Getting Home

Kitty and I have been on the Mall way too long. So much has interfered with my finishing this blog about the trip to the Inauguration, but the time has come to set it free. Here's the wrap up.

Whatever organization and direction there might have been for people getting TO the Inauguration, it pretty much fell apart once the ceremony was over. Perhaps those helpful volunteers moved to the parade route. Unlike the second Clinton Inauguration, when it was easy to watch the Inaugural ceremony AND get to a place along the parade route, this event was an either/or situation. Kitty and I made the choice to head to the Mall for the ceremony, and it was the right one as far as we were concerned, even if it meant this old night owl had to get up at a time I usually think of as the middle of the night.

Our goal after the end of the ceremony was to find our way back to the hotel and watch the parade on TV from the comfort of our room. Problem was, we, along with a million or so other people, had no idea what route to take to get to the nearest open Metro station. We just started moving with the crowd. From time to time, hundreds of people would have to move SINGLE FILE between barriers to cross the street. Were we going the right way? Who knew? There were very few people visibly in charge. Occasionally we would see a friendly member of the military trying to help people, but most of them didn't seem to know the terrain or the best way to get the heck out of Dodge. We just kept moving. At one point, we realized we had moved far beyond the nearest Metro station in our effort to follow those who looked as if they knew where they were going. We'd hear that a station was open and head that way, only to hear other people say it was closed. We were tired, sore, hungry, and thirsty. We were also thrilled to be there. Hard to explain.

At one point, we decided to wait in the long line for a couple of hot dogs and some water at one of the vendor trucks. It was worth it. I can't remember how much the hot dogs cost (Kitty paid; thank you, Kitty), and they were pretty puny, but oh, did they hit the spot! With our strength fortified, we plunged ahead in search of the open Metro stop. Rumor had it that, like Shangri-La, it appeared at a particular time when the clouds parted and the sun showed the way. Can't remember which stop it was. L'Enfant Plaza? Federal Center? Smithsonian? Who knows?! We could very easily have been walking in circles. Despite the nomadic aspect to the journey, people still seemed to be in good spirits. Obama is President. Yep, it's true. Life is good. So we're tired, sore, and lost. Who cares?

Eventually we found the open Metro station. The huge crowd moved en masse toward the Metro station turnstiles, Everyone pushed forward, but we moved like cement pushing its way through a narrow tube. I HATE pushing and being pushed, and my goodwill was beginning to erode around the edges. The touchstone, though, was always, "Is this worth it?" And the answer was always, "Yes." It took about an hour for us to get from the outside of the Metro station into where the trains were. Finally we were on a train, standing and holding on to poles to keep from falling, heading back to Alexandria.

We were already crowded at the center of the city. At each stop, more people tried to pile on. By about the third or fourth stop, we began to tell people, "There's no more room. Sorry." At one stop, a young father with his baby slung across his chest responded to our "No room" cries with, "I've got to get my son on this train." Well, the kid was about 8 months' old, and cute, and somehow we made room for him. It turns out the father and his wife had driven up from North Carolina for the Inauguration, parked at one of the farthest Metro parking lots, and headed into town. Now they were trying to get back to the car. The mother had sent the father and baby on ahead, hoping to catch another train. The baby was amazingly good-natured about the crowds and all the fuss. He just kept watching the crazy grownups and recording events for his memoir. Some day, he'll be able to tell the tale of how he saw Barack Obama become President. Cool!

Finally back at our hotel, Kitty and I slouched on our beds and watched the parade on TV. We saw the Obamas leap out of their limo and walk along the parade route, appearing almost giddy with the joy of the occasion, the crowd returning the love. Bands marched and played, and the Obamas walked and waved. Kitty and I eventually headed to the hotel restaurant for dinner. All around us were people who had been there, maybe on the Mall, maybe in the invitation-only sections, or maybe watching it on some big-screen TV in a hotel ballroom. We were all exhausted, sore, and happy.

I think I made it until 9:00 p.m. before I fell asleep watching the balls. Kitty managed to stay up a bit later. "At Last" played in the background. I couldn't have said it better.