Now, as Inauguration Day comes to a close, I still cannot quite put together the words to describe today.  Everything had been building since the election season began nearly two years ago, and suddenly it’s over.  Let me start from today’s beginning.

My roommates and I woke up around 3:30 A.M. and left our hotel just after 4 A.M., for the Metro.  We got off at Federal Center SW and took our place in the line, which was surprisingly not bad.  We were among the first in the gates waiting for the security check points.  We kept ourselves amused by jumping in place and stepping up and down on the curb.  A little before 8 A.M. we were allowed to go through security, where we then sprinted to the Silver seating area by the Capitol.  We were pretty close to the fence (maybe four people deep).  However, a group of people broke down the plastic fence and stormed into the handicapped area to have a better view…except 5’4-”me did not get a better view.  The sun came up and helped warm us as we were packed like sardines.  It was becoming more and more worth it as time went by.

Because of my restricted view, Dan would give me updates of what was on the nearby jumbotron, such as who was arriving or taking their seat.  Just as planned, the event began promptly at 11:30 A.M.  I was deeply moved to see the transformation of power first hand.  However, I was not pleased with the section of the crowd that sang “hey, hey, hey.  Goodbye” to President Bush, as he arrived.  Moving along, I found myself choked up to hear now President Barack Obama recite the oath of office and give his inaugural address.  Like many of his other speeches, he focused on the need for the American people to step up and help.  It was very inspirational.

When the ceremony came to a close, we crossed the semi-frozen mini reflecting pool in a skating fashion.  It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  After revisiting my childhood, we started our approximately 6 mile walk back to our hotel in Rosslyn, V.A.  We found ourselves in several “people-jams.”  During our walk we also saw Marine 1 take off with President Bush and Mrs. Bush from the Capitol.  

After FINALLY making it back to Rosslyn, we stopped at McDonald’s to finally have a meal.  We went back to the hotel and watched a little bit of the parade. One of my roommates received two tickets to the “Neighborhood Ball” and I was fortunate enough to be her guest.  We had barely started to watch the parade when it was time to get ready for the ball.  I had never attended one before and was pleased to no end with the event.  

Several musicians performed at the ABC televised event, such as, Sting, Maroon 5 and Alicia Keys.  Beyonce sang the song “At Last” to the new President and First Lady, as they made their first appearance (of 10) at the official balls.  Hearing “Hail to the Chief” brought chills to my spine, which only continued when I realized how close we were to the couple.  Thanks to Cara for the ticket…it really meant a lot and I had a total blast tonight.  

Right now I’ve been awake for 21 hours.  I’m not entirely packed yet for returning home and I certainly have not absorbed all that happened today.  I think that will take some time.  Thanks to Dr. Brickman for taking on the challenge of bringing 13 students to D.C., as well as to the Washington Center for an 11-day experience I will never forget.  I can’t wait to get back home and share my stories and photos.  As for returning to D.C. in the future…I don’t doubt it.  Plus, I have approximately $5.00 left on my metro card…

Happy MLK Jr. Day!  Last year on this day I spent my afternoon sitting and reflecting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. King gave one of his famous speeches.  Today was a little different.  My roommates and I slept in this morning which felt great.  After having breakfast in the room we left and headed to the offices of the Capitol building to pick up my inauguration tickets.  I was expecting pandemonium, but what greeted us was even worse.  The lines for each office building stretched around the building, often merging into other lines.  After finding a decent line, I began to wait.  The other students who were with me left to run some errands so we would have more time to meet back up later.

After waiting for about an hour and a half, I received a phone call from one of the two offices I had received tickets from.  One of the staffers was on his way to meet me in my line (for the other member of Congress) to hand deliver two tickets.  It was such a relief, since they were saying tickets could only be picked up until 5 P.M. and it was nearly 3 P.M.  It didn’t take too much longer for me to get into the warm Cannon office building and pick up my remaining two tickets.  

I decided to walk to the National Mall instead of taking the metro, due to the masses of people.  I feel like I could spend hours walking around this city and never get tired of it.  There’s always something to marvel at.  I made my way to the area of the Capitol where the swearing-in will take place in just a few hours.  It was amazing to see the stage nearly set and all of the flags unfurled.  Many photos later, I headed toward the Air and Space Museum.  However, I had spent so much time gawking at the Capitol building that  by the time I got there, I didn’t have time to roam one of my favorite Smithsonian museums (I’ll just have to save it for my next trip to D.C.).  Here I met up with several other Bona students and we headed out to Dupont Circle for dinner.  

