People wait in line for access to the inaugural parade route prior to the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, in Washington. AP Photo/Rob Carr.

People wait in line Tuesday for access to the inaugural parade route prior to the swearing in of President-elect Barack Obama in Washington. Rob Carr/AP

 

Some dispatches from NPR correspondents around the city:

Neda Ulaby:

New Jersey Avenue is a major D.C. thoroughfare -- you can take it all the way to the Mall. Usually, it's filled with grim-faced commuters in cars. Right now it's filled with streams of people, walking with a palpable sense of solemnity and purpose. One lady has set up a hot chocolate stand outside her house near New Jersey and M. The hot chocolate is free. She's hung bunting all over the house and the stand, and covered the table with little golden angels. Another neighbor brought his boom box, and he's blasting vintage soul. "Free hot chocolate!" the lady yells. Three young white women in brightly colored scarves and fleece jackets are clustered around the free hot chocolate stand, giggling in excitement and chatting with two older African-American men in heavy dark overcoats and hats. Everyone -- even the clusters of National Guardsmen standing nearby -- is grinning.


Brian Naylor:

There are masses of people lined up to pass through security checkpoints to see the inaugural parade. At least one checkpoint, at Seventh Street N.W., is closed. At the 12th Street checkpoint the line stretches nearly a block long, a scene repeated at 10th Street. People seem to be in good spirits. One woman, Lisa Jones, came here from Atlanta: "I expected this -- crowds, long lines, everything. I don't mind."

Metrobuses have been parked to block off the street from vehicles. Helicopters can be heard buzzing overhead, and sirens are constantly wailing in the background, mixing with the cries of vendors hawking everything from DVDs to T-shirts.


Larry Abramson:

On ordinary days, the 14th Street Bridge is a freeway or, during rush hour, a parking lot. But today, pedestrians, cyclists and Rollerbladers are pouring across the pedestrian walkway. They have biked up from Alexandria, Va., or they have flown in from Kansas City, Mo., and then taken the Metro to the Pentagon. Everyone has a story of some circuitous route he has taken. They trek over the bridge and gaze down at the frozen river. Nearby roadways are blocked off by a menagerie of vehicles, loaders and plows and flashing police vehicles. It looks like a picture from a Richard Scarry children's book. In the background the Pentagon looms. This has been the scene of tragedy before -- the 9/11 attacks, the Air Florida crash. Today, the bridge is a gateway home.


A quick update from Laura Sullivan:

The scene at the entrance to the Purple section (at the Capitol) is chaotic ... large crowd backed up ... lots of pushing and shoving ... only 20 people at a time being allowed to cross the parade route ... there is no crossing at Third Street ... people have to cross at Seventh Street.

Metro: D.C. Metro Authority says 318,442 passengers traveled on the system by 8 a.m.

categories: 1600

9:23 - January 20, 2009

What is this?

Share