A little backstory here. Obama and Biden decided to recreate Lincoln’s train ride into Washington (except without the secrecy and rumors of being disguised in women’s clothing) and start in Philadelphia. From there Obama would go to Wilmington where Biden would join them, getting on the train at the same station that he always goes to Washington from. That station just happens to be directly across the street from my apartment. Literally. I am looking at where they spoke as I write this.
This did mean that certain measures were going to be in effect. For one thing, they blocked off all the roads surrounding my apartment. I think I theoretically could have left my apartment Friday night but given what was closed I am really uncertain that I would have been able to get back in without having to drive to Baltimore and turn around. Also, when I woke up on Saturday morning I was greeted by armed Coast Guard craft traveling the river below me, military helicopters overhead, and men in black on rooftops probably wondering why I was standing so close to the window. It was awesome and disconcerting at the same time.
So this is what it looked like when they first let the crowd in. Everyone rushed for the best position while I stayed in my nice warm and cozy apartment drinking my morning coffee. Now some people did actually watch everything from my apartment building which I thought was kind of silly. I mean, the next president is a five minute walk away. You’d think that you would make the trek. But even I decided that it was better to stay warm for as long as possible until I had to venture into the cold.
Once I thought that the crowd was large enough I bundled up and made my way to the park. To do so I had to stand in line to go through security during which I was able to examine all of the street vendors. Because if there is one thing that screams “America” it is poorly constructed commemorative t-shirts. Also, there were an amazing amount of buttons for sale. I mean like a dozen people selling buttons (including one really cute girl from Arizona who I probably should have bought one from just for the conversation). This raises the question of when was the last time you actually saw someone wear a button. It seems like a product that has no meaning.
After making my way through security I scanned the area and picked my spot. Once I saw where the tv cameras were and where the stage was I found a spot where I could see the podium. There was a tree in my way but I was just tall enough to see the stage. Not that there was anything to see at the moment. That was going to take another hour. We did have some advance entertainment. The national anthem was sung by a small child named Nichodemus, a name that would prove quite ironic as this tale progresses. Then we had the typical array of politicians and speakers before the big guns arrived.
Biden took the stage first (look to the right of the stop sign). He was introduced by the Amtrak conductor who would take him to Washington on a daily basis as a senator. It was actually a really nice speech by the conductor talking about how Joe was always for the common man. Joe took the stage and joked about the times that he called the station to let them know that he was only two lights away and to hold the train for him. That isn’t exactly a common man sort of thing to do but I’ll let it slide. Then it was time for the reason we were all here.
(Look to the right of the lamppost. Apologies for the quality here but I was shooting blind. I lifted my camera as high as I could and shot in the general direction of the stage.)
Obama took the stage and I actually had a view of him. I was probably between 30 and 50 yards from the stage so I was close enough to have a good look. We started by singing happy birthday to his wife and then we, well, I would like to say that we listened to his speech. To be honest I can’t really remember anything he said. I do recall trying like mad to take a picture (like everyone else in the crowd), being jostled by eight thousand people trying to get a better look, and, well, I’ll let the picture explain.
Yeah, a portion of the crowd was yelling at the little girl in the pink jacket to get out of the damn tree so we could see. I wouldn’t say that it was my proudest moment as a citizen but if you stood out in the cold you would want to see everyone that you could. Actually, this is probably the best picture that I got out of the bunch as if you look left of the stop sign you could see everyone waving.
Now this wasn’t a momentous speech or even a very crowded one. Nothing spectacular happened and outside of the people who were there no one will remember it. But I’ll have to admit that I got a little choked up as I walked in and looked around. It is quite an amazing sight to be surrounded by thousands of people who just want to cheer for a man who gives us hope that the future may be better than the present. That for once we have elected a candidate based on the promise of their potential. I was lucky beyond belief to be able to have such an experience in my front yard.
After it all ended and I started to make my way back home they played the following song over the loud speakers. I smiled my biggest smile of the night. It just showed that Obama was bringing Chicago to the White House. Who else would use Wilco as part of his official theme music.
(I know I promised a dating story this weekend. Don’t worry. It’s coming tomorrow and trust me, you will not want to miss this one.)
The five random CDs for the week:
1) Cowboy Junkies “Onesoulnow”
2) The Iguanas “Live at Wolf Trap”
3) The Pogues “The Ultimate Collection”
4) U2 “Zooropa”
5) Beth Orton “The Other Side of Daybreak”
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