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After only two hours of sleep Monday night, I began Inauguration Day at 8:30 a.m., trekking from Arlington, VA. with my hosts to the Memorial Bridge--the place for cyclists and pedestrians headed to the ceremony on Tuesday.
Walking to the bridge was a tranquil, awe-inspiring buildup to what became a gripping, profoundly patriotic event. I was positioned on the west end of the Mall--between the Washington Monument and the National World War II Memorial.
The bridge provided easy access to the inauguration and picturesque views of the Lincoln Memorial. The right lanes of the bridge were closed for the eventual motorcade of buses transporting the bands for the parade.
Chris Brandon, 63, of Plainfield, MA holds a sign her nephew made. Brandon was active during the civil rights movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1966 and 1967. "This is like an alternate reality," she said. "It's unreal."
Sixty-year-old Dr. Patrick E. Davies (pictured at left and below) of England stands among the crowd of tens of thousands near the WWII Memorial.
Davies said the weekend's atmosphere was "absolutely fantastic and hopeful, especially in the midst of a crisis."
Davies also said Obama's speech was a "rallying call" and likened it to some of Winston Churchill's speeches.
"Words matter, and it is words that inspire," he said.
"At events like this, history is made in a flash, and if you miss it, you miss that moment."
Like so many others, Davies raised his country's flag in support of President Obama.
After the ceremony ended, however, the Mall was not treated with the greatest care. This pile of garbage was at 17th. and Constitution St.
Still, the crowds were invigorating and inspiring in spite of the frigid temperatures. Those who couldn't get to the parade continued to celebrate at 17th and H St. well after Obama's speech ended.
As the final touches were put into place Sunday, jubilation filled the air at the Inaugural Celebration concert and a palpbale pre-inauguration buzz began to take hold of the hundreds of thousands who packed the Mall.
Window washers tidy up the Newseum's exterior, which faces Pennsylvania Ave. This will be prime viewing area for Tuesday's parade, but tickets to get in were said to have sold out several months in advance.
The view of the US Capitol Building from the Newseum's oft-crowed 6th floor terrace.
Twenty one-month-old Shalvah Lazarus, whose first name means "tranquility," looks on at the "We Are One" Inaugural Celebration concert. Her mother said she's been an Obama fan since 15 months.
Lazarus' grandmother is New Hampshire House of Representatives Member Emma Rous, who is also the chairwoman of the House education committee.
Rous called the concert "thrilling. It's a new day in America," she said.
And what better way to celebrate than by "Shout"-ing.
The Journalists Memorial, located in the Newseum in Washington, D.C., pays tribute to reporters, photographers and broadcasters who have died reporting the news.
The second stop on our agenda today - the Newseum. Housing five centuries of news history, the Newseum defines itself as the "world's most interactive museum." Yet as we passed our laptops, cameras and cell phones through security we learned that there is no wireless access available to visitors. Hmmm...???
