We didn’t make it out at O’ Dark Thirty like we planned. It was below 20 degrees at dawn. Instead we moseyed out around 8AM to head to the Metro. We decided to forgo the 9 hour wait in the cold for the parade and go straight to the mall to partake in the inauguration. With the crowds it was impossible to do both the inauguration and the parade. There was plenty of room for more folks on the mall. The 1.8M people were dispersed from the Capitol all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. We were in-between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

The key to staying warm was to put on layers.

The official forecast for the day was:

Cloudy with flurries

Low 19 degrees

High 31 degrees

Our hotel shuttle driver dropped us off at the metro. He truly wanted to go with us, but had to work inauguration day.

We had a mix of folks at our hotel. People were from all over the US - Hawaii, California, Iowa, Florida, and of course Alabama was in the house.

Old Town Alexandria, Virginia metro stop.

It was crowded, but nothing like what was forecast. It may have been our late start or the cold.

Once we got onto the subway and headed into the city, it did get a bit crowded. Don’t let my expression fool you, I was inwardly joyful and reflective. OK, I can’t lie - I don’t like crowds.

The southern bell goes to the big city.

Yes. This is a shot of the crowd of people getting off the subway onto an already crowded platform at the China Town stop.

Our original plan was to take the yellow line from Old Town and get off at the Botanic Garden stop like we did the day before. Needless to say that plan went sideways when the train kept going past our stop and two others because metro had to shut down the stop because of over crowding.

No problem. Instead of going with the crowd and walking south to the Capitol from China Town, we got on the green line heading south against the traffic to get off at the Waterfront. It was a short 1-2 mile stroll to the Mall. OK - it was a long cold trek over and under highways, side streets, across bridges and across fields. We utilized the Channel Inn as a way station during our journey. We did wear our hiking boots in anticipation.

It appears to be really really crowded, but there was plenty of room for more folks.

We settled into a nice position on a grassy bluff on the Mall in front of the World War II Memorial between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

There was a complete cross-section
of America out there on the Mall.

Some people clapped, some cried, some threw hats in the air to celebrate, others went even further. Yes, he did catch her safely.

The jumbo-trons made the event spectacular. The echo from the loud speakers from the Capitol Building on down to the Lincoln Memorial took your breath away.

We thought we wouldn’t be able to use our cell phones because of the crowds. That was not the case. We were able to call and send text messages out to loved ones during the ceremony.

Our uniformed soldiers salute as the Star Spangled Banner is being sung.

Sanitta sais the only thing that cold were her toes. I can see why.

After the inaugural ceremony,
everyone heads a different direction off the Mall.

The Reflecting Pool was fenced off. The crowds extended all the way back to the Lincoln Memorial.

The crowd starts to thin out as we make our way back to the water front.

A view of the Washington Munument
from across the Tidal Basin.

On the Tidal Basin bridge
heading back to the water front.

A view of the Jefferson Memorial from the Japanese Cherry Trees along the Tidal Basin.

Our plan was to eat lunch at Phillips on the water front. That plan went south because everyone else had the same idea.

We intended to catch the metro at the Waterfront stop and head north, however everyone was else had the same plans. We decided to keep walking south to the Navy Yard stop and catch a north bound train. Walking the extra 1/2 mile thinned out the crowd and afforded us the opportunity to board an empty north bound train.

After our brisk trek back to the metro we took the subway back to Alexandria. Option “B” for our exodus was to walk from the Mall across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to the Arlington Cemetery metro stop. Option “C” was to do as these folks and walk across the George Mason Bridge and go south to the National Airport metro stop.

We had lunch in Old Town Alexandria down by the water front. The Coast Guard was still on duty keeping the Patomac River blocked off to traffic up stream.

King Street in Old Town Alexandria looking north from the water front. You can see the George Washington Masonic Memorial  in the distance.