Dinner was great but the yesterday’s outdoor concert and my hike from not taking the metro was definitely starting to catch up with me.  I’ve started to pack for home because I won’t have much time tomorrow…one of my roommates was able to get two tickets for the Neighborhood Ball tomorrow night.  We’re really excited about it, but dreading the idea of packing late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning before heading home.  

Be sure to watch tomorrow as history is made.  I can’t believe that it’s literally just hours away.  God Bless America.

Today was awesome.  A bunch of us had an early start and left our hotel around 7:30 A.M. to get over to the Lincoln Memorial for the “We are One” concert.  For those of you who don’t know, the concert was free and open to the public, and called for all Americans to unite.  I was actually able to acquire media credentials for the event and was up close, right by the stage.  I made friends with a few camera crews from CNN, ABC and the St. Petersburg Times.  Once we finally got in the media section, time seemed to be going by relatively quickly and I didn’t need to activate my hand warmers for quite a while.  However, by about 11:30 I found myself hoping that the concert would start early.

We were however, able to see the pre-show of the concert as several guests came onto the stage to rehearse their lines and performances.  Once the concert began, the area stretching from the World War II Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial (which was filled), seemed to be quiet as we all waited for the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect to come out with their families.  I had never seen Barack Obama in person, even from a distance, and found his presence to be jaw dropping.  When the President-Elect spoke to the audience near the end of the concert, I found myself tearing up and impressed at his ability to constantly relay his message by stressing the importance of our involvement in his new role.  

The concert itself was amazing.  I’ve never been at one with such a line-up.  Though country music isn’t my primary genre, I’d have to say Garth Brooks was my favorite.  He got everyone moving (including my frozen self) and even walked over to wave to the Obama family.  I also really enjoyed U2 and the use of many choirs to enforce artists such as Bruce Springsteen.  Tom Hanks came out and read the “Lincoln Portrait.”  I’ve heard it read several times before, but hearing it at the foot of Lincoln’s memorial was so inspirational. It touched me in such a way that I was barely able to hold it together.  

I feel like I haven’t quite absorbed the concert yet and am sure I’m missing out several memorable details…so let me skip ahead.  All of the Bona’s students met up for dinner tonight at the restaurant in the hotel, which has a stunning view of D.C.  Tomorrow I am going to sleep in (soooooo excited) and then pick up my Inauguration tickets.  Today was so moving that I can’t even imagine what Tuesday will be like.  

On that note, it’s time to relax and think more about today.  Coming from someone who lived in D.C. for a semester, I really can’t believe I’m here.  Looking back at everyone by the reflecting pool today left me thinking “wow,” and it’s only begun.  When everyone says we’re witnessing history, I feel like it has become an understatement.  There is no way to describe what this experience truly has been like.

I had never visited that particular Smithsonian museum and found the Lincoln exhibit, which opened that day, absolutely fascinating. I also really enjoyed the exhibit on First Ladies, which included many evening gowns they have worn. I somehow missed the 9/11 exhibit, but made up for that on Saturday with our trip to the Newseum.

Before I get to the Newseum, let me explain why I’m just getting to Friday’s blog tonight. One of my roommates and I opted not to go out to dinner and stay in to order some room service. We were watching “Wife Swap” and relaxing when I suddenly heard the sound of running water. I went into the bathroom to see if one of us had left the water on, but instead found the toilet overflowing. It was after an extremely brief phone call to the front desk that the water began to really get moving. We barely had enough time to move all of our stuff off the floor before the water had spread to the far side of our room. After quite a bit of freaking out, we finally got moved to and settled in a new room.

I think I can vouch for my other roommates and say that we all slept pretty well Friday night. As for Saturday, we started out at the Newseum in the morning. I initially visited the museum shortly after it opened in the spring of 2008 while I was still living in D.C. While the bulk of the exhibits were the same, the “President’s Dogs” exhibit was new and a big hit. It was cool seeing photos of many presidents interacting with their dogs. Aside from that particular exhibit, I am still quite partial to the 9/11 exhibit, particularly the section dedicated to a photojournalist who was killed while covering the attacks.

We then had another group lunch at the museum and split up into smaller groups. A bunch of us headed into the Chinatown area and ran across one of the official inaugural stores. To say that the store was packed would be an understatement. I purchased quite a few political buttons for my Dad and myself. We then headed to one of my favorite stores, which is unfortunately not in the Buffalo area, H&M. After a successful afternoon of shopping, we stopped into a nearby restaurant, Cosi, to plan our next move.

