Purple Tickets

I do not know if it makes me feel better to know that I was not the only person to not see the Inauguration from the Mall because the Purple ticket checkpoint was poorly planned.  Ridiculously devastated when I think about the experience.

No information.  No signs.  We even had Homeland Security Vans and police cars honking at people to move so they could drive through the crowd.  Of course the people had nowhere to move.  At one point in time, people were brushing past me so closely that I thought that they would tear off my coat buttons.  

People tried to remain polite, but as the time inched closer to 10:30am and the start of the ceremony, the crowd's emotions shifted to one of celebration to one of desperation and worry.  Time was of essence.  Moving six inches in thirty minutes was not going to get enough people onto the Mall.  Nobody knew why the gates opened at 9am (the general public portion of the Mall opened at 4am).  Nobody knew where to go or what to do to get inside the Mall.  

Finally J and I left the chaos.  We got seats at a bar to watch the events unfold on TV.  It was not what I had imagined for this celebratory event.  Luckily we did not stand hopelessly outside the gates as the inauguration started, without speakers or a jumbotron in sight.  We watched Barack Obama take the oath of office live - just not as live as planned.