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“I Was There,” By Bobbi McKenna.
Due to rumors of tickets to this historic event being sold, a decision had been made by the Inaugural Committee to distribute the tickets on the 19th to make it less convenient and harder to sell them.
Still dog-tired from the Concert at the Lincoln Memorial, I set off for Capitol Hill with members of my family on the morning of January 19th to pick up our tickets for the “Swearing In” at the Capitol.
Our first stop was at the Hart Senate Office Building where we stood in a short line, went through security, and then my daughter-in-law got two "Blue Tickets" at the office of Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Note: It helps to be from a small state in population that did not “go” for the winner of the Presidency and is far away from Washington, DC. It also helps if your Senator or Congressperson is from the “other” (in this case Republican) party than the President-Elect. In those respects Alaska was the trifecta with a bonus. (Read “How To Get Tickets” for more details).
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Our next stop was at the Longworth House Office Building where we stood in a LONG line where I met Kevin Anderson from Salt Lake City. Kevin is a partner in the Fabian and Clendenin Law Firm, and is also the son of the legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning columnists, Jack Anderson.
It took about an hour of waiting, but we finally got two more tickets (Silver Tickets), from the office of my Congressman, Mike Coffman.
(Remember, Colorado is a small state in terms of population. It is relatively far from DC. Colorado turned from Red to Blue, but not in my Congressional District, and my Congressman is a Republican.
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People who live in Denver, which has a much higher percentage of registered Democrats than Centennial where I live, had a much harder time getting tickets. They all had to go to Congresswoman Diana DeGette who had the same number of tickets to give out as Mike Coffman did. Some Denverites who were not able to get tickets went to DC, like Denver Post blogger and Sixth Grader Noah Reynolds and his mom, Pat. You can read Noah's Inaugural Blog at DenverPost.com.
With four tickets under our belt, the McKenna Family returned to The Churchill Hotel, had a quick lunch, and then it was time to get ready for the Illinois Gala at the Renaissance Hotel. I still had two tickets I was waiting for. These were VIP seats in Yellow Section 11 that I had been promised.
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The Capitol Grounds were divided into color-coded viewing areas.
Spectators had to enter through the gate that corresponded to the color of their tickets.
Our tickets were yellow and Hilary spotted the “Yellow Gate” before I did.
Other family members were standing in line at the "Blue Gate" and the "Silver Gate."
(Pictured at Right: The View From our Seats, Photo: Bobbi McKenna.)
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We got into the "Yellow Line" and began to inch forward. A vendor came down the line selling hand warmers, and I bought some. (I'm happy to report that they work!) Further on, I met a woman who lives at Ft Bragg with her husband, who is serving in the military. She gave me some foot warmers, and they also worked.
We found seats next to Herb and Lisa Hardwick from Kansas City, Missouri. (Pictured at left.) Herb is an attorney and Lisa is a judge. The four of us could hardly believe our good fortune. We were front and center, right behind the Congressional spouses.
Lisa disappeared for a few minutes and came back elated. She had spotted Evander Holyfield and had her picture taken with him. Hilary jumped up from her seat. “Where is he?” she asked.
Lisa pointed him out. “Eight rows back,” she said.
I knew we must have great seats if Evander Holyfield was sitting eight rows behind us!
Hilary dashed off, and got the photo that has raised her stock and mine with her three brothers. I like to think that for a minute or two, all three of them didn’t think I was totally lame.
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(Pictured at Right: Hilary McKenna and Evander Holyfield at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.)
The Proceedings began with the Invocation. Aretha Franklin sang “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee.” Vice President Joseph Biden was sworn in by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, John Paul Stevens.
Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, and Gabriela Montero played “Air and Simple Gifts” composed and arranged by John Williams. The music filled the air. I was amazed that they can play so flawlessly in the bitter cold, and later find out that the selection was pre-recorded. Stringed instruments are not likely to stay in tune when they are subjected to temperatures in the 20’s.
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The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts administered the oath of office to the new US President Barack Obama, and a cheer went up. I heard the roar of the crowd ripple and echo down the Mall as each “Jumbotron” conveys the image and the words.
You can see a video of President Obama taking the oath of office, and read the text of the speech at www.whitehouse.gov. The link is provided here. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/
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Music played, and 250,000 hungry people left the Capitol grounds all at once!
I had called from Denver the week before and made a reservation at a Chinese Restaurant in China Town, which is near the Metro Station and within walking distance of the Capitol. At the restaurant we were seated after a ten-minute wait, and by the time we have finished eating and were ready to leave, people without reservations, who had arrived at the same time we had, are still waiting for a table!
2009 Copyright Bobbi Mckenna All Rights Reserved
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