Photos of History

Hey Hey. Back from DC and finally have time to put the photos from the big day up


Metro Madness


Standing for Change


Signs of the Time


To the Mall We Go


Collective Mood


Lincoln Watches On


Flags On the Monument


Friends


Indeed


Chilly and Tired Like Everyone Else


Flag of Protest


Alright!

Change Has Come!

Well, today was the big day. The scale: massive, the weather: frigid, the people: pumped. And what a day it was.

Our effort to awake at 4am and proceed to the National Mall failed when none of the six of us arose before 7am. However, that didn't stop us from bundling up (albeit not enough) and heading out along with the masses and masses of others who converged on the Capital and the Mall. Cris-crossing the streets of downtown DC we were herded along with all the other non-ticket holders passing the myriad of streets blocked off by desert-camo clad army folk. People were hooting and hollering, selling their Obama wears (heat packs were a big seller) and just generally trying not to get separated and make their got as close to the approaching moment in history as possible. Eventually and much to our surprise we were able to breach the perimeter of the National Mall and we posted camp at the base of the Washington Monument facing one of the many big screens that were trained on the event. It was here that the endurence test began. With the sun shining but the wind and cold biting, we knew we had at least and hour and a half before the festivities would begin in earnest. We were entertained by shots on the screen of arriving dignitaries: senators, governors, committe members, the guy who sweeps the floors at the capital (well not really him). The crowd would constantly voice their approval (or disapproval) as various figures graced the scene. Notable and very earnest cheers arose for Senator and incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, the members of the first and second families and certain privilaged celebrities (Beyonce, P. Diddy, Aretha Franklin). However, any image of Obama himself produced the wildest fanfare from the gathered hundreds of thousands (over a million in preliminary estimates). Of course where some recieve cheers other receive jeers: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was subject to resounding boos, the elder Bush received some less adament jeering, however the most vehement boos and hisses were reserved for the less than popular (author's note: massive understatement) outgoing President Bush and wheelchair bound Vice-President Cheney. Cold, hungry and tired we perservered through the seemingly endless wait for the object of our collective affection. But spirits remained high.

At roughly 11am the ceremonies began in earnest. The arrival of Barack Obama warmed all present from the inside out. The conservative Reverand Rick Warren gave a rather tame speech in light on the controversy surrounding his presence, I was heartened by the lone rainbow flag I saw waving in silent protest during his opening prayer. The first lady of soul Aretha Franklin performed a lovely (albeit poorly broadcast) version of "America the Beautiful". Afterward, accomplish musical geniuses Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman (with other extremely talented musician whose names escape me) performed a John Williams composition written esspecially for this major event. Then came the main event. Cheering followed the swearing in of now Vice-President Joe Biden, I couldn't help but state my joy that Dick Cheney was now gone forever. However, it was the swearing in of Barack Obama that had everyone waiting with baited breath for history to take its course. Though likely nerves (or the lack of clarity of Chief Justice John Roberts) caused the now President to flub the oath a tad, it didn't matter one bit. Immediatly following "....so help me God." the crowd exploded into the loudest and most unbelievable outpouring of emotion I'd yet seen on this very emotional journey. After all the waiting, we could barely believe that it had really happened. Barack Hussein Obama has become the 44th President of the United States of America. What followed was a powerful and moving speech that those of my generation may one day find our children reading in their history text books. There is no way for me to adequatly summarize the contents of this most moving speech on this most moving occasion, but I'm sure few if any missed it. One thing to note, is that more than once, it illicited a couple of tears of joy from this canuck. It was not only the contents of the speech, but the collective emotions of the hundreds of thousands that had gathered to hear it. Hope, joy, relief, wonder, amazement, pick any number of adjectives and they cannot possibly adequatly impress upon you the feeling that was in the air. History was made, may we all be better off because of it.

