Satellite photo by Geo-Eye-One.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob is an Englishman who lives in Burien who traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to attend the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. This is his final report.]

WED. 1/21/08 – THE DAY AFTER
I had one more full day in Washington, DC and had a mission to make full use of it doing something a little less strenuous. The first order of business was to buy the souvenir newspapers. Hudson’s News at Union Station was the ideal place with hundreds of each still available. The high demand meant a long line for the cash register but that only meant more time to meet new people and chat about our experiences and hopes.

My next port of call was Senator Patty Murray’s coffee gathering in the Dirksen Senate Office Building where I soon met the Senator herself. There were many other distinguished attendees including the Mayor of Tacoma, Bill Baarsma, the travel writer, Rick Steves, and the Mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels.

Mayor Nickels was among the thousands of ticket holders who were unable to get into the Purple section (near the Capitol behind the seated areas) due to some sort of security problems. Despite traveling from Seattle and waiting for hours in the freezing cold only to have to watch the swearing-in ceremony in his hotel room, he maintained a positive attitude and was content to have shared the experience with many ordinary citizens. He never felt that he should receive special treatment just because he was the mayor of a major U.S. city and for that I think he deserves a lot of respect.

My plan for the day was solidified thanks to Jimmy, a staffer in Senator Murray’s office who told me that I could obtain a pass to the Senate Visitors Gallery from their office. Before I could use it though I had to stop by the Rayburn Office Building to thank the staff at Congressman Adam Smith’s office for having given me the Inauguration tickets and making my experience so memorable.

I spent almost 2.5 hours in the Senate Visitors Gallery watching the Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing for Senator Hillary Clinton for the post of Secretary of State. Initially it seemed strange that there were very few senators present. John Kerry, the committee chairman, spoke in support of Senator Clinton and introduced a number of other senators including Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania) and Patrick Leahy (Vermont). During a quiet period when a senator failed to appear, Senator Kerry used the opportunity to spend about 20 minutes talking about the national security implications of global warming and the melting of the ice mass in Greenland. The visitors loved it and applauded rapturously. Then came the vote. Those of us who hadn’t observed such an event before were wondering how they could hold a vote with only a few senators present, but the question was soon answered with almost all senators in the 110th Congress arriving quickly to cast their vote. We didn’t see Senator Clinton, but we recognized many faces, including Joe Lieberman, John McCain, and President Obama’s controversially selected successor, Roland Burris, from Chicago. The party atmosphere as they all chatted with one another lasted about 30 minutes and then it went quiet again. The deed was done though. Hillary Clinton was confirmed as Secretary of State by a vote of 94 to 2 and the visitors showed their hearty appreciation.

Outside, at the back of the Capitol I stood in the place from which George W. Bush left by helicopter only a day ago. I spent a few minutes looking at the surrounding buildings, which were now glowing in the evening sun. The Supreme Court stands to the east; the Senate office buildings stand to the north, and the House office buildings stand to the south.

Another text message arrived from the President:

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off,
and begin the work of remaking America.”

How can you argue with that?

I called home and then moved over to the south end of the Capitol Building to watch the sunset over the Mall as the monuments started to glow and lights came on all over the city. It was hard to leave but I had to go. Descending into Capitol South Metro station, I left the stunning sight behind.

I’ll never forget the events of the week of January 18-21, 2009. How incredibly uplifting it was to see so many people concerned about the good of this country and the wider world, the wider world that looks to the United States for responsible and decent leadership. Many of the people I met agreed that change had come not just because of Barack Obama and his incredible accomplishment, but because of a collective realization that what was happening in the country just didn’t make sense. There had to be a better way forward and Barack Obama seemed to be just the person to help find that way.

Remember though, it’s not about him, it’s about us and what we are prepared to do.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob is an Englishman who lives in Burien who traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to attend the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. This is his second of three reports.]

TUES. 1/20/09 – INAUGURATION DAY
Inauguration Day had come. At 4:30am we walked out of the apartment and down to the bike path that runs along the Potomac River. It was quiet and, apart from a few police officers, we saw very few other people. The view across the frozen river to the Mall was spectacular with the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and US Capitol perfectly lit. The Arlington Memorial Bridge was empty and the police didn’t mind us standing in the middle of the road to take photographs. At the end of the Mall, it was still very quiet except for the activity of the security services and the vendors setting up their stalls. At the Washington Monument a large crowd had assembled to take advantage of the elevated position. Then things changed. The closer we got to the Capitol the more chaotic it became.

