I can’t put my arms down!
I haven’t taken the time to blog any blogging lately, and frankly I blame that evil realm of status updates, wall posts, and scrabulous: Facebook. Ahem.
Also, one wonders if I’ve actually done anything lately worthy of mention.
Lessee … this past Saturday I ventured downtown with Patricia and her sister Alicia to join the throngs of human popsicles crammed into the Baltimore War Memorial Plaza in hopes of catching a glimpse of our 44th Prez.
Earlier in the day I had read an article about how to dress for the extremely cold weather we were experiencing in the area. It recommended lots of layers and that once you thought you had enough layers on to add yet another one. It was that cold. So I layered. And then layered some more. And then I decided to put on another layer for good measure. Two pairs of socks (with toe warmers nestled in between), 2 pairs of thermal leggings under my jeans, an UnderArmour “moisture wicking” long sleeve shirt, a cozy wool turtleneck sweater, a fleece vest, a Ravens #52 jersey (oh, woe is me), a fleece lined winter coat, a pair of gloves under a pair of mittens (complete with hand warmers), a knit hat, and a hood.
Once adorned in all my winter paraphernalia and finished laughing at myself,
I somehow managed to roll myself out the door, into the car, and down the JFX to Patricia and Geoff-Geoff’s house in Reservoir Hill. Pat graciously stuffed us full of chicken pot pie to “warm up our insides” and then we rebundled ourselves and headed out. Luckily Pat knew someone at the Baltimore Youth Hostel on Mulberry Street so we were able to park there for free and without hassle. From there we hoofed it down to City Hall.
It was somewhat of an odd experience seeing so many of the streets closed (and often barricaded by MTA buses), not to mention the giant sea of people we merged with making its way en masse east on Baltimore Street. There were vendors of every sort: commemorative Obama hats, scarves, buttons, t-shirts, posters, calendars, magnets, pennants, photos, and even foam fingers (in the shape of a peace sign). Eventually we shuffled (that’s the only way you can walk in a crowd that size - at one point I commented that we looked like so many penguins) our way up to the row of metal detectors. We made it through just in time to see, on one of the big video screens that were set up, Obama’s train arrive in Edgewood. After stopping briefly to watch, we made our way around City Hall to join the thousands of people already waiting in the plaza itself.
As we were settling into our spot to the far right side of the podium area — our only option besides the far end (i.e., back) of the plaza – there was a group on stage leading the audience in a giant aerobics routine to help keep people warm. It was hilarious! Imagine a crowd of thousands of tightly bundled up people trying to do jumping jacks! They were followed on stage by the Morgan State Choir, and shortly thereafter by various political figures who spoke briefly, including Rep. Elijah Cummings and Gov. Martin O’Malley (who was greeted with some hearty boos). Finally, the Bidens and Obamas emerged and the place erupted in a joyous mayhem of cheering, jumping, and, in some cases, crying. I’ve been a part of crowds like that before, but only at rock concerts. There were some women next to me who got so excited that I thought they might fall out, kinda like if they’d gotten the spirit at church. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear much of Obama’s speech due to the buzz of the crowd and I could only see him when standing on my tippy toes (and that was even with giant chunky boots!), but the whole experience was really something to behold, and I am so glad I was able to be a part of it! I even managed to stay relatively warm! The layers, the pot pie, and the aerobics worked! And I’ve got to give some kudos to the organizers of the event. Having been a Baltimore resident my entire life, I know of the city’s propensity for f*cking sh*t up, so I was a bit worried that this would end up being a logistical nightmare of epic proportions. But somehow, some way city officials were able to pull it off without a noticeable hitch. Nicely done.