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