Obama-stock: The Winter of Love

The celebration began yesterday for this Canuck at the Inauguration with the "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Thousands upon thousands of people crammed the National Mall for a chance to see speakers such as Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Marisa Tomei, Tom Hanks, Jamie Foxx, and Queen Latifah. But the real show was all in the music, where a bevie of artists turned up in support of the President-elect. On another chilly DC day, thousands moved and shook to keep warm to the sounds of Bruce Springstein, Bettye LaVette, Mary J. Blige, Bon Jovi, Herbie Hancock, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, John Legend, Will i. am, Shakira, and more. However, this mass of musical talent, produced only a few shining moments for this Canuck. Garth Brooks, accompanied by a full choir really got the crowd rollicking rolling with a 3 song medley. Stevie Wonder shuffled aside the rather bland singing of Usher and Shakira to put some real soul into his classic hit "Higher Ground". Herbie Hancock was joined by Will i. am & Sherryl Crow for a lovely and heart felt crowd pleasing sing along of Bob Marley's "One Love". Of course the biggest band of the day was the band of Irish fools known as U2 who performed their tribute to Martin Luther King "Pride (In the Name of Love)". Bono having the massive ego that he does of course felt the need to constantly address the crowd tossing in a timely reference to Palestine much to the happiness of this lefty and the many others present. After the overblown U2 performance, the man himself took the stage. The future president gave another of his eloquant speeches focusing as always on hope and change. Though the speech was nothing to write home about, Mr. Obama most definetly got the biggest ovation of the day, because after, he's currently the biggest celebrity in the world, far eclipsing the list of notables that showed up (yes ever the world's so-called "biggest band" U2). After U2 and Obama (oh yeah Biden spoke too), many in the throng began to show their weariness and chilliness and some started to leave, but not before aging (really well for that matter) American icon Pete Seeger led the crowd and the celebrity guests in a sing along of Woody Guthrie's classic tune "This Land is Your Land".

But the real story of the day was in the crowd. I spend my time in one of the largest masses, with my back to the Washington Monument facing the Lincoln Memorial. I of course had no chance to see in person anyone, but was close enough to one of the dozens of Jumbo-trons set up for the event. In between people hawking everything from Obama T-Shirts and buttons to Obama flags and O-balm-a lip balm there was just a sence of pride, happiness and community that permeated the day. As per Obama's message, the young and old were united, the blue and white collars were cast aside and people cheered on in celebration of their new leader. I was the first Canadian to sign one woman's t-shirt as she collected signatures from around the USA and the world. She was so overcome with joy and excitment I feared she would faint. Striking up a conversation with those next to you was so easy, it felt like in this crowd, no one was anonymous, everyone was a friend. Thankfully the glut of positive energy contained some measure of cynicism, just to keep all of us all on the level. Speakers such as George Lopez and the guy from the "Harold and Kumar" movies left many such as myself remarking "I was on TV once, when is it my turn to go up there and say a few words?" It was of course all in good fun. To go on describing the myriad of people in the crowd would be a futile task so I'll just refer all of you to the photos below. As we all departed the past row upon row of hawkers I had to believe that this Inaugural celebration was phase of Obama's economic plan. With everyone out displaying their kitch, and everyone buying at least one thing with Obama's name on it, this celebration had to be single handedly fighting the recession. All in all the show was an logistical and security success for the planners and law enforcement officers, a financial success for the hawkers, and an emotional success for the President-elect and the rest of us.

