To Be in DC or Not To Be

Obama Quilt by Lucky Shie. See more Obama art here or see it in person here – Feb 9th – March 5th in the Obama Fiber Art exhibit curated by Susan Whalen.

Except for my first year of life when I did live in DC, I have lived just outside of the DC/MD boundary line all of my life. I have never been to an Inauguration. Like anything in DC, we natives have a certain kind of apathy about the monuments, events and history of the city, figuring we can go to anything, anytime we want. Sad story is, we end up rarely going, wanting to avoid the crowds, the traffic, and in many instances, the cold.

  Harriet Beecher Stowe doll by Lesley Riley (White House Collection)

I have been in every museum and art gallery. Over the years I had driven around the Tidal Basin for  the cherry blossoms, climbed the stairs of the Washington Monument and seen the eternal flame for JFK at Arlington National Cemetary.  But I had never even been to the White House until 1999, until I was extended a private invitation because one of my dolls was hung on the White House Christmas Tree . It turned out it was singled out (1 of 6 I believe) to hang on a wreath in the Promenade, much easier for my family and I to spot. The fact that I was taking my chilren to the White House because my art was displayed there was much more important to me than actually having the art there. But I do like knowing I have a piece in the White House collection. But I digress. 

I have a memory of standing in an unending line in November 1963. The line wound around the US Capitol and through the streets of DC. We were waiting our turn to walk past the casket of JFK which was lying-in-state in the US Capitol. We were there for 3 hours. We never even got close. When our feet were so painfully cold that were were in tears, we gave in and left. I was 11. I was there, but I was not there. Even my Dad, a 4th generation Washingtonian, has only attended one inauguration, for FDR. in 1933. He was 11.

The last big event I went to was the opening and dedication of the WWII Memorial that I attended with my father. Dad is a WWII veteran,  Mom was in a wheelchair, so we had tickets and priority seating. Even then, after going through the security checkpoint, we got some of the last seats in the back, and we saw nothing. Boy scouts were passing out water because it was May 29, 2004, it was hot, the sun was parching. That crowd was estimated at 140,000. And probably 75% over the age of 50.

Never once have I gone to the National Mall for fireworks. Where would I go to the bathroom? As kids, we used to watch them from our car, parked in my Dad's favorite spot across the river, in full view of the Mall, right near the Iwo Jima Memorial. It wasn't nearly as crowded then, when we were kids back in the 50s.

I went to the Preakness…once. 1973. Secretariat,  the 2nd horse race in the triple crown. (That's in Baltimore, and hour from DC) We wanted to avoid the "crowds" in the infield so we purchased clubhouse tickets. We spent the hour before the race looking for a place where we could actually see it. Never did. Too crowded.

I am not a patient person. When the fireworks are over at the small town celebration we attend about 30 miles west of the DC Mall fireworks, the parking lot can take well over 30 minutes to vacate. It's in a field in the middle of nowhere, but every car must funnel out of one exit. Only 5000 people. It puts a huge damper on the excitement we felt watching the fireworks.

Obama in Portland, OR, May 2008.

So when perhaps the greatest event in American history occurs on Tuesday, January 20th, where will I be? I am sure you know the answer by now. I'll be here in my warm home, WARM, in a comfortable chair, in front of the TV and near a clean toilet. Yes, I have given it some consideration. But experience tells me that unless I leave here at the crack of dawn (or before), when the temperature will be in the 20s, I will most likely see nothing. And even then all I might glimpse is the parade. I would see NOTHING of the inauguration, hear nothing.  I would feel the excitement, feel the love, the pride and the energy that this event will create. That in itself is worth something. But the crowds, the cold and the transportation issues weigh heavier. Even dear Obama suggests we stay home. 

I prefer solitude, quiet and comfort. On Tuesday you will find me in front of the TV. I will cry and I will cheer. My heart will swell in ways that words will not be able to express. I have been joking that I will get in my car and drive the 3 miles to cross the border into DC, so that I can say, "Yes, I was in DC for the Obama inauguration." Yes, I think I will do that. Because after all, there's nothing like being there.