This is a day that everyone will remember.  You’ll be telling your grandchildren about it.  I, on the other hand,  am still thinking about my experience at a D.C. restauraunt this morning. 

It took me about an hour to get to Washington.  There was traffic but it was moving.  At about 3:30AM,  I stopped to get a cup of coffee.  I ordered the usual:  2 creams,  4 Sweet & Low.   They put in the creams but refused to dump the Sweet & Low into the cup.  It was Seinfeldian.  I asked them to please do it since I was lugging around 4 bags of equipment.  No, they said.  Couldn’t do it.  I did it myself.  Very odd,  don’t you think? 

Shortly after 9:00,  I began the trek to the U.S. Capitol.  Fortunately,  it was not long because a man on a rickshaw offered me a ride.  For $25,  he promised to get me as close to the Capitol as possible.  I felt bad for him.  I’m not exactly light.  He may need an Aspirin tonight.  When I hopped off the rickshaw,  I began the walk toward the congressional office building where I would pass through security and then make my way up to the media area on the west front of the Capitol.  Pedestrian traffic was heavy but not terrible and people were behaving in an orderly fashion.  Police officers were helpful with directions to the building.  I got through security with flying colors but in all the excitement,  failed to listen closely to directions on where to go.  I thought the guard said something about making two rights.  I ended up in a basement garage with a journalist from Zimbabwe.  We made our way back upstairs.  At this point,  we were lost in the congressional office building.  I walked past lawmaker’s offices and ended up in front of the Armed Services Committee.  Perfect,  I thought.  We found another guard and a new security line and a new metal detector and made a second trip through.  My bad.  Anyway,  there was still time.  It was only 10:45.  When the guard was done waving a wand over my body,  I grabbed my stuff and headed outside and across the street to the west front of the Capitol.  Moments later I was in the middle of it all.  I could see the mobs of people on the National Mall as I walked towards the media area.  I climbed up.  Not bad.  From my perch,  I was about 500 feet from the podium where Barack Obama would take the oath.  I took in the sights and sounds.  I looked out on the Mall and the hundreds of thousands of people gathered to witness history. 

As the dignitaries were introduced and emerged from the Capitol,  I realized that this is all show business.  The waving politicians.  The makeup, the fancy clothes.  It’s a dance between the media and Washington’s powerful.   One by one,  they were introduced:  Carter,  Clinton,  Bush Sr. , Bush Jr.  Cheney.  Yikes.  Someone next to me said Cheney looked like the grim reaper.  Then,  out came Obama.  The crowd exploded.  It was as if their shouts had started beneath the ground and then erupted high in the air like the lava from a volcano. 

During the swearing-in,  it was apparent that Chief Justice John Roberts had not memorized the oath.  He got it wrong and not only tripped himself up but also tripped up Obama.  I’d like to hear what his excuse is for that.  

Good speech.  Short and sweet.   I found the poet that spoke afterward to be a bit anticlimactic, especially since she didn’t rhyme. 

As I walked away from the Capitol and former President Bush’s helicopter flew overhead,  people in the crowd enthusiastically shouted,  “Bye Bye!”,  “Have fun in Texas” and “It’s like having a cancer removed”.  I thought I heard a child say “Good riddance”. 

As I walked through Chinatown back towards my car,  a saxophone player at the entrance to the Gallery Place Metro station caught my attention.  He was swaying back and forth while playing Hail to the Chief.  I interviewed him.  The man told me he had made close to $500 dollars in just a few hours.  He was 23 and from Boston.  As I walked away,  he played God Bless America. 

For more Spiegel,  go to JOSHSPIEGEL.COM

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.