At 5:40 am we joined the long line at the Silver section entrance and met some great people from all over the country. One girl asked us if we’d like to swap one of our Silver tickets for an even better Blue one, but we’d come together and declined her offer. It was incredibly cold as we were waiting and removing my gloves to take a photograph turned out to be a bad idea. The crowds quickly grew. Flashing lights and police officers were everywhere, many having come from as far away as Philadelphia and, most likely, places beyond.

When the Silver section gate opened at 8 am, the movement of the massive crowd was generally civilized but definitely not something for the claustrophobic. With our new-found friends we were elated just to get into the first part of the Silver section, but it was on the wrong side of Third Street for us. We quickly found a narrow fenced passageway across Third Street and shuffled into the other smaller part of the Silver section behind the Reflecting Pool and nearer the Capitol. The hope of getting our preferred spot by the second speaker stand had long since evaporated but it didn’t matter. We were in and we had plenty of space to adjust our positions. The chaos that we witnessed was prevalent up and down the Mall. It wasn’t long before a barrier fell and people rushed forward. That was fine with us because it left us with lots of open space and a clear view of the Capitol from which we enjoyed the early part of the Inaugural Ceremony. We then decided to move over to the area near the jumbotron on the north east corner of the Reflecting Pool where we stayed for the remainder of the swearing-in ceremony. The line of sight was spectacular with a direct view the podium and the seating areas above and to the sides. Unfortunately, the sound was not very good, but we were there and that’s what counted.

The crowd reaction to some of the official attendees was amusing. George W. Bush’s arrival generated a not-unexpected response. The discontent with Joe Lieberman was clearly heard and there didn’t seem to be much sympathy for Dick Cheney, who arrived in a wheelchair. The official line is that he hurt his back while packing boxes.

We weren’t aware of the mistake with Obama’s taking of the oath until much later in the day and we had to wait until we got home to hear his speech in full. We did hear enough though to appreciate the significance of what he was saying and the historic nature of the occasion. The crowd reacted accordingly and it was amazing.

Many people started to leave not long after President Obama’s speech, but we were keen to stay and former President Bush leave:

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His helicopter rose quickly and spectacularly from behind the Capitol, flying almost directly over us and heading westwards. The cheering of the masses below was no match for the sound of such a large aircraft, but the occupants had to be aware of what was going on below them. A few minutes later they came back for another circuit of the Mall before heading off to Andrews Air Force Base and then on to Midland, Texas. That was it. For many, the world was now a much better place. A few minutes later I received a text message saying:

“Barack Obama is now the 44th President of the United States. Please stay and watch the parade on the jumbotrons.”

These guys really know what they’re doing.

After lunch at the National Museum of the Native American, we headed west along the now mostly empty, but trash-covered, Mall and soon came upon the MSNBC facility where presenters including Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow were conducting their live broadcast against a glass backdrop with an enthusiastic crowd doing their best to be seen on television. It was at this moment that the new president and first lady got out of their enormous car and walked along the parade route, driving the crowd into a frenzy. Moving from jumbotron to jumbotron we worked our way west along the mall, stopping at each one to catch more of the unbelievable spectacle that was unfolding only a few blocks to the north.

It was soon time to head home. As expected, the Metro was not an option due to the high demand. Foggy Bottom station was closed so we had no choice but to keep on walking to Roslyn where my friend’s wife met us. Dinner at a great restaurant called Artie’s in Fairfax was the perfect end to an unforgettable historic day.

[TOMORROW: It's Bob's last day in DC, and it's jam packed - he goes to Hillary's confirmation hearing and meets a fellow northwest visitor who failed to even get in to the inauguration - Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.]

Satellite photo by Geo-Eye-One.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob is an Englishman who lives in Burien who traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to attend the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. Previously, he filed this report, as well as an eyewitness account of election night. This is the first of three reports we'll be posting, so be sure to check back tomorrow for his entry for Day #2.]

MONDAY 1/19/08 – TICKET COLLECTION:
It was time to pick up my Inauguration tickets. With thousands of other lucky recipients arriving to collect them too, the House and Senate office buildings at either side of the Capitol were surrounded by long lines of people waiting to pass through security at the entrances and head up to a Congressman or Senator’s office where the tickets were waiting for them. I joined a line at the Rayburn office building and really didn’t mind that it took a while to get in. The positive atmosphere was highly infectious as people talked to strangers and told each other their stories about what this inauguration meant to them, where they were from, how they came to have tickets, and what they hoped the new president could achieve. Alongside me were a lady from Chicago, a lady from St. Louis, Missouri, a gentleman from Phoenix, Arizona, and a member of the Army on active duty who was so bitter about what had happened in recent years that we all had to do our best to convince him that things looked likely to improve. He didn’t seem too willing to believe us but no one can say we didn’t try to change his mind.

