Inauguration Day 2009 (29 Images)

A little more than a week ago, a photographer friend of mine rang me up to ask if I was planning on attending the inauguration. She said she was planning to photograph people and hand out her business card, and that she'd love if I would accompany her. At that point, I was honestly torn. I live just 10 min. south of D.C., so I would have hated to be that close and not be there, but I also dreaded the very idea of dealing with the 2 million people estimated to attend--and figuring out how to get there since they were effectively sealing off northern Virginia that day.

After much hemming and hawing over the phone with my father, it occurred to me that said friend lived on a boat on the waterfront...inside the closed-off perimeter security was making around the city and within walking distance of the Mall. After that realization, it was very hard to rationalize not making the effort. I called her back and made a deal: if she would let me crash on her boat the night before, I'd wage through the masses with her to see the inauguration in person.

The night before, the Metro was almost dead going into the city.

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Once I arrived in the heart of the city, however, I pushed against a steady stream of people trying to get back to their hotels after a day spent wandering the museums and other D.C. sites.

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I desperately tried not to think about how this boded for the return trip home the next night, after the inauguration festivities ended.

I met up with my friend a block away, and we headed back to her boat. After a fantastic dinner, we all (her parents were also visiting for the inauguration) headed to bed early to rest up for what we knew was coming the next day.

We woke late and moseyed up to the Mall at a leisurely pace around 8:30am. Large, lit signs proclaiming "National Mall This Way" helped guide the people milling in the streets toward the day's events, and the garbage cans were already overflowing from the previous day.

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One gentleman stopped us a few blocks away from the capitol building to tell us everything was already full and barricaded up ahead. He advised us to turn around and cut west across another street to head straight for the Washington Monument, as that's what the guards ahead were telling everyone. (He was a bit cross that he'd walked all the up only to have to walk all the way back.)

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My friend and I were determined just to keep walking to see how close we could get. Her parents wanted to follow the affable stranger's advice, so we split ways.

Up ahead, tourists were asking an FBI agent if they could take their picture with him. It was so surreal, I stopped to snap a few photos. As I walked on, I glanced over my shoulder and saw this unfolding:

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Police were everywhere.

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Including some not-so-Secret Service.

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Street vendors also peppered the streets, sidewalks, and corners, hawking bookmarks, hats, shirts, buttons, flags, posters, and more.

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After being funneled along in barely mobile herds, we noticed a flurry of activity just after we passed a very well-guarded barricade. People had found a spot to jump the barrier, and there was a rush to get over before being discovered. Strangers helped those who couldn't manage on their own to get across the concrete and metal.

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Past the traditional barriers, we found ourselves blocked by a fence of port-a-potties, on top of which some spectators had climbed for a better view.

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There was a narrow gap between two port-a-potties just large enough for one person to squeeze through to get to an open area beyond, and about 100 people proceeded to do so at once. After pushing forward as far as was possible, we got thoroughly stuck in the masses. It grew more packed as noon drew nearer, preventing me at times from being able to raise my hands above my head to snap photos. I was able to manage it a few times.

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We couldn't see anything except more people from where we were, not even a Jumbotron, so I settled in to chat with and photograph those we were now in very close quarters with. The good part is being surrounded by a wall of people blocks the wind, so it was decidedly less chilly for a few hours.

The majority of people we stood with were very polite and just so happy to be there. We joked and laughed together. The energy and jubilation was palpable, and the positive, happy wave just seemed to lift everyone up. There were grins from ear to ear.

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And some tears of joy.

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People of all ages waited in anticipation for Barack Obama to take his oath.

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And once he was sworn in, cries of joy, applause, whistles, laughter all rang out in a swell of voices the like of which I've never heard in my life.

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Spirits were so high everywhere, that even the policemen who were still standing in the cold on the street we'd passed hours earlier still had smiles on their faces.

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Blearily, we moved with the millions trying to get home after such an amazing day.

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Their pride and excitement still visible not only in their faces, but also in their attire.

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I took a nap at my friend's place to recover a bit from the cold and the weariness of being pushed around by millions of people for several hours. Getting home took some finagling, but I finally managed to squeeze onto a train and arrived home about 3 hours after I'd started back. Now the energy was winding down, and the exhaustion claimed quite a few people as they rode back to their hotels and homes.

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Apologies for so many images in one post. It was such an amazing day to experience, I found it hard paring it down to even these few. Thank you for bearing with it.

In case you haven't had enough, the full gallery is here: http://theoriginalblackcat.com/inauguration

Thanks for stopping by! :thumb