100 Days

I can't believe that it's already been 100 days (plus a few) since the Inauguration of President Obama. Where has the time gone?

I started this blog to share my experiences as a tour guide during the Inauguration and yet here it is, 100 days later, and I still haven't been able to put it all into words. I've had the time, but I just haven't had the inclination and I haven't been able to figure out why. Now that some time has passed, I think I've come to realize what a momentous day it really was and what a profound effect it had on me to be a part of it. Maybe spending time writing about the details -- especially the logistical nightmares that I and all tour guides had to deal with that week -- would lessen the importance of the event. As it was all happening, I had to worry about so many different things -- where to meet my group; the best way to keep them together in the record crowds; how to be sure they were warm, hydrated, fed, etc. -- that it kept me from seeing the "big picture". Now that some time has passed, those details seem so unimportant compared to the historical magnitude of the event. I was a part of history! I stood there in that crowd and watched our Nation change as the first African-American became our leader. Wow!

I've done a number of tours in the past month; after all, Spring is the busiest time of the year for tour guides in DC. The details of the tours start to all run together after a while, even mixing in with the memories of the 5 days in January that were so special. Yet, every time I take a group to the Capitol now, I see it differently. I'm taken back to January 20 when the platforms were in place on the west front of the building and the hundreds of chairs were set up on the west lawn. I can still hear the cheers from the crowds all the way down the National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial as Obama finished taking his oath as President, rippling eastward towards the Capitol like a great wave coming ashore at the beach. I remember the bitter cold of that day, even though I sweat in the Spring heat as we walk up Capitol Hill. I don't think I will ever look at the Capitol the same way as I did before the Inauguration because I'll always remember how it looked that day.

Life in Washington has pretty much settled down since January 20 and returned to normal, or so it seems to those of us who have lived here for years. Yet, just a couple of weeks ago I was leading a group of 8th-graders from New Hampshire who had the incredible luck of seeing the President's motorcade up close and personal not once, but twice in one day! The first time was in the early morning as he returned to the White House, perhaps from taking his daughters to school. The police stopped our bus right at the entrance to the south side of the White House and the motorcade drove right in front of us, close enough that the students could see the President in the limo waving to passersby! The second time was that evening, when we were stopped on Constitution Avenue and the motorcade drove right beside us going in the other direction. The students and adults on the bus were so excited! To me, it was just another day in the life of a tour guide in DC. We live with motorcades and security checkpoints every single day. How nice it is to be reminded by my groups that I shouldn't take these things for granted!

So that's as much as I've decided to write about the Inauguration. The stories about the hassles and triumphs seem old to me now. So much has happened in the last 100 days and every new day, every new group, every tour brings new experiences and new stories. I'll keep the memories of January 20, 2009 forever, but I'll keep moving forward, too.

Inauguration Week, Day 3

It’s been so hard for me to find the time to sit and write another post. I’ve already started into the spring student tour season and between that and getting ready to compete with my quartet and chorus in the Sweet Adelines annual regional competition, the days are just flying by! I really want to get a handle on this blog thing, so I’m going to do my best to finish up the parts about the Inauguration before the end of the week. The information already seems so dated, now that President Obama has been in office for more than two months! Wow! Talk about time flying by!

Okay, so I’m up to Day 3 of Inauguration week. It was Monday, the day before the Inauguration, and this was when things started to get interesting and challenging. I have to start by saying that I’ve never really liked big crowds and don’t enjoy being a part of them, but I’ve learned to adapt. You really don’t have a choice if you’re going to be a Tour Guide because the crowds are big around here in the heart of the tour season. So I was a bit apprehensive as we got closer to the actual Inauguration, but knew that I would just have to handle it.

My groups spent the night at their hotel in Baltimore and were picking me up in Virginia on the way to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. It made perfect sense to go there – visit the home of our very first President before the swearing in of our newest one! Besides, most groups that come to Washington include a visit to Mount Vernon because of its historical significant and sheer beauty.

