Here are some pictures from the Concert Day!
People gathered near the monument.
The JumboTron and my view :)
The show is over, let's get out of here ;o)
28 January 2009
Pictures from the Concert
People gathered near the monument.
The JumboTron and my view :)
The show is over, let's get out of here ;o)
Inaugural Weekend Part 2 – The Day
The concert reaffirmed my belief that I was not going to regret the decision of venturing out on inauguration day. The atmosphere was so lively, people were friendly and all that made up for the lousy weather. I was in fact looking forward to the Inauguration Day!
We stayed in on Monday; it was our “rest day”. My friend from work and her husband joined us on Monday night. Working our way through a pizza we discussed our plan of action for the big day. We decided that getting out of the house at 4 a.m. to get in to one of the earliest metro was the wisest thing to do. That would ensure we get a decent spot. However, the coverage on CNN showed the capitol area was already filling in with people and it was just 12:00 a.m.
V threw in a crazy idea (and he was pretty serious about it), that we all should head out to the city and hang out there through the night. He was so super excited about it and was even ready to get out before I stepped in with some emotional BS (Yes! I am that mean!) He better come with all of us! Poor chap, he succumbed and quietly went to bed instead.
It was about 1:30 when we finally went to bed (except S, my friend’s husband, he was working, until 3:15 a.m.) and our plan was to get out of the house at 4 a.m.
I was in charge of the alarm and I woke up at 3:15, went to call V (my friend). We revisited our strategy and decided that we’ll leave the house at 6. So I woke up at 5 and this time I quickly checked CNN to find that the capitol was steadily filling with people and it was almost crowded. At that point, we thought there’s really no difference in trying to “beat the crowd”. In the end, we were got out of the house at 7:30.
The word “Crowded” really does not do justice to the amount of people that were waiting for the metro. Slowly, but steadily we made our way to the Federal Triangle Station. We strolled towards the Capitol and found a decent spot, near a JumboTron. It was a really cold day, but it was sunny and bright and that helped a lot. We looked at some of the aerial shots on T.V and it looked so pretty!
As we waited with frozen toes, fingers and noses, we munched on the Cheerios that we had packed… Slowly, the dignitaries started arriving one by one. There were cheers and jeers… the event started, invocation, a recital and some speeches, the V.P. was sworn in and following close behind… 44th President was sworn in! It was an emotional moment for many and I am so glad that I could witness this moment in history! We made our way out of the crowd in to the Museum of Natural History for a quick thaw.
Now, we had to get out of the city and that was almost a mission impossible. Every road to the nearest metro was closed. If there was a road that was open, the lines to get in to the station was just unbelievably long. We were hungry and tired at this point and the weather was really not helping us! S suggested that we walk towards Union Station, as there are some restaurants there. On our way we saw the parade staging area, we ran in to a group of people standing around MSNBC’s make shift studio. We saw Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and two other MSNBC anchors doing a live show. We were somewhere in the crowd outside waving and cheering. I am pretty sure we would’ve come on T.V. Later, we ran in to more blocked roads, more people, more blocked roads, more people, another parade staging area…. and then a blocked road and some more people… you get the idea. And finally, we saw “White Tiger” an Indian Restaurant. We couldn’t wait to get some food and just sit down somewhere warm. Our timing was perfect, because we were the last customers. They locked the doors after us.
After a good satisfying meal, we walked to Union Station! To our surprise, the roads were clear and there were no blocks. We picked up the commemorative edition of Washington Post. It was past 6:30 when we got home. V & S packed up and continued their journey homeward.
I changed and downed a capful of NyQuil to ease my aching throat. What a day! But hey, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again.
For now, I am satisfied not watching CNN or seeing pictures of Capitol; I’ve had enough of that.
We stayed in on Monday; it was our “rest day”. My friend from work and her husband joined us on Monday night. Working our way through a pizza we discussed our plan of action for the big day. We decided that getting out of the house at 4 a.m. to get in to one of the earliest metro was the wisest thing to do. That would ensure we get a decent spot. However, the coverage on CNN showed the capitol area was already filling in with people and it was just 12:00 a.m.
V threw in a crazy idea (and he was pretty serious about it), that we all should head out to the city and hang out there through the night. He was so super excited about it and was even ready to get out before I stepped in with some emotional BS (Yes! I am that mean!) He better come with all of us! Poor chap, he succumbed and quietly went to bed instead.
It was about 1:30 when we finally went to bed (except S, my friend’s husband, he was working, until 3:15 a.m.) and our plan was to get out of the house at 4 a.m.
I was in charge of the alarm and I woke up at 3:15, went to call V (my friend). We revisited our strategy and decided that we’ll leave the house at 6. So I woke up at 5 and this time I quickly checked CNN to find that the capitol was steadily filling with people and it was almost crowded. At that point, we thought there’s really no difference in trying to “beat the crowd”. In the end, we were got out of the house at 7:30.
