What a day

January 20. 9:45 pm

What an amazing event to be a part of. An estimated 2 million people crammed the National Mall today to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office and become the 44th president of the United States. Whatever your political affiliation, you cannot deny the magnitude of what took place today. Less than 50 years after Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and spoke of his dream, Obama became the first African American president of this country. The United States has been divided for what feels like an eternity during the presidency of George W. Bush and today it felt like the tides may finally be turning. Although it was a remarkable day, it was also a very long and cold one.

We woke at 4 a.m. and left for the Metro a half hour later. The station on campus wasn't too crowded and we made it through relatively easy. Getting off the train was a different story, as the crowds seemed to multiply as soon as we got off. When we made it above ground, we saw that the crowds were gigantic and there were already thousands of people lining up. After some confusion, we were able to find our Silver ticketed entrance line.

The planning for this line was very poor and the police presence was not nearly enough to handle the huge crowds that were there. With no barricades blocking people who were on line away from people just walking down the street, hundreds of people were able to just cut the line wherever they pleased. This was very frustrating, especially since we got there so early. After some time, the people on line became aware of this practice and basically acted as their own police presence, forcing people off the line who didn't belong there.

A few minutes past 8, the line started to move and we were ushered through the ticket gate. We soon realized that the tickets we received were not being collected and we were simply told to just hold them up as we walked through. Most people did seem to have them, but I can imagine there were many people in the Silver ticketed area without tickets. After passing through security we staked a spot out by the first "jumbotron" on the National Mall, right behind the capitol reflecting pool. It was pretty far away but we were able to look behind us and see the sea of people that already took their place on the mall, and I felt grateful to have the tickets I did.

It was bitterly cold out there, a good 10 degrees cooler then the concert on Sunday. I was well prepared with plenty of layers and handwarmers, but by the last hour or so it was pretty tough to stay warm. As the crowd grew, they got more excited and more vocal. As the large screen in front of us showed notable people starting to arrive, the crowd cheered or booed.

Once the program started, there was a great feeling in the air. People were thrilled to participate in this historic day. After Aretha Franklin sang and Joe Biden took his oath of office to become vice president, Barack Obama took to the podium and elicited the loudest cheers of the morning thus far. In a very stoic manner, he took the oath and cheers erupted from the millions of spectators. He then began what was arguably the most anticipated part of the day, his inaugural address. Delivering the speech in his familiar powerful tone, he spoke to the nation about the problems we face ahead and what we need to do as a nation to help the country move forward. The conclusion was met with another roar of approval from the crowd. The program concluded with a poem and another benediction.

It was slow getting out and we decided to head to the Air and Space Museum nearby for some heat and food. After spending some time there, we went to Congressman Anthony Weiner's office for a reception. We graciously thanked him for the tickets and he was very kind to everyone who was there. We then headed back to campus, successfully navigating through the massive crowds that were still in the area.
I packed my bags and headed for Union Station where I began my nine hour trip back to Boston. As I sit on the bus writing this blog, I can't help but feel hopeful for the future of the country. The challenges this country faces are vast and we will not see solutions overnight. But I believe this president has successfully reached out to a majority of the public, and they are willing to work with him in order to better the country. We can only hope there are brighter days ahead for us.
This concludes my trip to Washington. I had a once in a lifetime experience, one that I will never forget. I hope this blog was able to give you a bit of a feel for how it was to be in the capital for this historic event. Here's to a successful four years for our country.

Thanks for reading,
-Jake

The big day is tomorrow

10:45 p.m.

What I thought was going to be a relatively calm day on the eve of the inauguration turned into a pretty long one. After sleeping in to try and catch up on the lack of sleep the day before because of the concert, we decided to pick up our tickets at Congressman Anthony Weiner's office which is located right next to the Capitol Building, the scene of tomorrow's historic events. We took the Metro down to the Capitol at 2 p.m. and when we got off the train, we were stuck in a mob scene created by people unaware of how to use the D.C system. Unlike the Boston and NYC subways, the Metro requires each rider to have their own fare card and you must enter the card you used to ride the train in the turnstiles as you exit the station.