Most trips to MV start with the bus unloading in front of the Visitor’s Center. The groups line up while I go and pick up the tickets that have been reserved for them at the box office. Then we enter the Center, where we give them a few minutes to use the rest rooms and take their pictures with the life-size brass sculptures of General and Mrs. Washington and their grandchildren, Nell and “Washy”. Then we spend some time looking at the model of the MV Mansion while we wait to go into the introductory movie, if time permits. I usually check with the staff at the information desk to find out how long the wait is to get into the mansion and plan our course of action based on that. It’s not unusual to wait 20-30 minutes, or even a little longer for the mansion tour, especially at the height of the season. Afterwards, we walk around the grounds and then head back to the beautiful educational center and museum. The whole thing takes around 2-3 hours, although we’ve done an abbreviated version of the tour when we’re short on time.

That’s what we do on a normal day, when there are only 2,000 or so visitors that day…when we arrive and there are maybe 10-12 busses there already. However, January 19 was not a “normal” day. Before we even arrived at Mount Vernon I had heard that there were reservations for 17,000 people to visit that day, and that was just the organized tour groups that made arrangements ahead of time! That’s almost five times the normal number of visitors for a day. I have to give the staff at MV a lot of credit, though – they were well prepared for the onslaught! Instead of having the busses park along the parkway west of the entrance after dropping their groups, they were sent off to park about five miles away and we were told to call our drivers when we were ready to leave. The movie in the visitors center was running almost constantly in two theaters so they could keep groups going in and out. Our group stopped and watched it, then headed for the mansion. Oh my gosh! The line was the longest I had ever seen it and the estimate was that it would be at least a 90 minute wait to get into the house. Since we only had about two hours left at that point, I suggested to the two group leaders that we bypass the mansion, go see some of the other buildings, go to the back lawn of the mansion and look out over the Potomac River (a great photo opportunity), then head down to the tomb where General and Mrs. Washington are laid to rest. They agreed and we spent about an hour covering those areas. Then we went back for a quick visit of the museum and educational center. There are some great videos in the center, including a theater where it “snows” inside. Of course, the students all wanted to see that, but it was another 30-45 minute wait just for that movie and we didn’t have the time. In fact, the center was so crowded that they were only letting groups into the building as other groups left. It was a mad house!

The plan to call our driver and have him come pick us up almost worked. I called and he came over and got in the line of busses at the pick-up point. Unfortunately, my groups ended up heading for the bus in dribs and drabs as students finished in the gift shop, just so we could relieve some of the crowds. The MV “police” made our driver move after five minutes – no waiting for the whole group. He had to circle around three times before we were all out there, and each time he ended up in a different spot in line.

I guess you kind of had to be there to appreciate the situation. Imagine that you’re walking down a LONG sidewalk that has dozens of huge motor coaches lined up and you’re looking for that ONE coach that belongs to you. Just when you spot it and know it’s only 3-4 busses away, the driver pulls out and drives away because he’s been told to move! Then you don’t know where he’s going, how long he’ll be, if we should go to the spot he just vacated or expect him to show up somewhere else, etc. Thank goodness for cell phones! I don’t know how guides did their jobs before the darn things were invented!

Whew! We got through Mount Vernon. Unfortunately, I would find out later, when one of the groups sent in an evaluation, that they were totally unhappy with our visit to the plantation because they didn’t get to see the mansion. Forget the fact that I explained the circumstances and that they knew the crowds were outrageous and some plans would have to be changed to make it all work. If they had been honest and told me up front that they didn’t care how long they had to wait in line – they wanted to go in to the mansion no matter what – we would have split the groups and left them to wait in line while I took the others around the plantation. No, it doesn’t necessarily work that way. They just acted like everything was honky-dory, and then complained about it in their evaluation a week after the tour! Oh, joy!

Well, I thought the worst was over, at least for that day, but it wasn’t. We had to figure out where to take them for lunch because they were “on their own” for lunch instead of having a reserved meal somewhere. We were heading for the Smithsonian Museum of American History, which had just reopened in December, so I suggested that we let the students get something to eat while they were there. The museum has a lovely (albeit expensive) café, so that’s what we did.

We got to the museum only to discover that all of the rest of the millions of people who were in DC for the inauguration – minus the 17,000 that were at Mount Vernon – had come to the same museum! We had to wait in line outside for about 20 minutes before enough people left that we could enter the museum. It was right about then that I started to feel like I was at Disney World – same kind of crowd control, but with security sweeps, magnetometers and bag checks added in! We spent about 2 hours in the museum although I’m not sure the students got to see a whole lot. I headed for the café for some lunch and relaxation while I had the chance. I saw several of the students doing the same thing. Whatever – they needed some down time after Mount Vernon.

