Finally, Inauguration photos

Inauguration day was a clusterf&%k. We got on a train at 0600, it was crowded, but not bad. However, on the 3rd stop to DC, the train stopped due to a sick passenger, and they made us all get off the train. Then they opened the doors, for about 45 seconds and let some people board the train. That was my first experience with the shoving and pushing that would continue all day long. We knew we would get nowhere and not be able to board any other trains that were coming because they would be too crowded. So, we opted to cross over to the westbound tracks and go back west (the direction from which we had come) and ride to the end of the line. At the end of the line in Vienna, we got a seat on the empty train. Thus began a 3 1/2 hr saga of stopping and starting all along the train route into DC. I'll write more about this later, but suffice it to say, we did not get there in time to get to the "Silver Ticket" gate, so we watched the Inaguration from the Air and Space Museum food court with a family from Lancaster, PA, who had a small TV and a radio.

We ate our hardboiled eggs and had some McD's coffee.


Watching inauguration




The wait for a train after the inauguration ceremony was 3-6 hours, and we battled the crowds for one walk to the Metro station (train) and decided to head back to the Air and Space Museum to wait out the crowds.



At 4 pm, we went the opposite direction and went to the top of Capitol Hill, and on to a bar about 4 blocks north of the Capitol, where we waited out the crowd and watched part of the parade on TV at The Pour House.


Then we decided to think about heading home, and with the help of our waitress (who is from Sioux City, IA) we were advised to go to the Eastern Market metro stop, about 7 blocks away, which we did (in the brrr, cold!). We had a great time at another bar, which was showing Cspan, so we stayed to watch the remainder of the parade there. It was a gay bar, and everyone was very nice to us, and we had a great time.


For all our photos go here

The Capitol the day after.....