Our Trip to Obama's Inauguration

I am still recovering from the rigors of the Inauguration trip to Washington DC. From being amongst the crowds at the Lincoln Memorial concert and the Inauguration ceremony on the mall to attending the Neighborhood Ball and seeing the Obamas' first dance close up, it was a fantastic and memorable experience. Amazing to see history first hand.

Tynnetta, her boyfriend Walsh, and I traveled together from Chicago Saturday morning, with a pit stop in West Chester at my mom's. Sunday morning we headed to DC, where we met up with my neighbor and friend Patrice and made our way to meet my friend Martin from UNC and his gang.

We stayed one night at Tynnetta's sister's in Virginia and two nights at Martin's parents on Capitol Hill, a short walk from the mall. We spent an extraordinary amount of time walking and standing -- my back is still a bit sore! (The flat shoes my mom suggested for the Neighborhood Ball really saved me.....)

While being at Grant Park was a personal, dramatic, and emotional release for everyone, the Inauguration festivities felt bigger than all of us. So many people came from such distances to be there -- it felt like it was 1840 and all the good citizens of the country had to come to witness the inauguration. It was a powerful, unifying experience, albeit a bit surreal.

As the 11 year old boy I sat next to on the bus back to Philly said, "I'll be able to sit my grandchildren on my knee and tell them I was there for the Inauguration of Barack Obama, America's first African American president."