Around 4:00 we gathered and walked down past the Washington Monument. It turns out that one group had reservations to go up in the Monument that afternoon…except that the Washington Monument was closed for three days because of the Inauguration! This was another thing they complained about in their evaluation (yes, it was the same group). So we saw it from the outside, took some photos, and then continued on to the World War II memorial. That is the newest memorial in Washington (dedicated in 2004) and one of my favorites! It’s beautiful and moving and full of symbolism. It was also full of tourists that day! The other sad thing was that since it was January, all of the water in the pools and fountains was removed and turned off so it wouldn’t freeze. It was a shame because the memorial just doesn’t look the same without it!

After WWII, we walked down towards the Lincoln Memorial, part of what we guides refer to as “The Big 3” – the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We usually visit all three at one time because of their close proximity. Under normal touring conditions, the busses drop us by the Korean Memorial (south end, near Independence Avenue) and pick us up an hour later on Constitution Avenue near the Vietnam Wall. It didn’t quite work that way this time. There were still structures up around the Lincoln Memorial from the concert on Sunday, as well as Obama’s salute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that day (it was King’s Holiday on Monday), so we really couldn’t get up to the memorial. In fact, we couldn’t get very close at all because of the security equipment, bleachers, jumbotrons, etc. We didn’t even try to get over to the Korean Memorial because it was almost impossible between the crowds and the obstacles. So I talked to the groups about all of the memorials and then we headed for the Vietnam Memorial. That went pretty well until we got ready to leave. There were a number of busses from the same company as ours lined up along Constitution Avenue and it was hard to tell which one was ours. Needless to say, the students kept telling me ours was to the west and we headed that way….to the wrong bus! We had to back-track and go about two more blocks east until we finally found our wonderful driver, Tom, waiting for us!

At this point, you’d think that things were okay and we had made it through the day without too many problems. Well, that’s only partially true. The groups had coupons for the food court at Union Station, at the other end of the National Mall. The plan was to drive down there (usually about a 10-minute drive), show them how to get in and out of the food court and then I would leave them for the evening. They were heading back to Baltimore after dinner. It didn’t happen as planned, to say the least. We got stuck in the worst case of gridlock that I’ve ever experienced! Traffic was everywhere! Roads were closed! Preparations were already being made for the Inauguration and parade the next day. We absolutely couldn’t move! After we traveled about 3 blocks in almost an hour, Tom got off of Constitution Avenue and tried a more circuitous route to get to Union Station. We got caught in more traffic, but it was a bit easier than where we had been…..until we got to a spot two blocks from Union Station and were blocked off by police. They told us that the station and all of the surrounding streets were now closed until after the Inauguration!

So here it was, almost 8:00 pm, with a group of students who were hungry, tired and grumpy, and a tour guide (ME!) who was about the same. The only difference was that I wasn’t able to show my emotions – I had to remain positive. I also had to figure out how to get them some dinner since they couldn’t use the coupons they had. I called the tour company for suggestions. They explained that the group leaders had cash on them for a meal at the airport on Wednesday, so to find a fast food restaurant and have them use that cash for dinner and the company would replace it.

Tom started heading out of town towards Baltimore – it was the only way we could go at that point because of the traffic and road closures. He turned east onto New York Avenue and our luck finally changed – there was a McDonald’s one block ahead of us! Hallelujah! He pulled the bus up and we unloaded the groups and let them go in to get dinner and bring it back on the bus. While they did that, I had to figure out where we were and if there was a Metro station nearby where Tom could drop me off and I could head home. Otherwise, I’d end up in Baltimore with the groups, which certainly wasn’t part of the plan! I pulled out my trusty fold-up DC map, only to find that we were just past the edge of the area it covered! Rats! (Well, that’s not really what I said!) After a little bit of thought I decided to call my “research assistant” – my son, who was at home on his computer. I gave him the name of the closest intersection; he punched it into Google Maps and told me we were exactly two blocks from the Metro station at Gallaudet University! Thank goodness for his expertise and for the Internet! After everyone was back on the bus, we drove over to the Metro and I waved goodbye as they headed off to Baltimore.