Once on street level, I was shocked at the mob scene outside. I hadn't realized that most of the representatives in the House of Representatives had their Washington offices in one of three large buildings located right next to each other. With 240,000 tickets being distributed today, you can imagine the scene. Couple that with the "airport like" security getting into the building, and that equals longs lines outside all three buildings. Weiner's office was located in the Rayburn Building, the largest of the three. It took us over 2 hours to get into the building, one that we were only in for a total of 10 minutes. We received our tickets in a large envelope that included the actual tickets, a program of events, and portraits of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. We were given Silver tickets, which designate "Mall Standing." This is the ticketed section furthest away from the Capital, located directly behind a small reflecting pool on the capitol lawn. Although these tickets aren't ideal, it still gives us a better view then millions of people located in the general admission area.

On our way back to campus, I saw a few of the floats that will be seen in tomorrow's parade. George Washington University also has a float in the festivities and we stopped by a student event in one of the quads that showed off the final product.
Tomorrow is going to be another long day. We are planning on getting to the Capitol at 5 a.m. tomorrow. The gates are opening at 8 a.m. and the program will begin at 11:30 a.m. Barack Obama will be sworn in at noon and will deliver his inaugural address right afterwards. The city is advising against using the Metro unless you absolutely have to, but I'm hoping that because we are leaving so early, it won't be too much of an issue. I hope everybody watches tomorrow. It really will be such a historic event.

-Jake

The Celebration is underway

January 18. 10:45 p.m.

The inaugural celebration has officially begun in Washington as hundreds of thousands of people crammed into the national mall this afternoon to witness a historic gathering of musicians, actors and politicians. The concert was free and open to the public and those two factors contributed to a huge turnout. Barack Obama and his family had a front row seat for the show and each time they appeared on screen it elicited a loud ovation from the crowd. Music legends Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and U2 were some highlights of the two hour concert that was aired live on HBO.

The whole process of getting through security and actually entering the national mall grounds did not go as smoothly as the actual concert did. There were five public entry gates set up at different spots surrounding the mall. The gates were not being opened until 8 a.m., with the concert scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. We arrived at 7 a.m. and found ourselves behind a few hundred people who got there before us, some as early as 2:30 a.m. At close to 9 a.m. the line started moving and we successfully got past security. We weren't in the clear yet, as a mad dash by the crowd to stake out their spot closest to the stage began right after people were through the checkpoint. After a brief jog, we arrived at our spot near the reflecting pool. The location wasn't bad, we had a great view of the monument itself and there were five "jumbotron" screens that gave us a great view of the action. The area right in front of the stage was reserved seating.

Now it was a quarter past 9 and reality set in: We still had five hours to go. Our group of 6 laid a blanket out and got comfortable. I was bundled pretty heavily (5 layers) and the weather didn't affect us much. The crowd passed the time by playing with a beach ball, passing around a life size Barack Obama cut out and attempting to hang a large American flag from a tree (they were successful). As the concert drew closer, people started to push their way from the back towards the front and where we were standing got much more crowded.

The concert started on time and the First Family took their seats to loud applause. The concert organizers kept rolling out extremely high profile performers throughout the whole show. Notable presenters included Denzel Washington, Martin Luther King Jr III, and Tiger Woods.

The music aspect of the show was really something to marvel at. The list of superstar performers was vast: Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, U2, Beyonce, James Taylor and list goes on. Even Garth Brooks put on a great show, singing "American Pie" and "Shout."

The highlight of the program was undoubtedly when President-elect Obama himself took the stage to deliver another one of his excellent speeches, urging Americans to bind together in these difficult times. This was my first live glimpse of him and it was really a moment to remember.

The concert closed with Beyonce singing "America, the Beautiful," a fitting close to a spectacular show. It was a long day, but certainly worth the wait. Tomorrow, I will be picking up my inauguration tickets from Congressman Anthony Weiner's office. The city is getting very crowded so I'm not sure what else we'll be able to do. I'll be in touch.

Thanks,
-Jake

2 days until inauguration...

January 17

The freezing cold weather has not deterred the throngs of people that have begun to descend on the nation's capital today. With the inaugural festivities set to get underway tomorrow afternoon for the free concert on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial, Washington has gotten noticeably more crowded... and excited. The city has started to get ready for the thousands more that will arrive in the next few days, placing portable toilets on many street corners in the area.

