Obama Administration

Mariel Myers
WASHINGTON Editor's Note: Mariel Myers is a CBS 5 TV news producer who won 2 tickets to the inauguration through House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office.  Myers was among the estimated 1.8 million people who braved the frigid weather, the crowds, the lines and crushing fatigue to be a part of the Obama Inauguration.

3 a.m. to 3 a.m.: That's what a ticket to the inauguration and an official ball gets you.

I got a pair of tickets to the inauguration from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. I don't know how or why I was picked, but I wasn't going to miss this historic opportunity.

My inauguration day started at 3 a.m., when the alarm rang. I wanted to get to the metro station as close to 4 a.m. as possible, that's when the trains were suppose to start running. I had five layers of clothing on top, two layers on the bottom, two pairs of socks, a ski coat, ski gloves, a wool scarf and a wool hat. And I was still cold all morning.

There were about three dozen of us at the Cleveland Park metro station, when the train pulled up at 4:15 a.m. The train was packed... so packed that people crammed inside gave you an evil look when you move anywhere near an open door. Why the train stopped, I don't even know because no one was getting on or off. But some nice guy took pity on me and made room for me...since I'm a petite, 5'2''. It would be the only time that morning that my size would work to my advantage.

Getting off the metro was a little treacherous. The platform was jammed, people were pushing and everyone was trying to get up one escalator. The warnings about "crush-level" crowds was not an exaggeration.

When people got out of the metro station, they just started running. There was a specially designated gate for ticket holders, depending on the color of your ticket. I had a silver one. The other people were headed to the open area of the mall.

The line for the silver ticket gate already stretched two blocks, and it was only 5:15 a.m. I got in line. There was a constant stream of people running and walking toward the mall. It was bitterly cold. If you took your gloves off just to send a text, your hand went numb. I got to dread it when I got a call or text on my cellphone because I would have to take my glove off.

They (whatever law enforcement was in charge of the gate) finally let us in around 6:30. People were running toward the security gates that were just built that morning. Have your jacket open, your bag open and walk through the metal detector. Then more running, to the open field blocked off for silver ticket-holders.

So here's the deal with the tickets. There were three color sections: purple, blue and silver. The purple and blue standing sections were right behind the seated sections. In other words these were VIP's. Then there was the silver section. We were stuck behind the reflecting pool, in the very first section of the mall, near the Native American History museum.Yes, I was lucky enough to get tickets, so I'm not complaining. But the view from pretty far, and there was only one jumbotron that you could see. And being 5-foot-2, I could only see it and the Capitol some of the time if certain people leaned the right way. It was like being at a general admission concert.

I got a text at 7:15 a.m. from my friend, who had also flown out from California. She couldn't get in, even with the ticket I gave her. The police/secret service had shut everything down. People couldn't get out of metro stations; they couldn't get across streets; they were crying with tickets in their hands.

Then thing got a little crazy in the silver section. Some people broke down the barrier that was holding us back. People waited for about 20 minutes, thinking the police were going to haul off these rebels. But nothing happened. So all of a sudden, everyone in the section just started running forward. The police didn't stop us. The crowd filled in the area in front and around and right behind the reflecting pool. I was probably half-a-mile closer than I should have been. It was amazing. There was still police barrier and a road to separate us from the other sections, but for the most part, the silver people were happy we got this far, so we stayed put, and the police let us stay.

I couldn't really see any of the jumbotrons. There were some leafless trees blocking the way. Whenever, we'd hear a cheer, anyone who could see a jumbrotron would narrate what was happening. Some people were waiting for President Bush's arrival, planning to boo him. The crowd was in a pretty good mood, passing the time with the wave, the electric slide, chanting "Obama" and "Yes We Can." I got pretty sick of that phrase by the end of my visit. No one was really paying attention to the program. People were just chatting, talking to friends on their cellphones and meeting strangers.

When anyone named Bush or Cheney was announced, there was booing. Not our finest moment in the silver section. Then there was the chorus of "Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye" when President Bush walked out. People also sang that when Marine One took office with the Bushes.

