I've included a picture of The Mall, facing the Washington Monument. There were just a few people out and about this afternoon, checking out the preparations for tomorrow's kick-off events. In asking locals, the consensus is that crowds are light today because of the near-record cold. Even the Smithsonians and other museums weren't carrying the usual traffic today. Tomorrow, and even more on Tuesday, the empty spaces below are expected to be filled with as many as 2 million people.
A second picture shows the U.S. Capitol building where Obama's swearing-in ceremony will occur. I heard today on the local news that those with tickets will be required to remain in their seats. Those of us without tickets will be allowed to roam -- as much as a crowd of 2 million or more will allow -- to keep warm. Makes me glad that we didn't fully succeed in getting tickets!
I met a man from D.C. who originally came from Ethiopia. He cried as he told me how excited he was that Obama will be president next week. He explained how, even though he is not a U.S. citizen, he knows that the U.S. will be a place "that works for everyone who wants to work for it."
It's amazing, and humbling, to meet people who so revere the freedom that most of us take for granted.
I am off now to go eat the best seafood on the Atlantic coast, maybe even the world. More later!
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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