Hello from DC!

Well, I made it on the plane on Sunday morning, but only just. I was flying standby, so when I got to the gate, I checked the standby list on the screen. There was my name, just low enough on the list to keep me guessing, but high enough to keep me hopeful. I went across from the gate and got some coffee to go. Checked the list again, and my name was still there. Time to get a paper to read on the plane. Got the paper. Checked the list. My name was still there, but lower on the list. Hmmm. Wasn't sure why that happened. Next thing I know, they closed the gate. Whoops! Thanks to the kindness of an agent who took pity on me, I was able to get a boarding pass and on the plane. Turns out they called my name and I didn't hear it. All of this for a lousy Chronicle!

I sat way in the back in a middle seat, something that would normally make me miserable, but there was such a festive feel on the plane, everyone clearly heading for the Inauguration and excited as hell about doing that. I ended up in a great conversation with the fellow sitting next to me, Doug Hammond (hi, Doug!), who is the Executive Director of Balle (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies). Interesting stuff. Check out their Web site: livingeconomies.org.

I took a Super Shuttle from Dulles to the hotel. The drive packed a zillion people in the van and proceeded to stop at just about every town between Dulles and DC. It took forever, but was much cheaper than a cab. There were people from London, Minnesota, Chicago, and Oakland on the van, and we were all giddy with hunger, travel-weariness, and excitement. I was starving by the time I got to the hotel, but the ride just played right into the "We Are Family" soundtrack that has been going through my brain.

Kitty and I are on the 30th floor of a Hilton in Alexandria. The hotel is filled with Obama fans. Everywhere you look, there are people of all ages wearing buttons, sweatshirts, backpacks, hats, and T-shirts proclaiming their joy in his election. It's like being a part of a huge cult, but in a good way.

There's a hotel shuttle that takes you to the Metro stop, so this morning Kitty and I headed into town, stopping at Arlington Cemetery. Such a beautiful, sad, stirring, angering place. So many bodies given up to war. We found Thurgood Marshall's headstone. On the front was the pertinent information re his dates and his status as Supreme Court Justice. On the back it read, "Marshall" with "Civil Rights Advocate" below. Indeed.

JFK's grave, with it's eternal flame, was very moving, but even more powerful was the modest simplicity of Bobby Kennedy's simple stone plaque and small white cross. It seemed so fitting, somehow, for a man whose greatness can only be guessed at because of the earliness of his death.

We spent the rest of the day wandering the Mall area, starting at the Lincoln Memorial. We made the mistake of getting tickets for a tour bus service that we could get on and off, theoretically, to see the sights. The problem was, we never found another stop to get back on. We wandered in search of the White House, eventually found Blair House, saw a crowd who had just seen Obama go into Blair House 20 minutes earlier. We waited for about 30-40 minutes, getting excited every time a secret service agent moved near one of the cars, but nothing happened until someone saw David Axelrod, AKA He Who Helped Orchestrate This Wonderful Miracle, at which point everyone rushed him as if he were Mick Jagger, surrounding him with smiles, flashing phones and cameras, and outstretched hands to shake. Kitty got to shake his hand and thank him for his amazing work during the election. Go, Kitty! Al Sharpton was also spotted nearby, but it's a testimony to the absolute political geekiness of this town right now that David Axelrod engendered more excitement.

Wearily, we finally made our way to a Metro stop, after we failed to make any sense WHATSOEVER of the tour bus stop map. Once we got to Alexandria, after yet another conversation about how great it was to be here, this time with a teacher from Illinois who actually had tickets from her Rep for SEATS at the swearing in. I thought briefly of mugging her, since I'm getting just a little tired of these "You wouldn't believe how we got tickets to ____ [the swearing in, the parade, a ball, or all three]" stories.

Old Alexandria has a free on-and-off trolley system that, unlike our friends at the tour bus company, actually provides frequent, clearly marked stops all over the Old Town section. We trolleyed to the Fish Market, had drinks and po' boys (yummy) and then trolleyed back to get the hotel shuttle at the Metro stop.

Now it's early to bed so we can get up at 5:00 (honest!) tomorrow morning to get to Somewhere on the Mall where we can see things on a Jumbotron. Insane, you betcha, but well worth it.

More tomorrow. Forgive any typos. I'm too tired to proof, and I can't trust Spell Check, which is highlighting the Mick in Mick Jagger, but not the Jagger (what's up with that?) and doesn't much care for Axelrod, Sharpton, or betch, but is probably missing egregious errors that will make people think less of me. Oh well. It's a new day, kinder, more understanding, less judgmental, no?

Look for the red ski cap!