On a walk to Georgetown, an area known for its nice shops and restaurants, the inauguration hype was out in full force. Store windows were decked out in Obama gear, restaurants were advertising their "inaugural" specials and I even saw a painter drawing Obama's face on a canvas in a shop window. I also passed the Four Seasons hotel, a rumored "hotspot" for celebrities in town for the inauguration. The hotel has set up a row of trees blocking the view of the front door, keeping paparazzi and other onlookers on the outside. I didn't get a peek of anyone although there were a number of limousines around the hotel.

Tomorrow will be the first day of events and it is sure to be a long one. The gates to the national mall are opening at 8 a.m. tomorrow for the 2:30 p.m. concert. Our group is getting there at 7 a.m., and what the scene will look like at that time is anybody's guess. The weather is looking manageable, with a high of 39 degrees. I'll still definitely be wearing a lot of layers. HBO is airing the concert live and it will be available to everyone with a cable signal, not just HBO subscribers. President-elect Barack Obama is planning on speaking at the event.

I'll check back tomorrow and let you guys know how it went. I'll also try to take some pictures.

-Jake

3 days until inauguration...

January 16th. 11:20 p.m.

I have finally arrived in D.C after a grueling two bus, 12 hour journey from Boston. There was some traffic leaving the area, but luckily I had a two hour layover in New York City. Obama-mania was fairly noticeable in my few hours there, as street vendors that normally make their money selling handbags have tried to capitalize on the election and had stands decked out with Obama paraphernalia. The bus consisted of a fairly young crowd, most of whom discussed their weekend inauguration plans for a large duration of the five hour ride.

Once off the bus, it didn't take long before Barack Obama's face was everywhere I looked. I went into CVS to buy a drink and was greeted by two tables in the front of the store selling "official" inauguration memorabilia. I took the Metro (Washington DC's underground train) to get to George Washington University's campus and Obama's face was on my fare card.

The streets of Washington were pretty quiet at this hour, but there was a noticeable police presence in the area. Some streets in the city have already been closed and many others will be blocked off in the coming days.

I was surprised to hear of GWU's security system that has been put into place regarding guests staying with their friends this weekend. All guests staying overnight in a dorm had to be preregistered through the university. Each guest was issued a temporarily GWU identification card with their name on it that acts as if you were a regular student. I was impressed by these extra measures and by the quality of the actual card. Some students here even thought the inaugural weekend card looked nicer than their regular one. It'll make a nice souvenir one day.

Looking ahead to Tuesday, the forecast calls for a chilly inauguration day with a high of 30 degrees. As long as it stays clear, I can't complain too much. Not sure what the plan is tomorrow but I'm sure I'll have something interesting to report.

Thanks for reading and stay warm

-Jake

On the way to Inauguration

January 15. 11:45 p.m.

Hi everyone,

We are less than a week away from the most historic presidential election of our lifetime. Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at noon on the steps of the capital building. I am very grateful that I will be in attendance to witness this monumental occasion.

My name is Jake Sutera and I am a freshman journalism major at Northeastern University. I was born and raised in Queens, New York. I hope this blog will serve as a place where you can get a sense of what it's like to be in the nation's capital in the days leading up to the event. Whatever your political affiliation, it is impossible to ignore the magnitude of this moment in our history. With the economy in shambles and the turmoil in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States is at a crossroads. The weight of the country falls on President-elect Obama's shoulders as he tries to unite the country in a way that seemed unimaginable during the Bush presidency.

I will be taking an 11:30 a.m. bus from Boston's South Station on Friday the 16th (today), transferring to another bus in NYC and arriving in Washington DC at approximately 9 p.m. - a very long day of traveling. I am lucky enough to have a friend that is attending George Washington University, a campus that is mere blocks from the inaugural festivities, so I will be right in the thick of things all weekend. I will be attending the Inaugural Opening Concert on Sunday afternoon that will feature performances by Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Bono and a whole slew of other artists. I was also fortunate enough to be selected by Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York to receive two tickets to the swearing in ceremony on the 20th, so I will be one of 240,000 ticketed people standing in front of the capital as Barack Obama takes the oath of office and delivers his first speech as President of the United States.

It should be a busy weekend. I am planning on posting nightly entries on this blog, informing you guys of the day's happenings and anything else I feel is notable. If anyone has any comments or questions about anything going on in DC this weekend feel free to comment and I'll do my best to answer. Be sure to check back and to follow the news in the coming days. You don't need to be in Washington to be a part of this special occasion.

Thanks, and I'll speak to you soon,
-Jake