A Brief (?) Inaugural Experience by Gary Stamper
Posted on Thursday 22 January 2009
Click on this link http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/the_inauguration_of_president.html for a pictoral album of the inauguration
Anyaa: Here is my Beloved’s take on the Inaugural Experience in DC 2 days ago….the only thing I would add is that in the entire experience felt to me like one of the most significant pilgrimages I have ever made! The 9 hour drive, the cold that was sometimes biting and windy, the long walks, the patience and calm that it took for all of us to stand with 2 million others and not freak out with panic, the inability to use a bathroom easily, the walking in circles for hours to find our way home again was so worth it as we all stood together, witnessing for the world of humanity, the swearing in of the era many of us have been preparing for our entire lives.
Gary: I’m sitting in a friend’s house in DC the morning after the inaugural, and while everyone else is still sleeping, and we later begin the 8 hour trip back to North Carolina, I thought I’d jot down a few thoughts about my experience (well, it started out that way….).
Our 7am Metro trip into the National Mall from the DC suburbs of Silver Springs was the first clue of what was to come during the rest of the day. Even though we were close to the end of the Metro line, the train was already full as the five of us, Anyaa and three friends, squeezed on. We watched as hundreds of others at the stops along the way had to wait for the next trains.
As we left our arrival station in downtown DC, not far from the Mall (we thought), we were struck by the incredible size of the crowd: hundreds of thousands of people all trekking to the mall from every direction. It took us about an hour and a half to walk the two miles to our final place on Mall. The air was electric with excitement. These were people that were totally jazzed about all of the implications of this Inauguration. (Continue reading…)


