Recently in Preparation Category
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.
Just a few highlights from Sunday, January 18, 2009...
A strong police presence was seen throughout the district on Sunday.
Street vendors set out to get their piece of inauguration action by selling t-shirts, buttons, watches, posters and other memorabilia.
A sea of people, stretching from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, stood shoulder to shoulder at Sunday's inaugural concert.
U.S. troops attend the official kickoff celebration in front of Lincoln Memorial.
Bono on the big screen.
Photo courtesy of Reuters
D.C. authorities are estimating crowds of 1-2 million will descend on the nation's capital this Tuesday to witness the historic swearing in of President-elect Barack Obama. Though that number is down from the original estimate of 4 million, it is still far beyond the scope of any event the District has hosted in the recent past.
Earlier this week the White House declared a state of emergency in the District, allowing for increased money, personnel and equipment to support public safety efforts. Visitors can even sign up to receive emergency text alerts concerning everything from transportation to weather conditions.
All of this prior-planning has got me thinking about Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid. Could the city handle such a large-scale event? Would the Olympics bring financial gold to the city or the agony of an even higher cost of living? I don't have answers to these questions but I admit I'm doubtful.
I'm eager to see how the District handles the demands on public transportation and crowd control over the next few days. If all goes all, D.C. authorities could write the book on how to prepare for a national celebration. If Chicago authorities were smart, they would be first in line to buy that book and read it front to back before the IOC comes to visit this spring.
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