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You are here: Home / Archives for Destinations / North America

Inauguration Pandemonium

February 2, 2009 By Danny

Here I am, sitting in my home; one week after Obama took office. While watching President Obama announce a new special envoy for the Middle East, sign orders to close the Guantanamo Bay terrorist prison camp, and do a complete 180° on U.S. foreign policy, I blew my nose so many times that I went through an entire box of tissues in a single 24 hour period. Why the cold you ask? I was out in 20°F weather for 8 hours on Tuesday as I watched an African American take the Presidential oath of office for the first time in history.

Eight years ago, for Bush 43’s first Inauguration, I strolled down to the mall in my new parka and waited what felt like an hour for the oath to be administered. I don’t remember anything about his speech. I just remember going down to the mall, watching it happen, and going home…all without incident.

Four years later I took the metro, to the parade route for Bush’s second Inauguration. We passed through metal detectors and found ourselves on Freedom Plaza, just a few short blocks away from the White House. Unbeknown to us, this was the location where permits to protest were issued. When the President came by, his limo was cruising at least 30mph with secret service agents struggling to keep up. People were chanting and throwing things. I was amazed that nothing was separating me from the tear gas and fire hoses a mere 20 yards away. It felt like a war zone.

This time it was different. We had planned to wake up at 6:15am to begin the 2.5 mile trek to the mall. Instead we woke to Washington Post text messages at 5:15 telling us that metro stations were already above capacity. We got up early and began our trek.

I’m still not entirely sure as to why was this Inauguration was so different than previous inaugurations. It is easy to say it was because Obama is black and Bush’s ratings are so low but I’m not so sure that’s the entire story. Perhaps the theme of “change” and “hope” really resonated and it is the beginning of a silent coup on the status quo in Washington…maybe that’s what everyone really wants…

We began our trek waiting and watching as several busses passed us by because they were beyond capacity. Eventually we found a bus on a different route that managed to take us “as far as it could” before National Guardsmen turned it away. Seeing so many road closures with military personnel reminded me of 9/11. The evening of 9/11, once the initial fear was over and everyone had evacuated to the suburbs, very few people remained in the city. There were no cars, just military police and road closures. It was eerie. In a way, downtown Washington on Obamamania day was the same way. It felt like a war zone.

After walking a cold two blocks down a deserted Pennsylvania Avenue, we found a river of people pouring off mass transit, headed toward the mall. The variety of people was the most interesting part. There were school groups and youth trips, groups of friends, and many, many families. One group, from Alaska, was attached to each other by a string, just like a preschool class. Probably the most interesting scene were the many ‘Mt. Starbucks’ we passed on our way downtown.

Coffee, Anyone?
Coffee, Anyone?

On the mall, the only word to describe the crowd would be “immense”. There were people as far as the eye could see. As time passed the crowd became thicker and thicker, disallowing virtually any movement. It was great that there were so many port-a-johns, but actually reaching them was neigh impossible. By the time of the ceremony began (2 hours before Obama took the oath of office), a stroll of 20 yards might have actually taken 3 or 4 minutes; a short while late the chance of completing a 20 yard stroll in any direction was about as good as walking up to the stage and shaking the President’s hand.

The snack bar, if you could make it there and back, was selling hot chocolate…if you could even call it that. I called it gross. There was a shortage on hand and toe warmers. Everyone was so cold they forgot about how hungry they were. Cell phones were completely unreliable… and yet, everyone was joyful. When the announcer told everyone to be seated, the crowd laughed; it was simply too crowded to sit down.

On the jumbotrons we were quickly reminded of why we were there. As President Bush walked down the corridors of the Capitol, someone standing near me began chanting Darth Vader’s theme from Star Wars. Soon after, as President-Elect Obama walked through the same corridors, everyone cheered.

I am white. Seeing Obama inaugurated did not affect me in the way many African Americans were affected. To be honest, the spirit and magnitude of the crowd were far more interesting to me than the pomp and circumstance of the stage and the speech. I could have comfortably watched from my home…with popcorn and good hot chocolate.

