The Silver Spring Penguin

Courtesy of Flickr user jeffreylowy

Editor’s note: Penguin staffers continued January’s frosty schlep to the National Mall to witness the 44th inaugural ceremony. Read the first part here.

After an hour of jostling through the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station, Penguin staffers climbed the inoperative escalators onto D Street. The narrow road, framed on all sides by boxy government buildings and concrete jersey barriers, was surprisingly clear of human traffic, further baffling the backup inside the Metro station.

Clumps of people rolled down D Street (below) like dust bunnies until more and more of them formed a larger lint pile. Soon, everyone formed a contiguous sheet of spare bits bunching up at Seventh Street and Independence Avenue.

@sspenguin: Access to Natl Mall closed @ 7th St. Use 14th St entrance instead. #inaug09 — 8:58 AM yesterday from mobile web

When the crowd grew too big, event volunteers turned visitors towards the Mall’s 14th Street access point. Now thousands of people wandered down Independence Avenue towards the Washington Monument. Tour groups formed human chains six to eight people long; their insistence on sticking together only made the swarm move slower.

At 14th Street, the swarm came to a twitchy, uneasy stop:

@sspenguin: Access to Natl Mall @ 14th St closed. Crowd drifting toward Wash Mon. — 9:11 AM yesterday from mobile web

@sspenguin: Correction: Mall access @ 14th St open but jammed. #inaug09 — 9:26 AM yesterday from mobile web

@sspenguin: Crowd stopped @ Indep Av & 14th St; unclear if Mall access is closed. #inaug09 — 9:33 AM yesterday from mobile web

Anxious tourist chains pushed their way through the crowd, their arms impenetrably locked together. An elbow here, a shoulder there, and the knot of humanity unraveled onto the frozen turf of the National Mall.

That stretch of lawn at 14th Street had plenty of room. However, every inch of land to the east was one ticketless mass, hopping in place to stay warm, bobbing left and right for a view of the JumboTron screen. Even the hill hugging the Washington Monument to the west was swamped with people (below).

For a short while, the screen rolled scenes from Sunday afternoon’s concert at the Lincoln Memorial. The crowds began to sway along when Springsteen and Seeger sang “This Land Is Your Land”, like the concert was happening all over again. They cheered and waved wildly when a boom arm swung a television camera their way. And they joked about the 20-degree temperature.

They squealed with glee when the presidential motorcade flashed on the JumboTron, and booed when George W. Bush made a brief appearance on camera. But when an announcer formally introduced the Texan and his wife, the crowd stood quietly in reverence to the office and the ceremony.

And then history happened.

Many applauded, their fervent claps muffled by leather gloves and woolen mittens. Some wept openly, some hugged. Others waved small American flags. Nearly all craned their necks for a better view.

Just like that, it was done. Wishing to avoid a repeat of the morning’s chaos, Penguin staffers walked east to a Red Line station at New York Avenue and went home.

Photos by J. Deseo/SSP.

Originally published Jan 21, 2009.