I think people would have actually got irritaded if someone spilled coffee on them.

11am rolls around, and they start showing all the high profiled officials begin taking their seats in the stands at the U.S. Capitol.  They also show Obama’s presidential motorcade rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue.  As the officials started coming out, there were cheers for people such as Colin Powell, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Maxine Waters, just to name a few.  Then there was silence for Barbara and George H.W. Bush.  The crowd literally booed when Dubya came out.

The crowd staring at the Jumbotron

I have never heard Diane Feinstein speak before.  In my opinion, she gave a great speech and introduction for President Obama.  At some points in her speech, I shedded a tear or two.  Also Pastor Rick Warren gave a great invocation.  I don’t give a damn what the critics have said about the man in the past, he gave one of the greatest invocations I have heard thus far in my life.  He too put me in tears.  After President Obama gave his speech, Billy and myself started to head to one of the Smithsonians to warm up.  It was the Freer Gallery of Art as a matter of fact.  When we got inside, there was people sitting all around the exhibits inside trying to warm up.  The cool thing about it, the security personnel didn’t mind a bit.  The only time they really said something was when people starting eating, which of course isn’t allowed.  After we sat in the museum for roughly 30 minutes, we started to head home.  Pretty much the trip home was the same atmosphere when we were heading to the inaguration.

My overall experience was very fascinating.  I’m proud that I was a part of history that day.  I hope President Obama will turn this country back around.  Just like he said during his campaign, “I need your help!”  I ask you, even if you don’t particularly care for Obama, to participate in whatever you can to help us all.  We have a president who actually listens to the people.  Take advantage of that while you can.  I’m not saying that Obama is going to be the man who will fix everything, but he is a man who wants to put an end to all the craziness and get America to be well liked again by the masses around the world.

A shot of the U.S. Capitol from the The National Mall

~ by alfpeachie on January 25, 2009.