The word “Crowded” really does not do justice to the amount of people that were waiting for the metro. Slowly, but steadily we made our way to the Federal Triangle Station. We strolled towards the Capitol and found a decent spot, near a JumboTron. It was a really cold day, but it was sunny and bright and that helped a lot. We looked at some of the aerial shots on T.V and it looked so pretty!
As we waited with frozen toes, fingers and noses, we munched on the Cheerios that we had packed… Slowly, the dignitaries started arriving one by one. There were cheers and jeers… the event started, invocation, a recital and some speeches, the V.P. was sworn in and following close behind… 44th President was sworn in! It was an emotional moment for many and I am so glad that I could witness this moment in history! We made our way out of the crowd in to the Museum of Natural History for a quick thaw.
Now, we had to get out of the city and that was almost a mission impossible. Every road to the nearest metro was closed. If there was a road that was open, the lines to get in to the station was just unbelievably long. We were hungry and tired at this point and the weather was really not helping us! S suggested that we walk towards Union Station, as there are some restaurants there. On our way we saw the parade staging area, we ran in to a group of people standing around MSNBC’s make shift studio. We saw Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and two other MSNBC anchors doing a live show. We were somewhere in the crowd outside waving and cheering. I am pretty sure we would’ve come on T.V. Later, we ran in to more blocked roads, more people, more blocked roads, more people, another parade staging area…. and then a blocked road and some more people… you get the idea. And finally, we saw “White Tiger” an Indian Restaurant. We couldn’t wait to get some food and just sit down somewhere warm. Our timing was perfect, because we were the last customers. They locked the doors after us.
After a good satisfying meal, we walked to Union Station! To our surprise, the roads were clear and there were no blocks. We picked up the commemorative edition of Washington Post. It was past 6:30 when we got home. V & S packed up and continued their journey homeward.
I changed and downed a capful of NyQuil to ease my aching throat. What a day! But hey, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again.
For now, I am satisfied not watching CNN or seeing pictures of Capitol; I’ve had enough of that.
23 January 2009
Inaugural Weekend Part 1 – The Concert
After watching Senator Barack Obama win over Iowa, after countless hours spent following election coverage on CNN, every debate, dissection of every debate by political analysts and after that momentous night of November 4th… there was no way that I was missing the inauguration day! I was determined to be there, rain, shine or even bitter cold would not have stopped me.
A few weeks before the inauguration day I found out that there was an event being organized at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan 18th. And as the day grew nearer, I found out that it was going to be a concert and read with excitement the long list of awesomely awesome artists... all right all right, I was only focussed on Bono! But wait, not just that, the president elect was going to enjoy the concert as well. Which meant, I had to plan for another day of standing in the cold.
It was little past noon when I headed out to the “ We Are One” concert on Sunday. V chose to stay at home and complete some work (whatever!). Fortunately, the metro ride was not as bad as I thought it would be. However, when I walked out of the Foggy Bottom stop, all I could see was a sea of people… I just followed the crowd and taking in the excitement. It almost felt like I was in some kind of carnival! It also reminded me of famous pilgrimage spots in India, Tirupati to be precise, except that this was an orderly crowd.
There was tight security all around, including army, regular cops and crowd control officers. We were a bunch of really well behaved people on the roads… until we were stopped at one point when the officer told us that the concert grounds have reached its capacity and that she can’t let us move forward... Really? Did she think that would work? It was one officer against about a hundred of us, so you decide who won.
By the time I got to Lincoln Memorial, the area around reflecting pool was bursting with people. They must've had some strong barricades surrounding the pool, withstanding all the people leaning on them!
I was happy to get a spot that was far away from the memorial... so far away that I could see just dots near the memorial. The plus side was that it was not very crowded (at that point) and I was right in front of the JumboTron. It was close to 2 p.m. and all I had to do was wait…
The place was packed before the concert started and I must mention that people were so courteous, there was a lady taller than me who let me get in front of her just so my view won’t be blocked!
I could feel my toes getting numb and the slightest of breeze made me shiver and just when it was beginning to get uncomfortable… they announced the arrival of Obamas and Bidens and before I knew it the concert started… I didn’t have time to focus on my numb toes or my freezing fingers any more. The show was on and it was GRAND! I couldn’t believe that in the span of two hours, I got to watch performances by U2, Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, Mary J Blige, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, John Legend… and many many more artists… and got to see actors like Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Jamie Foxx to mention a few. It was one helluva performance! And I don’t think I’d ever witness any other event with such diverse and fantastic and well-known performers.
We moved to the beat of Reggae when Will.i.am and Sheryl Crow sang Bob Marley’s “One Love One Heart.. Lets get together and feel alright”.
We laughed and cheered uncontrollably when Jamie Foxx imitated Obama.
We watched on the big screen when they showed Obama enjoying and following the beats of “Bye Bye Miss American Pie”
And we all sang along as Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen sang “This Land Belongs To You and Me”
Beyonce and Shakira gave a rather mellowed down performance with no b**ty shakes (obviously!)