We headed back to the hotel and picked up all of our dry cleaning — clothes which were wet from the previous night’s incidents (on the hotel), and relaxed a bit before heading down the street to Ruby Tuesday’s. The waitress pulled some strings and was able to get me some mac n cheese, which was not on the menu. It felt really great to have an actual meal and have it settle well.

I’m realizing I’m probably forgetting quite a bit to update everybody on, but I’m pretty beat. Tomorrow is going to be absolutely crazy. The “We are One” concert is being held in front of the Lincoln Memorial and is expecting a crowd nearly the size of the actual swearing-in of the inauguration. Warning: You will probably read several posts of Bona students freaking out about seeing musical acts such as Usher, Beyonce, Josh Groban and Bruce Springsteen. More to follow tomorrow night as we all prepare for Tuesday.

Well, today certainly didn’t go how I expected it would.  Yesterday, a few of us had been given tickets to the Senate floor of the Capitol for this morning’s hearings.  When I woke up at 5 A.M. very sick, I knew I would not be in attendance.  I’ll spare you the details and just say that I’m still here in the hotel as the rest of The Washington Center students are en route to see political satirist, Mark Russell, at George Washington University.

I spent my afternoon and early evening in and out of sleep, and watching the news of a plane making an emergency landing in the Hudson River after supposedly hitting a bird.  It’s absolutely amazing that everyone made it out of the plane and that it was done in such a timely fashion.  

So, I’m still here…in my bed…watching the news.  The Ginger Ale seems to be helping but the idea of food does not seem even remotely pleasing.  And don’t even talk about chicken fingers (last night’s dinner)…I’m cringing just writing it.  Next on my agenda is catching up on some additional news and then watching President George W. Bush’s farewell address live from The White House at 8 P.M.

Let’s hope all of this passes before tomorrow morning.  Also, thanks to my roommates for taking such great care of me today.  I really appreciate it.

Today we had another live taping of C-SPAN’s “The Washington Journal” to start our day off.  The guest was White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino.  One student in the audience asked her how realistic it is to get major issues done within the first 100 days of President-Elect Obama’s administration.  She stressed how issues are tougher and more complex today saying, “things have changed from FDR’s 100 days…”  I would have to agree with her.  The economy will not be solved in the first 100 days and I don’t think our troops will be home either — but that’s another story for another day.  

After the C-SPAN taping was finished, we heard from Ted Koppel.  Mr. Koppel was the host of ABC News Nightline and is now a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio (NPR) and the BBC.  After polling the audience, Mr. Koppel said journalists should not and cannot question how what they report will be perceived and ultimately affect others.  Besides the obvious that it’s not usually possible to predict all outcomes, he said that journalists’ only responsibility is for “the accuracy and objectivity of the story.”

Mr. Koppel also spoke of the change in news media that he has seen during his career.  No, he wasn’t talking about the 24/7 media or blogs.  Instead he spoke of the fact that news has become a business.  Mr. Koppel stressed that when he started with ABC, the news shows weren’t expected to make money — that was for the entertainment and late night television shows.  Today, we’re experiencing larger audiences and increased advertising — particularly with new and alternative forms of media.  Because of this, many bureaus are closing, reporters are losing their jobs and many newspapers are reducing the number of days they print.  

Next we heard from Clarence Page, a columnist from The Chicago Tribune.  Mr. Page spoke primarily about the transition to power that President-Elect Obama has been facing as well as obstacles he has overcome in the process.  While this portion of our seminar was interesting, the questions seemed to get off track and take the conversation to a broader level.  

Our whole group headed to Ella’s in Chinatown for lunch and then headed to Embassy Row for our site visit at the Algerian Embassy.  We spoke with Ambassador Abdallah Baali, who has only been holding his position for a couple months.  He previously worked as an ambassador to the United Nations.  Several questions were asked about U.S.-Algerian relations, allies of Algeria and President Bush’s malaria initiative.  I can’t speak for the others, but it certainly educated me more about other challenges in Africa I was unaware of.

Well, it’s been a long day and the extensive activities and schedules are starting to catch up with me.  Tomorrow is another day, so I’m off to recharge.  

We then prepared for C-SPAN which had two anchors from the FOX News channel on for the show. Juan Williams, of the news channel, described the inauguration of President-Elect Obama as “such a tremendous moment.” Something I have been able to see at our seminars is that every individual here is truly excited and anxiously awaiting that moment. Even those who did not initially support President-Elect Obama or even vote for him, have expressed their support for him. It’s amazing to see and I’m so lucky to be a part of this “tremendous moment.”

