Inauguration Day Out: Watching From the Rooftops

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FORGIVE ANY TYPOS — my fingers are still defrosting.

Like many people, my inauguration day began before dawn — though not by choice. I live at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, halfway between the Capitol and the White House. Since I live so close to the parade route, I had no interest in getting up in the middle of the night to stake out a spot on the Mall. But by 5:30 a.m., more than 1,000 people had already gathered outside the checkpoint at 7th and D Streets. They were chanting "O-ba-ma" and "Yes we can" — 12 stories below my bedroom. I don't know exactly how many people were down there, but it was enough to act like a pretty effective alarm clock. My fiance is an avid Obama supporter, but this did not make her happy.

When we first moved into our apartment building at the end of the summer, we knew the Fourth of July would be something special, but we assumed we wouldn't get to watch the inauguration from the rooftop. Even after we got our rooftop tickets, we assumed we would have our own personal FBI sniper to keep us company.

Not so much.

After heading down to the Mall for the swearing in — and then moving very quickly to get back home within two hours — we went up to the roof at 2:30 p.m., when the parade was supposed to start. Only about 50 residents stood on top of the building (most of the others were downstairs drinking at one of the various parties in the building).

We waited — and waited and waited.

Every time an ambulance drove by, the crowds on top of the buildings roared. We watched phalanx after phalanx of motorcycles go by at a snail's pace — and we could see Obama's approval rating (at least on my rooftop) plummet from the high 70s to 20 percent.

But these D.C. residents were quick to forgive.

Before anyone went completely numb, the president's monster of a limo crept down Pennsylvania Avenue into view. Then, right in front of our building, the limos stopped and the people on the roof started going crazy. Michelle and Barack Obama both got out of the limo. They waved. People on the roof waved. They smiled. People on the roof screamed.

On the street, people who had been standing near 6th Street poured down Pennsylvania, trying to get a glimpse of the president and first lady. Many people waited (noisily) since 5:30 in the morning for that one moment. Let's hope it was worth it. Time to thaw out.

Photos by Ian Herbert