Crowds flood out of the DC Metro at the National Mall

Obama '08 everyone's favorite player

Crowds at the Capital

The Flag and the Monument as seen from Smithsonian Castle

Security keeping us safe

Dani with the Prez


Our kitch for the day. Obalma lip balm


Straight from LA in a $1000 custom made jacket


Speaks for itself


Awesome


Crowds at the Monument


Signatures from all over and excitment overflowing


Me



Dani and the Masses


Another recession busting product

Make It To DC...Yes We Did

Well , this Canuck's journey to the Inauguration certainly started with a couple of set backs. After a packed and early flight to Toronto, it was here that our (minor) troubles began. Going through American customs, it seems they are understandably flagging anyone headed to Washington DC. But after some extra, albeit thorough questioning, they determined that that we (my American girlfriend) and I were not really a threat to American security and wished us well on our way. From here we transfered to our smaller flight to Baltimore International. By smaller flight, I mean much smaller, a tiny Bombardier Dash 8 turbo prop. However, this flight became our first pre-Inauguration party. The 35 or so revellers that joined us were all headed to DC for the big show. Everyone started swapping stories and explaining their reasons for heading down. Most were like us, just excited to be a part of the swirrling mass of positive energy and hope that seems to follow the incoming President. Others had all the right connections were lucky to be headed to one of the official Inaugural Balls and might have a chance to actually see the man himself. One notable guest was the lovely and talented Ms. Jackie Richardson, the star of the hit musical "Cookin' and the Cookery". Even those in the terminal not bound for DC were excited, even thrilled for us. We were made to feel that just by going we had accomplished something. Having people congradulate you and be envious of you for simply going somewhere is a humbling feeling.

After a slight delay and extensive de-icing, our little party plane took off through Toronto snow and headed down below the 49th parallel. Upon arrival in Baltimore, the increased security presence was immediatly noticable. It seemed that law enforcement outnumbered passengers at Thurgood Marshall International Airport. It was at this point that exhaustion and travel started to overcome excitment. In true Air Canada tradition, our bags, which included clothing to help manage the -10 degree chill, did not make it. Furthermore, not a single representative of our national airline was on hand to address our problem. It seems their kiosk closes at 7PM. Because of our delayed flight, we arrived at 7:10Pm. Feeling cold a dejected we filed a report over the phone as we made our way into DC. However our spirits were revived when we met a pair of Canadians (who ironically enough worked for West Jet) whose excitement had yet to waiver; probably because they had their luggage and were dressed for the cold DC night. Or perhaps being from Ottawa and not the West Coast like us, they're just pre-disposed to the cold. We eventually made it through the DC metro to our friend's lovely apartment in the Cleveland Park district. Obamania is everywhere. But that would have to wait for another day as we settled into our inflated mattress and drifted into an deep deep sleep. Our own revelry would have to wait until morning.

Prepping for Madness (and Change)

Who would have thought a vacation would be so much work? Of course when one is preparing to witness history, a little extra effort never hurt. Nor was a little extra effort unnecessary in the face of a million and a half people clogging Washington DC; with my compadres and I anticipating one of the craziest rushes this side of the upcoming 2010 Olympics (stay tuned and take notes Vancouver) there is certainly much to be done. Thankfully we've found someone to put us up for a few days (Kyra rocks), thus avoiding whatever exorbitant hotel fee in whatever surrounding state we would have been forced to inhabit. Furthermore, leaving the balmy West Coast for -10 degree DC requires a fair bit of wardrobe management. Casual, formal or semi-formal, whichever we run across we must be prepared for it to be freezing cold. Mind you, being Canadian I'll have to grin and bear it....for the sake of national pride of course.

But seriously though, I've been mentally in Washington DC for the last week or so. Going over inauguration information (they just spam up the inbox over with that election info, the problem, its all useful), getting maps sorted out (taking into account street closures), planning transit routes (taking into account a massivly over burdened metro and bus system) and figuring out which of the myriad of election events to attend (the Canadian Embassy Tailgate Party is regrettably closed to the public). But there will be many sights and sounds to behold. With my Obama button and Canadian flag pins in tow I intend see all that I can. At work one of the my co-workers stated that the feeling in the air reminded her of the JFK and the 60s. Just a feeling of hope and renewal that's been sorely missed. Perhaps the JFK comparisons (and the FRD ones too) are becoming increasingly cliche, but sometimes the shoe fits, or at least we can all hope so. Though I may not actually see the future President in the flesh, I'm sure it will be history in the making. Be it from the man himself or from the people he leads, there's something in the air.