In the freezing cold for history - Inauguration part 2

After about 3 hours of sleep, I woke up and dressed in about 5 layers on Jan. 20 (That is, if you count the long johns, 3 shirts, 2 coats, hat and gloves). E and I decided that we were safe to leave at 8am because we had tickets - surely our yellow seats were guaranteed. We packed on the cattle car, um, I mean Metro, around that time and jetted to Union Station only to find that the line for our gate stretched around 10 blocks. Seriously? 10 blocks?!?! Seriously...

We schlepped for about 8 blocks and then realized that there was mass confusion around Louisiana and C St NW. The purple and yellow lines converged into one massive cluster. People were climbing on garbage trucks to find their designated entrance and there were no cops in sight to help. Finally, the event planner in E and I kicked in and we started directing traffic until we saw a break in the line.

Finally, we reached the real yellow gate entrance and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Our hands were freezing and we weren't talking so that we could conserve energy. All of a sudden we see people running and high-pitched squealing. E shot me this confused look, glanced back at the commotion, and froze. It was Diddy. Yes, the Diddy (although it took us a bit to remember what he calls himself now). I fumbled to try and find the camera, but it was too late. He ducked into the Capitol's side entrance and vanished.

Once we got through the gate, it was smooth sailing. We flew through security and found some great seats. I still can't believe we were so close and were able to enjoy a significant moment in history. People were crying and cheering. I was a bit upset at the "Hey na na na, Goodbye Bush" song and boo-ing that was going on in the background. All in all, it was an amazing and exhausting day. There are many more stories, so please ask if you want to know!

All the other pictures are on my flickr site: www.flickr.com/amylizlovesjava. Go check them out!