The staff of Congressman Adam Smith’s office were professional and friendly. As I expected, my tickets were for the Silver section, just behind the Capitol Reflecting Pool. After taking in the view of the city and the Mall from outside the Rayburn office building I went on a reconnaissance mission to find the best place for a good view of the main event. Facing the Capitol, the second speaker stand from the left along the Reflecting Pool seemed like a perfect spot with a clear view of the podium and surrounding seated areas and a jumbotron just across the frozen pool to the left. With that taken care of, I wandered over to the area just behind the seated sections immediately below the Capitol for a spectacular close-up view and stayed there for a while to appreciate the scene and take photographs for myself and other people.

Next I headed down Pennsylvania Avenue and over to the official Inauguration Collectibles store on E Street, watching the people and the preparations along the way. “Brits for Obama,” read one man’s badge, so I just had to stop and ask about it. He’d made it himself and wished he’d brought a big bag full of them for all those who wanted one, including me. He was from a part of Yorkshire in the north of England very close to where my family comes from and had extended his contract in Florida so he could stay long enough to see the inauguration. As we were talking, we watched as semi-truck after semi-truck came to deliver crowd barriers and forklift trucks unloaded them.

The scale of the preparation for the event was enormous.

Along Pennsylvania Avenue we walked past the Canadian Embassy and saw a huge banner which read “Canada Salutes Obama”. At the Newseum we read the front pages of newspapers from around the world, all of them positive about the change that had come.

The collectibles store was busy and I picked up a few items. It was then time to start heading back to my friends’ place for the evening. On the way to the Foggy Bottom Metro station I saw bright lights over to my left and realized I was very close to the White House. The lights marked the end of the parade route and the position of the spectacular viewing stand. Less than 24 hours later, the President, his wife, and the Vice President and his wife would walk along this route and the crowd would be wild with excitement. People everywhere were taking photographs, including two who asked me to take one of them. One of them, it turned out, was from Bellevue, and the other was from Seattle. Just to prove how small the world is, the one from Seattle knew a friend of mine in West Seattle.

I could have spent a lot longer watching all the activity in the city but had to get back to prepare for an extremely early start the next day. My friend and I packed our things and headed over to a place in Roslyn, only five miles from my preferred spot by the Reflecting Pool. The plan was to stay there and then walk to the inauguration. The Metro is best avoided when hundreds of thousands of other people want to travel too.

[TOMORROW: Inauguration Day arrives. Bob gets up at 4am and walks five miles to join 1.8 million other people in the freezing cold to witness the most historic inauguration of our lifetimes.]

by Josh Hart

It just so happens that the first inauguration I ever witnessed in my short lifetime happens to be one of the most historical inaugurations in many people’s lifetimes.

As I listened to the inauguration over the internet, I particularly focused on Barack Obama’s speech. After he was sworn in, even despite the couple mistakes by Supreme Court Justice Roberts, the crowd started chanting “OBAMA!”

After the crowd quieted down, our new President started with:

“My fellow citizens, I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.”

He then continued by thanking his predecessor George W. Bush. Following that he said:

“Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.”

He talked about the crisis of America being at war among topics of the economy.

Then came what I thought was the greatest part of his speech:

“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.”

Those are some of the greatest couple of paragraphs I have ever heard. I think that was what made this speech great also. Those few paragraphs included every race and gender, and really tied America into one. He didn’t leave anyone out, but instead included us all.

It was FANTASTIC!!!

I am really looking forward to seeing what he brings to America and I can’t wait to hear more of his speeches.

Here’s an interesting “highlight” video of Obama’s big day, as shot by Colorado Filmmaker & Photojournalist Brian Malone:

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

Here’s a photo sent to use by Burien resident Bob, an Englishman who has been filing reports for us from Washington, DC, where he attended the Inauguration of Barack Obama:

Look for Bob’s full report soon…

Enjoy this historic day folks:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

From our initial research, it looks like the only “sure thing” reliable place(s) to watch Tuesday’s historic Inauguration Day ceremonies in person (other than at your home or office) is at the following area Starbucks stores between 7am and 11am:

• Burien 148th SW Plaza: 116 SW 148th Street, Burien
• Normandy Park: 17829 1st Ave South, Normandy Park
• Interurban Ave Tukwila: 13038 Interurban Ave, Tukwila
• Southcenter: 333 Strander Blvd., Tukwila
• Southcenter Barnes & Noble: 300 Andover Place West, Tukwila
• Parkway Supercenter: 17480 Southcenter Parkway, Tukwila
• Des Moines Redondo: 27027 Pacific Hwy South, Des Moines

Here’s what the SBUXers have to say about it:

“Starbucks will be streaming the Inauguration event in select stores in New York, San Francisco and Seattle that have the Now Playing screens.

