Inauguration Day: The district that doesn't sleep. Much.

Orange seat inauguration tickets received just hours before beginning the sleepy hour walk to Capitol Hill.

The early morning trek to Capitol Hill

View from the orange seating inside the ticketed inauguration ceremony.

After a late night of get-down grooves with George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelics at a pre-inauguration reception honoring Obama and the Congressional Black Caucus, it was time to retire and attempt an hour or two of zzz's. The next morning would bear more emotion and excitement, so some rest was needed before making the long trek out to Capitol Hill. However as I called a time-out, the streets of DC remained buzzing for hours, full of people who most likely knew there would be no time (or for some, place) to rest.

My eyes were crusty and head fuzzy as I woke up at 6AM to the sound of helicopters. I felt guilty for oversleeping. The Mall had just opened up the gates to the public and I was already behind those had been there since 3AM camping out. By suprise my inauguration plans manifested into me scoring two admission tickets just four hours earlier. My sister's friend, a DC native, had no desire to make the hike and spend hours outside in the cold on Capitol Hill. I won some time back, considering the gates in the tickted area wouldn't open till 9AM.

Tickets in hands, my friend and I were off! What on any normal day would have been 10-15 minutes to walk from Chinatown to Capitol Hill, took us over an hour. The streets felt sublimely surreal as people appeared to be sleepwalking on the carless streets towards the Mall. Street vendors bustled with various Obama paraphenelia from Obama hand warmers to "I was there" T-shirts. And at any given moment, individuals would begin to chant "O BA MA, O BA MA;" a sort of piercing reality check that no T-shirt needed to remind us that indeed, we were here.

Finally, we arrived to orange security gate before it opened at 9am, but not without an hour and half line, which went by fast if you had good coversation with the people waiting with you. Undoubtly, this was the majority of the inauguration experience--building community with those around you. And if it at any moment I had a doubt about the worthwhileness of being amidst this excessive event, a good conversation or kind gesture could quickly disinegrate the thought. Afterall, most everyone in that line and in the Mall knew the kind of chaos they were getting themselves into. And given moments here and there of frustration, I was overall impressed with the patience people possessed.

I will be posting more about the swearing in ceremony and people's reactions. It's been an exhausting and hectic last 24 hours.