I have to say, I live in a very ideal location, on Capitol Hill East, right at Pennsylvania and Potomac Avenue. The metro is conveniently located a couple doors down from my house which makes getting around a snap, although, I still usually prefer just to walk down to the National Mall since it’s within easy walking distance (about 1 mile).

The first thing that reminded me why I had wanted to come here in the first place was as I was wandering around the Smithsonian American History Museum. I was looking through the presidential exhibit and watched a short video of various past presidents reflecting on the more sentimental, non-political aspects of what it meant to them to serve the country. It made me remember the day on the National Mall in January, where you could feel the energy of the people wanting to take part in their own future, and watching as our next president took the oath of office, literally feeling the shift of power. That still moves me to tears every time I think about it, even as I write this. I am honored to have made that trip and witness history take place right before my eyes.

Living here, albeit, even for a short time, I’ve been able to see some of the lesser things that DC has to offer. My first few days, I made it through all of the museums on the National Mall, which alone makes it worth it to be in the city. I spent some time laying at Lincoln’s feet in the dead of night, as I think I will do every time I make it to DC. Lincoln is always a powerful experience, especially at night, when you can be alone in the silence without the tourists, and really appreciate and reflect upon his magnificence and that of the country which we live in. I get to walk by the Whitehouse on a daily basis since it’s located right by downtown. I’ve spoken to the Iranian protesters sitting outside who are on a hunger strike, desperately trying to get their voices heard by someone who can do something to help them out.

Today, I was able to go into the Supreme Court courtroom, which was very intriguing. It was awe-inspiring to see the room in which the decisions that shape our country are made. I was also able to make it to the Library of Congress finally and see the Thomas Jefferson collection of books. I also read quite a bit of fascinating material about the forming of the country, King George III, and the creation of the Constitution and Amendments.

I love the people of this city for many reasons. The sheer diversity is striking and wonderful. There are people of all shapes, sizes and colors. My neighborhood is very nice, everyone says “hi” and nods as you go by, no matter who you or they might be. It’s interesting to witness that in such a big city, it makes it feel more homely.

One of my favorite experiences was a night at a local bar, some folks asked me to join them at their table. We spent hours talking about politics and history, a wide spectrum of subjects. This was really the first time I had spoken in depth to anyone in DC, and these people were very intelligent. Two of them worked for the Department of Labor and one for the Federal Trade Commision, and two girls who were going to school. It was a fun time, and exactly the kind of thing I had come to DC for; I wanted to be immersed in an intelligent, thinking, progressive environment, surrounded by good people. They were great folks, and I was invited to join their team for “Jeopardy Night” (a trivia thing at the bar). I went that night and had a blast.

My second DC experience this time around will be coming to an end shortly. I hope that I get to come back at some point in the future, but at least I feel like I’ve really had time to soak in the city. I’ve done tons of walking around and I really feel like I’m starting to know what’s going on here. And I’ve even ended up in some really bad neighborhoods where I had some rather “eye-opening” experiences. But even then, I never really felt fear for my physical safety. It’s still amazing to me that there are such bad places only blocks from our Nation’s Capitol. But such is the nature of things, I suppose. I’m hopeful that I will be back before the next inauguration….

Our flight got to Dulles airport at around 11:30pm or so, a few minutes earlier than expected. We had just come from Chicago and the flight was only about 1/3 capacity or so which was kind of surprising considering it was the eve of the inauguration (and it was originating in Obama’s hometown). I had traveled with my friend Matt, who is also from San Luis Obispo, and we were meeting with my other friend Mark, who had taken a flight a few hours earlier. We gathered our bags and Mark picked us up at the airport. We all headed to the hotel which we had booked in Tyson’s Corner, VA, about 15 miles or so from Washington, DC, just over the Potomac. By the time we were checked in, it was already 1am and we were planning to get up around 4am in hopes of beating the crowds on the Metro and getting a good spot to stand for the swearing-in ceremony. I tried but couldn’t get to sleep until 2:30am or so.

The alarm woke me up at 4am, seemingly right after I had gotten to sleep. All of us got ready and were excited to get going. It was about 25 degrees when we set out at around 5am that morning. We had a 2 or 3 mile walk to the metro station. When we got there, it didn’t look too crowded. Finally, the Orange line pulled up and we crowded in. It was crowded but it would only get worse, especially considering there was only one other stop so far before this one. As we slowly got a few stops further, something happened with the doors on our Metro (or maybe just too many people were in the way). In any case, they made everyone get off due to “mechanical problems” and we had to join the others in the already crowded station waiting for the next train. We waited for the next Orange line and crowded on. We made it to DC at about 8am and got off at the Federal Triangle stop. None of us had any idea where we were but fortunately there was a breakfast buffet right outside the metro station where we ate a quick breakfast. By 8:30am, we were walking onto the National Mall.

