D.C. on Steroids

Here in northern Virginia, the hype and anticipation leading up to today has been phenomenal. Although I was not one of the hundreds of thousands of people who battled jam-packed subways and freezing cold to join the festivities on the Mall, I did get caught up in the emotion watching the historical event on TV.

I've never seen D.C. so alive. Estimates place the attendance at two million. Wow! Two million happy people in one place at one time. The positive emotion was felt all over the world. One woman interviewed on TV came all the way from Kenya for the event.

A nice family that I spoke to on the subway this afternoon came from Waldorf, MD. The mother and her two daughters were so thrilled, so overjoyed, to have been a part of history. They said they got up at 4:30 in the morning and drove to Virginia, parking across the street from my apartment building to take the Metro into the city. It took them seven hours to get to the Mall. That's dedication. And it is exactly why I didn't go. :)

But it was fun talking to them and seeing their smiling faces. I suddenly felt like I was in New York again!

What an exciting day. It's kinda neat to be in such close proximity to all of the excitement. I wish I could say "I was there," but I'll have to settle for "I was really close by!"