It was 10:00 pm by the time I finally got home. I was exhausted, hungry, beat and still had to prepare for the big day – Inauguration was tomorrow! I took a long, hot shower, heated up a can of soup, packed up all my things for Tuesday and laid out my clothes. I had to be downtown at 5:30 am, and with the predictions of the crowds, that meant leaving my home at 3:30! So I snuggled up on the sofa in the living room with my alarm clock nearby and slept for about three hours. Then it was up and out to be a part of one of the most exciting days in our country’s modern history.

Well, you’ll just have to wait until I write again to hear about our adventures on Inauguration Day. I promise you won’t have to wait too long!

Inauguration Week, Day 1

For me, as a tour guide in Washington, DC, the Inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President actually began on the Friday before the swearing-in, January 16. That was the day I spent in training with the company I was going to be working for over the next five days. (I don't know how the tour company would feel about being included in my blog, so I'll just refer to them as WS.) The training was excellent, but the best part was that WS loaded all of the guides down with hand and foot warmers, space blankets, and other goodies to help us make it through the cold weather. They had set up an outstanding support system, too, in terms of communications, problem-solving teams, logistics, etc. We all knew it was going to be a tough week, but we also knew the support we would need was already in place.

The excitement really started the next day, Saturday, January 17. I was assigned to a 3-bus group, a band from somewhere in Alabama. They were coming to DC for the inauguration and to perform at a couple of different venues, but they were not part of the official parade. They only had 4 hours that morning for some quick sightseeing and then they were heading off to perform. It was a beautiful day, but very cold! When I left home around 7:00 am, it was 8 degrees above 0 and the wind was blowing! Now, I was a Girl Scout and a Scout Leader for many, many years, so I know how to deal with being out in cold weather. I wore many layers, from silk thermal underwear out to gloves, hat and scarf over my warmest coat. Still, it was definitely the coldest day I had ever spent as a tour guide. I did learn a valuable lesson that day about using foot warmers, too. I had never tried them, so I read the directions carefully and thoroughly. It said not to put the warmers against your skin once they were activated (opened to the air), but to attach them to the outside of your socks. I did just that, placing a warmer under the ball and toes of each foot. What it didn't say was that the more you walk on them, the hotter they get! By the time we had walked through Arlington National Cemetery and back to the bus (about a 90-minute stroll), I had a blister on my left foot from the heat of the warmer! The whole time we were walking back from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the bus, I felt like someone had given me an old-fashioned hot foot! The minute we were back on the bus, I tore off my boots, took off the foot warmers and repositioned them on the TOP of my feet.

The scheduled itinerary called for us to take the group to Arlington National Cemetery and the Marine Corps War Memorial (more popularly known as Iwo Jima), then to the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial/Korean War Veterans Memorial/Vietnam Veterans Memorial (which we do all as one stop). The busses picked us up in front of the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue, a very common place for guides to meet their groups. I arrived early, of course, and the busses were a bit late coming in because they had traveled all the way from Alabama overnight. I huddled around with the other guides who were waiting for groups. There really wasn't anywhere to protect us from the wind because the bleachers for the Inaugural Parade had already been put up and we couldn't get to the overhang/protected part of the front of the OPO. I just figured it would be a good way to get used to the cold since we would be in it all morning.

The group arrived, the three of us guides each boarded a bus and off we went. The first challenge -- and one that I often face as a DC Tour Guide -- was that of the three bus drivers, two had never been to DC before and one had been here just one time! That meant that in addition to telling the high school students and chaperones all about DC, I would have to give my driver directions as to how to get around. This makes the job twice as difficult, but it's just part of the challenge we sometimes face.

We headed first for Arlington National Cemetery. There's a routine that we follow when leading groups through ANC. We start at the Visitor's Center (giving them a chance for a potty break), then head to the John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy graves. If time permits, we walk up to the Custis-Lee Mansion (also known as Arlington House) that overlooks the cemetery and has a great view of DC, then go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to watch the changing of the guard ceremony. If you've never been to Arlington, it is quite an experience. Row upon row upon row of headstones, all of people who served our country in the Armed Forces. Many of them died in battle, but many died later of natural causes. The important thing to remember isn't about how they died, but how they chose to live at least part of their lives protecting our freedoms! It's a point I try to convey to the groups I take to visit there. I also give the students a little talk about what I call "memorial behavior" -- being silent, respectful, reverent while they are visiting ANC and any of the other war memorials in the area. These high school students were very well behaved. Sometimes I'm not as lucky when I'm leading 8th graders around in the Spring.