It seemed like forever until Barack Obama came out. The cheer was thunderous. A hush fell over the crowd when the oath started. I couldn't see it, but the sound quality was good all morning. Then it was done. The crowd went crazy.

The best thing about being there for President Obama's speech, was the way his voice echoed down the mall. There was a bit of a delay as his words went out over the speakers from the jumbotrons lined up along the mall. The echo effect made his words seem so much more grand and meaningful and momentus.... his words traveling down this historic corridor to the Lincoln Memorial.

As soon was his speech was over, there was a mad rush to get out. There wasn't really a designated exit, so we had to climb over police barriers.

There was a sea of people headed to the metro. The police were telling people they couldn't go in the other direction, against the crowd.

I waited for two hours, hoping the metro would clear up. I waited outside. Not a good idea. It was getting colder and windy. I was sleep-deprived, hungry, thirsty and really cold. I finally sucked it up around 3:40, right after the parade started, and headed to a government building for shelter. I defrosted. People were sleeping in the hallway and warming their gloves on the radiator in the bathroom.

I went to three metro stations around the Capitol. There was either an epic line or it was closed for security. I walked probably a mile to a metro station not near the Capitol. At 5:15 p.m., I was finally back to my friend's apartment. But now I had to get ready for the ball.

My friend (from California who missed the inauguration) had gotten us tickets to the Western States Ball. It was one of the official balls, where President Obama would show up.

We hit the metro in our ball gowns, wearing boots and carrying our high heels. On the train, we swapped stories with people about the inauguration. I was retelling my story about the silver section's movements, when a rather annoyed and snobby couple informed me that "because of you silver people, the purple people couldn't get in." Ah, so even in the Obama administration, it's about hierarchy and color.

Aside from the freezing cold walk to the Convention Center from the metro stop, gettiing into the ball was a breeze... show your ticket, open your coat, go through the metal detectors, open your purse, turn on any electronics. Then it was coat check and down to the ball.

So what does $150 ball ticket get you? A buffet of appetizers.. a veggie tray, two kinds of pasta and a meat thing that was impossible to eat without sitting at table... and there was no place to sit. Hurray, more standing. Then there was a line to buy drink tickets, a line to get drink and a line to take pictures in front of an official looking seal. The lines were everywhere and they seemed endless.

Marc Anthony was the headliner. People went crazy when he brought up his wife to sing a duet. The cameras all came out to take pictures of J-Lo. A DJ played music while we waited for the Bidens and Obamas.

The crowd around the stage started to grow. People were trying to manuever their way closer to the stage even though there was no room. Most of the evening was spent waiting in this crowd, to save your spot when the Obamas arrived.

The Bidens showed up first, some time after 10 p.m. The vice president made a short speech, then there was a short dance and a wave goodbye. It probably took all of 4 minutes.

The anticipation grew. The crowd got thicker. People were starting to pass out. People were tired, they were drinking and it was stifling in the crowd. There was a camera man shooting video of the event for the White House. His duties began to include calling for medical help for the people who were passing out.

The Obamas arrived around 11:30 p.m. Hail to the Chief, the cheers and all those cameras went up. The next time, I'm bringing a friend who's at least 6 feet with me. It was madness.

President Obama gave a short but rousing speech, he danced with the First Lady, then they were gone. Maybe 5 minutes.

Time to go. The place cleared out. Everyone headed up the one escalator, which was sort of dangerous with all the high heels and long dresses.

People were taking pictures in front of official looking signs. There was a line for that too, and you just asked the person behind you to snap the picture.

The only famous person I saw was Richard Branson. A friend said they saw Tyra Banks. The coat check was nightmare... packed and hot. It probably took us 30 minutes to get our stuff.

Then it was another cold walk to the metro. The line for metro tickets was long. Another long line. We managed to get in and out without tickets. By then, the metro workers had stopped caring. It was another packed train.

We made it home by 1:30 a.m. We ate some left over Chinese food. Then I had to pack because the Super Shuttle was coming around 6:40 a.m. By the time my head hit the pillow, it was 3 a.m.

To see more from the trip, watch these videos:
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