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As I prepare to go to DC for the Inauguration of Barack Obama, I feel like I'm about to embark on an epic journey. Like preparing to board the Orient Express, or the Schuylkill during rush hour. I am at the base of Everest, packing my rucksack and telling the Sherpas one more time that they shouldn't expect a tip. I am on the coast of Antarctica, about to speed to the South Pole with a hearty "MUSH" to my sled-poodles. I am on the Nina, pushing off of the shore to the new world, waving to the Pinta, and all the Pintonians.
I deliberately chose not to employ the "Enterprise" as a metaphor because I am clearly not going to where no man has gone before. In fact, as I write this, I am told that there are already a million people in DC, camping out, lighting fires, eating the freshly-killed moose culled from the wild plains of Adams Morgan (the National Zoo is most upset). Stated another, less weird way, this is going to get crowded.
Here, some perspective is in order: If you know the Mall in DC, visualize the area from the Capitol steps, where Obama will be sworn in, to the Washington Monument , (which incidentally, I don't think looks like him at all). That 3/4 mile space holds about one million people. Keep going back all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Now you can accommodate about 2.5 million people. Some estimates say that as many as 4 million people plan to come. All of this is to say that I am becoming pessimistic about my chances of getting a primo parking space.
Not only is it going to be crowded, it's also apparently going to be cold. The weather forecasts all say that the temperature will be in the teens. Many say there will be bitter winds. Some are even calling for locusts. Of course, we've all heard that the secret to staying warm is "layering". So I plan to wear all the sweat-shirts I have in my closet,. That is unless the Eagles make it to the Super-Bowl, in which case I'll just be wearing gym shorts and painting my chest green.
Even though we have tickets, we were told to get there no later than 7:00 AM for the noon festivities. Walking for miles at dawn and standing in the bitter cold for 6 hours next to complete strangers has the potential to be occasionally unpleasant. I'll try to pass the time by striking up conversations with those lucky enough to stand near me. I've even been thinking of conversation starters I could use, like "Yo, you gonna eat that Granola Bar?", or "Can I borrow your coat?" or "Tell me again why I can't borrow your coat.". Hey, at least I'll make some friends.
I deliberately chose not to employ the "Enterprise" as a metaphor because I am clearly not going to where no man has gone before. In fact, as I write this, I am told that there are already a million people in DC, camping out, lighting fires, eating the freshly-killed moose culled from the wild plains of Adams Morgan (the National Zoo is most upset). Stated another, less weird way, this is going to get crowded.
Here, some perspective is in order: If you know the Mall in DC, visualize the area from the Capitol steps, where Obama will be sworn in, to the Washington Monument , (which incidentally, I don't think looks like him at all). That 3/4 mile space holds about one million people. Keep going back all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Now you can accommodate about 2.5 million people. Some estimates say that as many as 4 million people plan to come. All of this is to say that I am becoming pessimistic about my chances of getting a primo parking space.
Not only is it going to be crowded, it's also apparently going to be cold. The weather forecasts all say that the temperature will be in the teens. Many say there will be bitter winds. Some are even calling for locusts. Of course, we've all heard that the secret to staying warm is "layering". So I plan to wear all the sweat-shirts I have in my closet,. That is unless the Eagles make it to the Super-Bowl, in which case I'll just be wearing gym shorts and painting my chest green.
Even though we have tickets, we were told to get there no later than 7:00 AM for the noon festivities. Walking for miles at dawn and standing in the bitter cold for 6 hours next to complete strangers has the potential to be occasionally unpleasant. I'll try to pass the time by striking up conversations with those lucky enough to stand near me. I've even been thinking of conversation starters I could use, like "Yo, you gonna eat that Granola Bar?", or "Can I borrow your coat?" or "Tell me again why I can't borrow your coat.". Hey, at least I'll make some friends.
Even with all of this effort, and despite having tickets as a member of the Electoral College, I'm still likely to be about as close to Barack as I would be if I just went to a pub in Ardmore. The Capitol itself will be a small dot in the distance and Barack's inaugural address will probably sound like someone confirming my filet-o-fish order at a drive-through window. The majestic "Hail to the Chief" will probably be drowned out by the sounds of Sarah Palin drilling Ice-fishing holes on the Potomac.
Some folks have asked why I'm willing to brave all of this when I have a perfectly fine television set in my warm living room. But those people are missing something. I haven't paid my cable bill, so there is no TV. But they are also missing something else. The fact is that all of the inconvenience and the pain will actually help punctuate the experience in my memory. This is first degree history. I'm not looking to just see it, I'm looking for a story, an experience. Someday I want to tell my great-great grandchildren (fish oil - you live forever) what it was like. What it felt like, what it tasted like. I don't want to just say that I watched it on the TV of a neighbor who pays their bills and hopefully stocks their fridge.
Some folks have asked why I'm willing to brave all of this when I have a perfectly fine television set in my warm living room. But those people are missing something. I haven't paid my cable bill, so there is no TV. But they are also missing something else. The fact is that all of the inconvenience and the pain will actually help punctuate the experience in my memory. This is first degree history. I'm not looking to just see it, I'm looking for a story, an experience. Someday I want to tell my great-great grandchildren (fish oil - you live forever) what it was like. What it felt like, what it tasted like. I don't want to just say that I watched it on the TV of a neighbor who pays their bills and hopefully stocks their fridge.
So I'm down for the discomfort. If you see a guy in a traffic jam smiling and clapping his hands, that will be me. If you see someone whose lost a finger to frostbite, but is still dancing the Macarena, that's me again. If you notice a person who is gone into cardiac arrest due to severe hypothermia, and is being given CPR. and is still singing "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves between chest compressions, you can bet that's your new State Senator, witnessing history, and walking towards the light.
The next installment of this blog will be on Sunday night from DC. Wish me luck!
posted by Daylin Leach at
7:34 AM
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