My day in history

The morning of January 20, 2009

Ing and I have been waiting for this day for too long. Not only are we, among millions of others, celebrating because George W. Bush is leaving Washington, DC; PRESIDENT OBAMA will be taking office as of 12 noon today. This is an historical and exciting day in many ways.


3:10AM – Only three hours sleep, but that’s all I’ll be getting today. I have to be down to the Virginia Square Orange Line Metrorail station at 3:50am to catch my train to work. Something tells me that I will not be enjoying my time working at West Falls Church. Is it really 3:10am?!

3:49AM – There already is a line to enter the just opening station. I know I’ll have no problem as I’m heading in the opposite the direction of DC and all the Inaugural events. Wow… so many people already.

4:02AM – I learn that the first non-peak direction train won’t come for 20 minutes. I guess I’ll be later to West Falls than I thought. That’s OK, I told them I would be on the first train.

4:22AM – In rolls the first Vienna-bound Orange Line train to Virginia Square station. Wait… why is the train full? Oh, I see; it’s the ‘bars are closing at 4:00am in DC crowd’ heading home after a long night partying in the District. That explains what I’ll call the bar smell…….

4:3xAM – I arrive at West Falls Church Metrorail station. It’s packed! I was expecting a bit less this early. Folks are arriving quickly. The first Fairfax Connector and Loudon County commuter buses are rolling in to the Dulles Toll Road bus loop packed with passengers. This is going to be a busier morning than I thought.

5:15AM – I can’t believe what I’m seeing. I think we’ve processed over 1,000 people in about 40 minutes. I learn we are one of the busiest non end-of-line suburban stations. Tales of mass congestion at Vienna are told.

5:40AM – A message via Blackberry that parking lots (with over 8,000 spaces) are full at Largo, New Carrollton, Greenbelt, and Branch Ave. That’s a lot of people. Hour+ waits to board Orange Line trains to DC from West Falls Church, where I’m stationed. One of the port-a-johns begins to overflow.

5:59AM – I can’t take the cold. I need a quick warm-up break. Kudos to the operations staff that stationed one of the vans as an employee warming center stocked with a mechanic at the ready.

6:37AM – The flow of passengers just isn’t stopping. The wait is now longer than an hour to board a train to DC. Parking at Vienna is full, which should help folks load at West Falls much faster.

7:xx AM – One of the supervisors departs West Falls Church for the Government Center area. Confusion over where a bus is to collect County emergency response staff.

7:19 AM – Another round of warming up in the warming van. IT’S COLD. Buses keep arriving full of passengers. Loudon buses are arriving a bit slower – their transit center is reaching full capacity with room for no more cars.

7:22 AM – I remind several passengers headed to work in the Dulles corridor that the County’s bus system is running a Saturday service. Reverse commute bus service is very limited.

7:24 AM – I direct several angry passengers to alternate buses to get folks as close to work as possible. Thankfully the 505 to Reston was running on an enhanced Saturday schedule. About 85 percent of those waiting board Reston-bound 505 buses; the remainder head home or use the 950.

7:38 AM – “What is that guy doing?” Ha-ha. There must be something wrong with him. Back to the warming bus.

7:40 AM – Another round of directing Dulles corridor passengers to alternative commuting services, mostly toward Reston.

8:02 AM – The final Loudon County bus heads back to the Dulles North Transit Center with Loudon County staff on-board. Now’s it’s just us at north side West Falls.

8:09 AM – More direction to Dulles corridor bound reverse commuters. Who’s working today, I ask myself.

9:48 AM – BREAKFAST. A day old ham sandwich and some G-2 Gatorade. I really don’t want to have to use those porta-johns… Make that only one more sip of Gatorade.

10:xx AM – Two more small sips of Gatorade. I’m hoping for the best with this situation.

10:57 AM – Another few minutes on the warming bus. My hand and feet warmers are beginning to wear down. I’m leaving at noon I think to myself.

11:00 AM – The buses arrive less frequently, most people are already bound for the District.

11:45 AM – I walk to the New Carrollton via DC bound Orange Line platform. STILL LINES! An eight car train arrives practically full. Where is everyone coming from? Trains are arriving every two minutes. From where are all these people coming?

11:5x AM – I arrive to my apt. Feet cold, hands hurting… I lay down on my couch and turn on ABC. Out walks Aretha Franklin… the Queen of Soul from the Motor City. What a good start to the festivities on TV for me.

12:xx PM – I watch Obama recite the oath of office. One would think Chief Justice Roberts would have practiced for this event!

NAP TIME

2:08 PM – What’s that noise? It’s my cell phone. Calls from friends to head to DC to do some partying. Off I go… this time with an extra set of hand and toe warmers.