The other thing I explain to my school groups is that Arlington National Cemetery is uphill, even when it's downhill. I know that sounds strange, but by the time you're finished walking around for two hours, you know what I mean! ANC is the most physically demanding of all the places I take groups, but it is well worth the effort. (Fortunately, when I occasionally get to guide a group of adults or senior citizens, they usually purchase the Tourmobile tickets so we don't have to do all that walking!)

This day was a bit different from other visits to ANC because it was only 15 degrees when we started walking from the Visitor's Center to the JFK gravesite. I told the group that the last time I had led a group of students up the hill, it had been the Spring of 2008....and the temperature that day was a heat index of 108 degrees! Quite a difference! If I have my druthers, I think I prefer the cold because just walking around the cemetery makes you so hot. When it's a hot day in June and I'm leading a group, it is much more exhausting and strenuous!

The cemetery was a bit crowded, but not as much as I've seen it in the Spring at the height of the season. We skipped the Custis-Lee Mansion because we really didn't have time for it that day, so we headed from the Kennedy gravesite to the Changing of the Guard. During the winter, the guard is changed every hour on the hour, so you have to time it right or wait a whole additional hour to see the ceremony. We made it to the Tomb of the Unknown just in time for the ceremony! Whew!

After we were done at Arlington, we headed straight for DC. Our time was already running short, so the school leaders opted to skip Iwo Jima. We knew there would be a lot of traffic in town and weren't sure how long it would take for us to get around. We crossed the Memorial Bridge, drove around the Lincoln Memorial the best we could (some of the roads were blocked off in preparation for the big Inaugural Concert on Sunday), and went to the WWII memorial. This is one of my favorite memorials, although it is much prettier in the spring and summer when the fountains are filled and running. It really misses something without the water. I gave the group my usual spiel and sent them off to look around.

While I was waiting for the group to regather near the wall of stars, I could swear that I heard James Taylor music coming from somewhere! I kept looking around for speakers or someone with a loud iPod, but didn't see anything. Then it occurred to me -- the music was coming from the Lincoln Memorial, further down the mall. There was a rehearsal going on for Sunday's concert and James Taylor was one of the performers. How cool was that? After we finished up at WWII, we decided to walk down the path along the reflecting pool to see the Lincoln Memorial. We continued to hear music -- bands warming up, singers practicing, directions being given. When we got to Lincoln, we were able to stand across the road from the memorial and see some of the rehearsal. We actually saw Sheryl Crow doing a couple of numbers! Of course, to the students, this was far more interesting than looking at some old, historic buildings! Unfortunately, because of the rehearsal, we weren't able to go up to the Lincoln Memorial or even see much of it because it was blocked off by bleachers, platforms, lights, jumbotrons, etc. We also couldn't get over to the Korean War Memorial because of the crowds, but we did have the opportunity to go visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, always of interest to these groups. By the time we finished that, it was time for the group to head to lunch and for me to head home.

The first day was done.....almost, but not quite. My tour guiding for that day was finished, but I still had another adventure ahead that evening....

As you can tell from the title of my blog, music is also a big part of my life. I sing women's barbershop harmony in a Sweet Adelines chorus as well as in a women's quartet. The Lead of our quartet arranged for us to perform at an "Inaugural Ball" being held at the high school where she teaches. Of course, it was that Saturday evening, so even though I was tired, I had to go. You can't very well have a quartet if one person is missing, can you? We got all dolled up (sorry, that's a really old term!) in our sequined tops and headed for the school. I was so glad that we did, even though my feet hurt and I was beat! It was so much fun! Of course, we love to perform any chance we get, but this was such an unusual venue for us. We even had our picture taken with President-elect Obama.....well, at least it was a cut-out of him! The audience was appreciative and seemed to like our mixture of patriotic and humorous songs. We got rave reviews and prolonged applause, which was a great ending to a very long day.

Thus ended the first day. My next post will be about my meeting with the school groups I would guide for the next four days, including through the Inauguration itself. Until then, stay well.