My Experience at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.

January 23, 12:26 PMCarolinas Travel ExaminerPaul McDaniel

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Inauguration Day Crowds in D.C. (Paul McDaniel)

I was in Washington, D.C. during the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Being there for such a historical event was quite exciting and I have never seen so many people in one place before in my entire life! All day Tuesday was spent in the masses of crowds in downtown D.C. for the inauguration. A friend of mine and I arrived in the heart of the city rather late in the morning compared to many other visitors - around 8:30 AM. The Metro was extremely packed! We were stopped in the Gallery Place/Chinatown station for a while because someone had fallen on the tracks and was nearly hit by an oncoming metro train, but fortunately the person was able to duck under the station platform overhang and emerged relatively unscathed. As we emerged from the subway, we were immediately engulfed by the crowds heading towards the National Mall area.   

Inauguration Security Check in D.C. (Paul McDaniel)

Once we walked towards the National Mall, we had to wait in a huge blob of people trying to get through an airport-like security checkpoint (all of the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue areas were inside a security zone and could only be accessed through one of several security checkpoints at certain street intersections - all other streets were fenced off). In our case, we were trapped at the intersection of 12^th Street and E Street. It took about six hours for us to move two blocks, and we finally got through the security around 2:30 pm. Fortunately, another person standing nearby had a portable radio so we could hear the actual inauguration ceremony. I was particularly moved by the beautiful piece of music, “Air and Simple Gifts” by John Williams, performed by a quartet of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill. Following this performance, of course, was the actual swearing in of President Barack Obama. Luckily, we were also able to hear his positive and hope-filled inaugural address via the handheld radio.

Finally, a couple of hours later, we made it through the security check point. Thankfully, we did get through to Pennsylvania Avenue in time to see the inauguration parade from the Capitol to the White House. It was exciting to see all the various components of the parade and important people of government walking down this important and historic route. I was glad to see that the President and First Lady decided to actually walk the route as well (in addition to the Vice President and Dr. Biden, and other members of government), further engaging the many people lining the street to see  them and wave. As soon as President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama passed by, however, many spectators began to make their way out of the security zone. Once we decided to leave the secure zone, there was another long line to wait in to actually get through the gate to get back out into the city. Once through this point, throngs of people were flooding the streets to find places to eat or to make their way to Metro stations to begin their journey back out of the city. We didn’t depart downtown for the suburbs until around 11:30 PM after having eaten dinner at Clyde’s of Gallery Place restaurant near Chinatown-Gallery Place Metro Station and then watching a movie in order to allow more time to pass by for the crowds to dissipate. However when we did descend into the Metro station, it was still very crowded, but filled with excited people. If you are ever in this area I would highly recommend Clyde’s, with its wonderful atmosphere and delicious food (they also have several other locations throughout the D.C. area). 

Crowds along the Inauguration Parade Route (Paul McDaniel)

All day long we could see extreme amounts of security everywhere - a lot of snipers positioned on the rooftops of the many buildings near and within the secure zone and particularly along the parade route of Pennsylvania Avenue. I was glad to be in midst of all the activity for such a historical event though! I'm not sure when I might have the chance to attend a presidential inauguration again. But I've never seen so many people before in one place! It was freezing cold all day standing out there, but at least the sun was out as well and no rain was in the forecast.

I left Washington, D.C. to return back to Charlotte on Wednesday evening. I traveled aboard the Amtrak Crescent, which departed Washington’s Union Station around 6:30 AM and arrived in Charlotte around 2:20 AM. Union Station was very crowded at the time, mostly filled with people traveling back to their homes after having attended the inauguration. As a side note, for those traveling either direction between Charlotte and Washington, Amtrak is a convenient alternative to flying if you are willing to spend more time traveling between the two cities. It was quite easy to get work done while traveling aboard the train. 

Special Report: Inauguration Day 2009

• Official Inaugural Events
• Neighborhood Inaugural Ball project
• Examiner.com Inauguration Roundup
• Examiner Coverage: Inauguration Day 2009
• The Obama Administration at a glance