This is the first time that we’ll air a live broadcast along with audio, so the usual music you’re used to will be replaced with this historic event from 10 – 2 p.m. Eastern and 7 – 11 a.m. Pacific.

If you are looking for a place to view the Inauguration in these cities, visit your neighborhood Starbucks and watch it with us over a great cup of coffee!”

Of course there’s always good ol’ reliable TV, where the usual broadcast outlets will be showing it live.

Or, if you’ll be chained to your desk like us, your options are pretty much limited to watching it online, and here’s a list of links to where you can watch it via the interwebs:

• Joint Congressional Committee On Inaugural Ceremonies
• Presidential Inaugural Committee
• CSPAN’s Inauguration Hub
  
• MSNBC’s Inauguration Feed
• CNN/Facebook Live Feed
• Current & Twitter Live Feed
• USTREAM
  
• CBS News
  
• Washington Post’s Inauguration Central
  
• Joost
• Hulu
  

Here are some live webcams that will probably be overloaded, but might be worth a look:

• http://video.vdat.com/playmedia_embed2.asp?sid=99570&aid=100944
• http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/nacccam/wash.jpg
• Washington Post Webcam

If you do go to a Starbucks to watch, don’t forget that they’re also encouraging customers to come back again the next day (starting Wed. Jan. 21st) to sign up to pledge five hours of volunteerism by offering a free cup of coffee:

To celebrate this national unifying week, between January 21 – 25, we will be asking all Starbucks customers to pledge 5 hours of volunteerism in their local neighborhood and in return we will provide them with a free cup of coffee.  They will be encouraged to find volunteer opportunities and will have access to tools and resources to bring their pledge into action.  Our goal is to collect at least 1 million pledge hours during these four days.

Starbucks is excited about this important moment in time and invites you to be a part of it.  If you’d like to highlight upcoming volunteer opportunities please post them to our Starbucks volunteer network, a place where customers will be encouraged to look for local opportunities.  Thank you for the work you do in your community.

Please see the information below on how to get started:

1. Create a personal profile here.
   
2. Create individual volunteer opportunities to share with others here.

Or at your local Starbucks.

Also, don’t forget that BTB Advertiser The Mark Restaurant & Bar is hosting an Inaugural Party Tuesday evening starting at 5pm:

WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 20th, from 5pm to close

WHERE: The Mark Restaurant & Bar, located at 914 SW 152nd in Olde Burien (map below)

SPECIALS: Come in and say “Yes We Can!” and get 1/2 OFF on Bar Menu. They’ll also have specially Inaugural labeled bottles of wine and Champagne on hand.

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[EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob is an Englishman and Burien resident who is currently in Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration of President Obama. This is his second in a series of exclusive reports for The B-Town Blog; his first was filed Sunday morning.]

1/18/09 – THE OBAMA INAUGURAL CELEBRATION
Today was the day of the Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. I arrived on the National Mall at 8:40 am to join a line near the Washington Monument waiting for the gate to the west end of the National Mall to open. Once it did, we all moved in quickly and I rushed along the south side of the reflecting pool to a place not far from front. There I stayed in the freezing weather (it reached a balmy 37 degrees) through to the end of the show at 4:30 pm.

Around 10 am we were treated to some rehearsal activity followed by clips of the performers in the waiting area and various videos. We were fairly certain that the large military helicopter that made a low pass in front of the memorial before the show was the Obama and Biden families checking out the spectacle on their way to the venue.

The show itself started promptly at 2:30 pm. The size of the structure built for the television production and ticket holders meant that it was impossible to see what was actually happening on stage from my position but I did have three large screens not far away and was surrounded by so many enthusiastic people that the atmosphere far outweighed the lack of a clear view of the performers. There were many great moments.

