Inauguration weekend journal: libraries, lines, press and pics
As I write this, I’m sitting in a cramped library in the heart of Georgetown. Libraries here are not like Duke’s. They’re more like a doctor’s waiting room; long rows of chairs line every wall and corridor and everyone is talking as loud as he wants.
What are they talking about? Mostly upcoming school projects, actually. These D.C. college kids have been given Tuesday off (and some even Wednesday) in honor of the Inauguration, but for some reason they still pack their libraries to work on schoolwork. Perhaps they’re getting it out of the way in anticipation of a very long Tuesday—in a way, I am, too.
The group of students with whom I’ve spent the last few days is a diverse one. In one small apartment, you’ll find half a dozen Georgetown students from all over the country, my two UNC-attending co-road-trippers, and me.
Many of us tried to see the big concert yesterday, but apparently arriving 90 minutes early wasn’t good enough. We waited in a long line for an hour before it suddenly dissipated in several seconds. We still don’t know why it happened, but suspect it has something to do with security checkpoints closing unannounced.
The area surrounding the National Mall was a very peaceful, yet crowded, one, but it was also poorly organized. I would estimate 50,000 people stood in various lines with us, only to have thousands more cut their lines.
There was no police force helping us understand where to go or keeping us in neat lines. There were no signs or event organizers showing us the way. There was only bitter cold, a complete lack of cellphone reception and $5 hot pretzels. We eventually just turned back, along with many thousands, but are thankful for our failed dry run. Because of that mishap, we have decided to wake up at 6am on Inauguration Day and will surely be there to watch history being made.
Everyone here has a camera. I have my iPhone, others in my group have their small pocket PowerShots, and many, many people have big ol’ lenses strapped to their expensive Nikon cameras. Press people abound, but not all are “official.” They ride around on what appear to be scooter/rickshaw combination vehicles, snapping photos as they roll by. And of course, there are so many videographers. There are hippies, there are network TV wannabes, there are men and women from the streets of D.C. and L.A, and they are nearly all amateurs with no press credentials. We’ll see if these sorts of people will be allowed full access to the main event.
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I wrote this post for my Reporting Public Policy course at Duke University. Susan Tifft, my professor, asked anyone going to the Inauguration to write a bit about our experiences, making sure to touch on the press a bit.
Also of note: Rosario Dawson appears towards the top of this post in a picture I took earlier today. I don’t think it’ll be the last celebrity I see this weekend—there are tons in town. Though it might be the last one I see at Five Guys.
All photos licensed via Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 by me.
