"And yet, as I stand here tonight, what gives me the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surrounds us today, but what fills the spaces in between," he said. "It is you -- Americans of every race and region and station -- who came here because you believe in what this country can be and because you want to help us get there. . . "
My visit on the Mall was a casual stroll down America's front lawn. Walking from the Capitol westward to the Lincoln Memorial, we saw a preview of the excitement for Tuesday. The numbers were slightly higher for a cold January day, and the usual landscape of the Mall was interrupted by Jumbotrons and speakers as people streamed around. MSNBC had a large structure enclosed near the Smithsonian Castle. People waved in Today Show-like manner to try to get on television.-- Barack Obama, Washington, D.C., January 18, 2009
Joe and I arrived at the west-side of the Washington Monument and encountered a mass of people. The security checkpoint was at the World War II memorial, but by the time we arrived at 2:45, there was no longer any admission to the area. So, we were content to stand and watch.
The concert pulled together several different characters, from Beyonce to Bruce Springstein. Tom Hanks gave a dramatic speech (I quietly exclaimed, "Forrest!").
The crowd was most excited when they saw shots of Barack -- exclaims and yelling of his name were heard every single time the big screens cut to his face. The country's attention and adoration of the man never ceases to amaze me.
Epilogue
The Ravens lost. I watched the game in a bar in Chinatown and proceeded to celebrate and anguish on the events of the day.
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