U2 were excellent, as was Renée Fleming singing You’ll Never Walk Alone, and Master Sergeant Caleb Green of the US Army singing the Star-Spangled Banner. He was great during the show but he was even better during the rehearsals. It was a real treat to see Pete Seeger performing more than 45 years after he played at the same location as part of Martin Luther King Jr’s March On Washington. He encouraged the crowd to sing This Land Is Your Land with him and they didn’t let him down. The spoken parts of the show were very well delivered, especially when accompanied by historic scenes.

In many ways, Barack Obama’s speech was not unusual. We’ve come to expect him to provide an incredibly inspiring performance and he did exactly that. The crowd loved it and are unlikely to ever forget it.

All in all this was a very special occasion. I don’t know exactly how many people attended but I could see people as far back as the Washington Monument. Apparently there were also people most of the way back to the Capitol too, which is really quite amazing.

But, that may be nothing compared to the two million or more people expected on Tuesday.

Here’s a photo slideshow of some of the scenes witnessed by Bob Sunday:

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob is an Englishman who lives in Burien who is in Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration of President Obama. Previously, we posted his eyewitness account of election night, and are proud to be offering his continuing reports from the field on this historic occasion. This is the first in a series of exclusive reports Bob will be sending us, so be sure to check back often.]

PREPARING FOR INAUGURATION DAY
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 was a calm day. It felt like the world had changed and the weather was nice to go with it. After picking up the Seattle Times and Seattle Post Intelligencer as souvenirs, it occurred to me that there was no reason why I couldn’t go to the “other” Washington to see the inauguration. Fortunately, I have friends who live right across the river and are as enthusiastic as me about the whole thing.

A quick Google search for “Inauguration Day” led me to an official page which gave ticket details. So, I filled in the request form for tickets from Congressman Adam Smith and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. I understood it was a long shot – my friend in Buffalo works for Senator Charles Schumer and they had so many requests that they decided to have a lottery for their tickets. It didn’t matter though. Getting a ticket was a bonus, because I was going anyway. I was going to stand on the mall with millions of others just to be there and witness history.

“I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS FOR YOU…”
Monday, January 5th, 2009 was an ordinary day. That is, until 11:08 am when I got a phone call from a lady who said she worked for Congressman Adam Smith. She asked me if I’d made plans to go to the inauguration.

“Yes”, I said, “I’ll be there standing on the Mall with millions of others.”

“I have some good news for you”, she replied. “Someone canceled and you are next on the list for tickets.”

Once I’d emerged from a state of disbelief I did what she asked me to do, which was to send her proof of my flight arrangement. A few minutes later I had written confirmation of my tickets. My friends were as amazed as I was.

PLANNING THE TRIP
For many weeks now, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the Washington Post Inauguration Watch page and making sure we’ll make the most of the event.

Today, Sunday, January 18th, I’ll stand for many hours to secure a good place near the Lincoln Memorial for the opening ceremony.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob called in around 9:40am Sunday morning to report he was indeed on the Mall, at the Lincoln Memorial with approximately "500,000 others," bundled up for the 35-degree cold and positioning himself to watch today's "We Are One" concert which features Bruce Springsteen, U2, Beyonce and several other big-name acts.]

On Monday, January 19th I’ll go to the Rayburn office building and pick up our tickets. We don’t know where we’ll be for certain, but it seems likely that we’ll be in the Silver Ticket section behind the reflecting pool:

On Tuesday, January 20th, we’ll either go to our seats or, more realistically, walk about six miles to the Silver ticket standing area at a horribly unsociable hour. The goal will be to try to position ourselves near the center so we can see the Capitol Building and keep one eye on the jumbotron to our right. We will, of course, be freezing, but thanks to that great Seattle company REI it may not be so bad.

We’ll then watch as Barack Obama becomes our 44th president.

I still can’t quite believe that, so I have to say it again:

We’ll watch Barack Obama become our 44th president!

Thank you Congressman Adam Smith for giving us tickets for the inauguration.

And thank you Barack Obama for inspiring us and millions of people in the United States and around the world.

BTB Advertiser The Mark Restaurant & Bar is hosting an Inaugural Party Tuesday, Jan. 20th, and here are the details:

WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 20th, from 5pm to close

WHERE: The Mark Restaurant & Bar, located at 914 SW 152nd in Olde Burien (map below)

SPECIALS: Come in and say “Yes We Can!” and get 1/2 OFF on Bar Menu. They’ll also have specially Inaugural labeled bottles of wine and Champagne on hand.

Do you know of any other Burien-area inaugural parties? If so, please email us.

Also, here’s a list of parties in the area as listed on moveon.org.

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