During the live taping there was a caller from Amherst, NY…how odd that someone from my home town would call in while I’m in the audience. Brett Bauer, the other FOX News anchor present, said, “It is literally history…why you go back and tell your grandkids you were there it will be cool.” I couldn’t agree more. We were also present for another taping hosted by the CEO of C-SPAN, Brian Lamb. The show was called “Q&A” and featured guests Carol and Tom Wheeler who spoke of their roles in the Obama campaign. I didn’t enjoy this taping as much, however I did enjoy a taped show where Mr. Lamb asked the students various questions, one of which was to Cara!

After another day of lunch at Union Station, we met for a site-visit at The New Democrat Network (NDN) and listened to Simon Rosenberg (the President and Founder). This site-visit was different than what I expected primarily because there were a few comments bashing our current president, George W. Bush. I understand he’s not the most popular president, but he’s the president and there’s a certain level of respect that goes with that. Other than that, the visit did touch on the new electoral map we saw during the 2008 election, which I found to be interesting.

After walking by the parade route, we headed over to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for a reception for all of the Washington Center’s Inauguration participants. Bob Schieffer, the Chief Correspondent of CBS News, spoke briefly and answered questions at the reception. Several students in the back of the room were being very loud and were asked to quiet down by both a member of the Washington Center and Mr. Schieffer himself. His spirits didn’t seem wounded as he offered advice to journalists saying “never assume.” This is a lesson I have learned here at the J. School at Bona’s. Mr. Schieffer also said this was his 12th inauguration and that nothing is like your first, emphasizing that this one is truly one to remember for several reasons. His words have only heightened my anticipation for next Tuesday. When Mr. Schieffer left the stage I was fortunate to have a photo taken with him. When I told him I was from Buffalo, NY he told me they got a lot of snow today. As long as it’s not in D.C. it’s okay in my book.

Tomorrow’s another day of C-SPAN and I’m really looking forward to it. For those of you in Buffalo, I hope there’s not too much snow…and hope that it doesn’t make its way down here.

After a night of sleep where my roommates and I remembered to turn on the heat, we started our day hearing from Dr. Genovese at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).  He talked of the need for skill, strength and good judgement to be possessed in order to be a “great president.”  Dr. Genovese also talked about President-Elect Obama possessing the three traits and how he has been trying to tone down expectations.  With this he said, “Getting elected is easy, governing is the hard thing.”  I’d imagine this to be true, especially under the trying times we are currently experiencing.

David O’Connor from the United States Secret Service  talked briefly about the history of the agency, particularly about how it started out to prevent the forgery of money.  It wasn’t until 1968 with Bobby Kennedy’s campaign that presidential candidates began to be protected.  He said covering Pope Benedict XVI’s state arrival last April was his favorite event that he has covered.  I related to his attachment to the event because I was there as well.

Marc Pachter from The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery shared various presidential portraits and talked of how the portraits are the strongest visual which can show what the president really was about.  Mr. Pachter also talked about the need for 1st class intellect and temperament for a truly great president.  He argued that no president has shown those characteristics but both presidents George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt were able to have a 1st class temperament and a 2nd class intellect.  

Next we heard from Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel who write a column in The USA Today titled, “Can’t We All Just Get Along?”  Both men entertained the audience by making jokes about the extreme views of both the Republican and Democratic parties.  Mr. Beckel said something that resonated with me.  ”You can do it in America.  It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”  I truly believe it’s the experiences we take advantage in college that will launch us to places we never thought were possible.  

Once our morning sessions were done we headed over as a group to Union Station and ate at the food court for lunch.  We then headed to The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).  I wasn’t quite sure what to think about this think tank.  We were greeted with numerous paintings and prints done by people who are currently in prison.  After hearing the arguments of NORML, I asked a question relating to the portability of those who use marijuana for medicinal purposes as they travel to a state which does not allow the use of marijuana.  The site visit was definitely interesting and worth the trip.

Later in the afternoon I met up with a friend who I know from a past internship.  We went to the top of the Washington Monument and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Cosi.  While the days are long, I’m finding each day to be better than the next.  As Mr. Beckel said, “You don’t change Washington, Washington changes you.”

After our morning introductions we grabbed lunch at Potbelly’s and got on our bus tour of D.C.  The monuments are something that will never get old and still amaze me.  We visited Iwo Jima, World War II, Lincoln Memorial among other monuments.  While visiting the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, we saw the Presidential Motorcade go by.  Like the monuments, this is one site that still gives me chills.  We also saw Marine One fly over us while we were visiting the Jefferson Memorial.

After a long first day of activities, we all headed to The Dubliner.  It’s just across from Union Station and one of my favorite places to eat in the city.