The energy out there was insane. Everyone was freezing but happy and excited for what was coming. There were a couple of guys with their “Repent Obama” signs but mostly, they were just being used for a photo op by all of the Obama supporters. We were interviewed while we were walking by some guy from a radio station (in Boston?) who was recording the historic event. The mass of people helped to create some heat which was nice. There were a bunch of Jumbotron’s and PA systems every now and then so that everyone could see and hear what was happening. They were playing the previous day’s concert from the Lincoln Memorial on the Jumbotrons. No one seemed to mind that it was a rerun, it was just as good as the live event with people singing along to the performers. People of all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors seemed to be smiling and enjoying the buildup.

We forged our was up to our final spot, about halfway between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. We were near a Jumbotron (third one from the front) so we could see and hear everything just fine. Then we waited. The Jumbotron played Obama’s speech from the previous day and everyone started cheering. That eventually ended and the switched back to live shots of the crowd and the various dignitaries getting seated up on the Capitol. People cheered as most of them stepped out. They also showed footage of them inside the Capitol, before they stepped out. Everyone from Muhammed Ali to the Clintons to Oprah was seated. When President Bush came out, lots of people started booing. This made me feel really sorry for the guy (and trust me, I don’t like Bush as much as the next person). But you would have thought that we could just let the guy go in peace, to have a little more respect for someone who was POTUS. Besides, we got the guy we wanted and had nothing to complain about on this day. The look on his face was heartbreaking.

They finally started the ceremony and everyone was silent. Rick Warren delivered the invocation and I have to say, I was very impressed. After all the uproar surrounding that guy, he delivered a very powerful speech that no one could say anything bad about. He was cheered just as loud as anyone else. Aretha Franklin sang her song right after this, someone I never expected to see live. Now it was time for Joe Biden to get sworn in. When the deed was done, a crazy cheer went up from the crowd. No more Cheney! The tension had built up since everyone expected Obama to get sworn in now so when the quartet of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill were introduced, people had to settle down for a minute. This was one of the most touching parts of the ceremony for me. These were the best of the best musicians and hearing them play, on this day, right before the moment we had all been waiting for, was completely indescribable.

Now it was time. Everyone was dead silent. Even though they got a little bit tangled during the Oath of office, no one on the National Mall that day even seemed to notice. It was the beginning of a new era. His inaugural address was a list of all of our challenges that we face right now, and what we need to do to fix them. He said some great things and it was interesting how he spoke to all the different people that may be listening, but I don’t think his speech has any specific memorable lines like some other past inaugural speeches did. It was more about what this day stood for that will be remembered rather than any specific one-liner from his speech. The beginning of hope. America reclaiming it’s stature at the country to lead the world.

After his speech, lots of people started leaving the Mall. We stayed where we were through the end of the ceremony and found a sitting area since the exits were completely clogged. After 1/2 hour or so, we left and walked up to the Washington Monument and WWII Memorial. We decided to get some food and took the nearest Metro down to Foggy Bottom and found a Thai place down on Pennsylvania Avenue that wasn’t overly crowded. They had a TV on with the parade. It was nice to get some warm food and thaw out since we had been in the cold for the last 9 or 10 hours. As we ate, I heard loud cheers as Obama stepped out of his limo to walk along the parade route. We hung out here for a while and then Mark went off (he had some work to attend to, that was his original reason for being in Virginia/DC). Matt and I set out down the street and found the parade. It appeared that after Obama had gone by, a lot of people had left so we were able to walk along the parade route and catch most of it. We ended our walk sometime later in the night down by the Capitol. The next few days of our trip were devoted to sight-seeing/tourist stuff since neither of us had been to DC before.

Since I have arrived home after my much to short stay in our nation’s capitol, I’ve had a buzzing feeling of inspiration and hope. Seeing all the sights such as the Lincoln Memorial (at night when no one else was around) and the Washington Monument was enough, in and of itself. But to be a witness to such a monumental change in our society with so many other people resonates very deeply in the soul. To have enthusiasm in one’s own country is a gift because for too long now there has been no wind in those sails. I was still a child when Bush became president and have lived under his rule since I have been old enough to care. I almost never realized that government didn’t have to be a negative, repressive-to-the-people thing. And I know I’m not alone. I talked to so many people from all different backgrounds over the last week who all shared a similar sentiment. It’s an amazing thing to feel a unity with everyone you encounter. It definitely feels like we, the people, have our country back. Now, it’s not time to mess around and become jaded by our emotion. Let’s use this inspiration and hope to get some things done.

I’ve posted my photos here on my flickr account.