Towards the end of the concert, there were people balancing themselves on top of trees to get a decent view of the Memorial!
As I was heading home, I see a missed call from V and apparently he had hiked up to the mall to watch the concert a little after me! So much for his work! Well, thanks to all the TV networks that kept playing the footage of the mall area and the throngs of people gathered there, the man felt that it would be really stupid to just stay home! I was tempted to say “I am always right, you should’ve come with me quietly” but I was too cold and weary to even give him a nasty look.
It was no surprise that the metro stops had what looked like a mile long line… we decided to skip the lines and warm ourselves with a cup of coffee. We sipped our coffee and chatted with some Kenyan men, some of them who came all the way from Nairobi, sitting next to us. Their smiles said it all!
And yes, we reached home just in time to see the whole thing on TV. Call me mad, but just being there wouldn’t do for me. I had to see that on TV!
Note: For anyone who missed the concert, you can see it on HBO , Jan 24th at 6 P.M. EST or Jan 25th at 3:30 P.M EST
A few weeks before the inauguration day I found out that there was an event being organized at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan 18th. And as the day grew nearer, I found out that it was going to be a concert and read with excitement the long list of awesomely awesome artists... all right all right, I was only focussed on Bono! But wait, not just that, the president elect was going to enjoy the concert as well. Which meant, I had to plan for another day of standing in the cold.
It was little past noon when I headed out to the “ We Are One” concert on Sunday. V chose to stay at home and complete some work (whatever!). Fortunately, the metro ride was not as bad as I thought it would be. However, when I walked out of the Foggy Bottom stop, all I could see was a sea of people… I just followed the crowd and taking in the excitement. It almost felt like I was in some kind of carnival! It also reminded me of famous pilgrimage spots in India, Tirupati to be precise, except that this was an orderly crowd.
There was tight security all around, including army, regular cops and crowd control officers. We were a bunch of really well behaved people on the roads… until we were stopped at one point when the officer told us that the concert grounds have reached its capacity and that she can’t let us move forward... Really? Did she think that would work? It was one officer against about a hundred of us, so you decide who won.
By the time I got to Lincoln Memorial, the area around reflecting pool was bursting with people. They must've had some strong barricades surrounding the pool, withstanding all the people leaning on them!
I was happy to get a spot that was far away from the memorial... so far away that I could see just dots near the memorial. The plus side was that it was not very crowded (at that point) and I was right in front of the JumboTron. It was close to 2 p.m. and all I had to do was wait…
The place was packed before the concert started and I must mention that people were so courteous, there was a lady taller than me who let me get in front of her just so my view won’t be blocked!
I could feel my toes getting numb and the slightest of breeze made me shiver and just when it was beginning to get uncomfortable… they announced the arrival of Obamas and Bidens and before I knew it the concert started… I didn’t have time to focus on my numb toes or my freezing fingers any more. The show was on and it was GRAND! I couldn’t believe that in the span of two hours, I got to watch performances by U2, Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, Mary J Blige, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, John Legend… and many many more artists… and got to see actors like Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Jamie Foxx to mention a few. It was one helluva performance! And I don’t think I’d ever witness any other event with such diverse and fantastic and well-known performers.
We moved to the beat of Reggae when Will.i.am and Sheryl Crow sang Bob Marley’s “One Love One Heart.. Lets get together and feel alright”.
We laughed and cheered uncontrollably when Jamie Foxx imitated Obama.
We watched on the big screen when they showed Obama enjoying and following the beats of “Bye Bye Miss American Pie”
And we all sang along as Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen sang “This Land Belongs To You and Me”
Beyonce and Shakira gave a rather mellowed down performance with no b**ty shakes (obviously!)
Towards the end of the concert, there were people balancing themselves on top of trees to get a decent view of the Memorial!
As I was heading home, I see a missed call from V and apparently he had hiked up to the mall to watch the concert a little after me! So much for his work! Well, thanks to all the TV networks that kept playing the footage of the mall area and the throngs of people gathered there, the man felt that it would be really stupid to just stay home! I was tempted to say “I am always right, you should’ve come with me quietly” but I was too cold and weary to even give him a nasty look.
It was no surprise that the metro stops had what looked like a mile long line… we decided to skip the lines and warm ourselves with a cup of coffee. We sipped our coffee and chatted with some Kenyan men, some of them who came all the way from Nairobi, sitting next to us. Their smiles said it all!
And yes, we reached home just in time to see the whole thing on TV. Call me mad, but just being there wouldn’t do for me. I had to see that on TV!
Note: For anyone who missed the concert, you can see it on HBO , Jan 24th at 6 P.M. EST or Jan 25th at 3:30 P.M EST
16 January 2009
New Year, New Blog... Old Me
Taking another shot at blogging this year. Let's see how it goes this time. Looks like I just got myself a resolution for the new year - to maintain my blog regularly. Who knows by the end of the year, we'll have an old blog and a new me.
Cheers!
Cheers!
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