Obama in Baltimore
Obama was scheduled to stop in Baltimore on his whistle stop tour to D.C. This was something that I just could not miss and so I decided to ride my bike downtown to be a part of it.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
It took me a while to get dressed as it was going to be in the twenties and I would be out for hours. I packed extra layers in my panniers, along with food, lights for the bike, hand warmers etc.
I followed the line as it snaked around at least eight city blocks, at least a mile. I got on the back of the line not really expecting to make it into the rally, but what else could I do? What a great crowd, so much excitement. I kept trying to recollect anything like this before, what president has generated this much enthusiasm? Not sure if ever, but possibly FDR when America was in a very bad spot, and of course JFK, but this is undoubtedly an unprecedented historic event.
I got downtown pretty quick despite road closings. Plotted the route on my GPS just for fun.
I was probably in line for a couple hours, didn’t really care to think about it, I was just living in the moment. The hawkers were out in force selling buttons, lanyards, t-shirts, all to be expected and they were quite amusing. Wish I had snapped a few of them.
About a hundred yards before security one of the volunteers told me that they wouldn’t let me through with a backpack and for a moment I thought of getting out of line but decided I would plead instead. No pleading necessary as I was whisked through.
I was about 75 yards to the stage, close enough as I hadn’t really expected to be in there and would have been happy with a Jumbo Tron view.
It was a long time standing but the music was good, the vibe was incredible, and I was just taking it in, carefully listening to the chatter around me. The incognito Secret Service guy standing directly to my back made me a bit nervous. He was dressed pretty ragged but kept talking into his glove. There was quite a bit of rooftop activity.
There were a few speeches by others including Governor O’Malley who received a few boos and was forced offstage by an increasingly urgent chant for O-BAMA-O-BAMA-O-BAMA!!
The speeches were preceded by some very stirring music from the Morgan State Choir as well as very moving and pertinent benediction.
I kept thinking about how Abraham Lincoln had to be disguised going through Baltimore (mob town) and how Obama stopping here was symbolic for how far a country has come in many ways, though we still have our fare share of racists and tyrants. JW Booth is buried just up the street.
The speech by Obama was short which was okay as many were freezing. I lingered for a bit, taking it in then went to see if my bike was where I left it, locked up to a row of newspaper machines. Sure enough it was and I got my crap together as one of the hawkers took up his station just next to me.-BUTTONS!!! PINS!!!! Get your OBAMA pins!!!!
Heading up Calvert I must have been just behind the motorcade as the streets were cleared of cars, just pedestrians and me as the cops and secret service waved us through until I got to Mt. Royal Ave. I was very careful to watch my speed going by these heavily armed sentries, took a right up Charles, wove through some traffic and then was stopped at the Charles Street bridge. Seems Obama’s train hadn’t left Penn Station yet and no one was allowed over the tracks. So we waited and waved goodbye as his train headed to DC followed by a really big military helicopter, one of those double rotor Hueys or some such. It did a few circles and then pursued the train. I enjoyed the rest of my night ride home, the city was very quiet and peaceful.