It was a meaningful day for me in the same way an Obama presidency is meaningful to me. I could go on and list a variety of the reasons why, but instead I think one word can capture my feelings toward this day and this new administration: Change. Perhaps that is a cliché thing to say, but the fact that Obama is not a Kennedy, Clinton, or Bush is refreshing. .Five years ago he was a mere state legislature whom only a handful of people outside of Illinois had ever heard of. Calling him a “nobody” wouldn’t be quite right either, perhaps the term “anybody” is a better fit. Sure he’s more charismatic, eloquent, and politically savvy than the rest of us, but he’s not a child of fortune. I think it is feeling that he is an ‘anybody,’ more than anything else, that marks the new feeling in Washington.

The Thomas Jefferson memorial stands directly across the tidal basin from The White House. Looking out any southern facing window means you’re eye to eye with an immense figure of U.S. history, whose solid resolve and immense stature immediately reminds any resident of the White House that this is a country built by and for the people. I’m not sure how, but I think it is smiling.

Filed Under: USA Tagged With: Inauguration, Obama

One Month to Go!

January 25, 2009 By Nicole Biller

Down to the final month before we officially depart DC. Phew! Before we can leave on our adventure we’re heading to see family.

Our trek around the eastern US looks like this:

A lot of places in not a lot of time. Probably heading out of the Philadelphia area around March 1st, spending a week or so driving before we sell the car and fly to California and cross the border into Baja. Its gonna be a trip!

Filed Under: Travel & Planning, USA Tagged With: family, maps, Travel & Planning

Packing up

January 17, 2009 By Jillian

The declining economy and enticing post-holiday clearance sales have us spending too much money on clothing and gear for the trip. Case in point – last weekend we went to REI’s winter clearance sale. Bought two softshell technical jackets, 3 pairs of wicking undies (in cute colors!), 2 SIGG aluminum water bottles and steri-pen attachments. The total? Around $200! The savings? Around $200! That was definitely exciting, I mean who doesn’t love to save money?

Besides purchasing fun gear and clothes, we’ve also begun packing up our apartment. The question is what can’t we live without? What is irreplaceable to us? As we packed up the first load to send to my parents in Philadelphia I realized how much stuff we have. Stuff, that’s exactly what it is. It’s junk that somehow along the way we needed. Books, sculptures, picture frames, etc.. just stuff.Ortigia We’re opposites when it comes to stuff- I’m a chucker while hubby is a pack rat. You know the types: the chucker who throws out EVERYTHING without regard for its sentimental value, and the pack rat who saves EVERYTHING without regard for its lack of sentimental value. Fortunately we’ve struck a balance in our few years of marriage, but it is still amazing how much STUFF we have!

Going through old boxes can be a painful trip down memory lane. Boxes of old love letters, yearbooks, dried flowers, pictures of friends you never talk to anymore. Boxes of stuff that was important when you put it away, but now 10 years later you can’t remember why you saved it. Case in point, my junior prom picture frame. (I just found that my prom pictures are still online! I’m not telling you where, but oh my god!) The prom gift my Junior Year of high school was a photo frame with weird glittery starts in it and a cheesy saying at the bottom. This piece of acrylic, tacky and obscene as it may be, was so incredibly important to me that I boxed it up for 7 years. I wanted to keep it forever. book shelf project 1 ~ striatic {notes}Going through a box of high school memories last weekend I came across this frame and immediately put it in the “chuck” pile. It got me thinking though. Packing this box several years ago, this cheap frame meant something important to me. Full of pictures, frames and yearbooks, it became clear that I was desperate to hold on to my high school self. Two weeks after I started college the twin towers came down. It was needless to say, a difficult time to be a college freshman in DC. I remember feeling like everything was changing, and I guess in many ways holding on to this stuff was my way of holding on to the past. Years have gone by and thankfully, a stronger more confident me threw that frame away to be recycled into someone else stuff.

What is something you can’t live without?

Filed Under: USA Tagged With: packing

New Year, New Countries

January 1, 2009 By Nicole Biller

Less than 60 days before we move out and pack up. We got the annual new years candy from my grandma today (yay!), the card says “May you have a sweet 2009 no matter where you are.” Who knows what 2009 has in store for us, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

New year= new countries= new adventures.

What does your 2009 equation look like?

Filed Under: Travel & Planning, USA Tagged With: holidays, Travel & Planning

Why we travel

December 16, 2008 By Jillian

i’m so jealous- he goes everywhere on someone else’s dime!

the newest “dance” video.

the out-takes video.

Filed Under: USA Tagged With: videos

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