I went in to work at 3:00a.m. so I could leave early. At 7:00 I bought a bag of donuts and a bottle of water and headed to Ed Smith Stadium. The event wasn't scheduled to begin until 11:00 but there were already several thousand people waiting in line (some said they had been there since 3:00). The temperature was in the low 60's, the sky was clear, and the sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon. Magic was in the air, charged with the electricity of optimism and eager anticipation. All the makings of an awesome day.
A little after 9:00 our end of the line began moving, and by 10:00 I was in my seat, in a vantage point I chose specifically for optimum video coverage. My video camera in hand, I knew this would be an historic event, and that I would want to have some memento of having attended.
By now the mid-morning sun was warming the crowd, although my seat was still shaded by the overhang above. The stadium is directly under a flight path, so no one paid attention to the jets that flew overhead until a 747 with the Obama logo emblazoned across the tail brought the crowd to a roar.
At 11:00 the usual opening procedures began: local politicians and city leaders lending their support and name-dropping to benefit their own future careers.
When Obama was introduced at 11:25 he didn't walk from behind a curtain onto the stage. He ran to it from across the field, flanked by several S.S. men. Hearing his speech itself was no unique experience. It was the same one he had been delivering for weeks, with a few changes made to accommodate the location. But I didn't go to hear the words. I already knew what would be said. I went there to see him in person, to be part of history, or at least to see it in the making.
A little after 9:00 our end of the line began moving, and by 10:00 I was in my seat, in a vantage point I chose specifically for optimum video coverage. My video camera in hand, I knew this would be an historic event, and that I would want to have some memento of having attended.
By now the mid-morning sun was warming the crowd, although my seat was still shaded by the overhang above. The stadium is directly under a flight path, so no one paid attention to the jets that flew overhead until a 747 with the Obama logo emblazoned across the tail brought the crowd to a roar.
At 11:00 the usual opening procedures began: local politicians and city leaders lending their support and name-dropping to benefit their own future careers.
When Obama was introduced at 11:25 he didn't walk from behind a curtain onto the stage. He ran to it from across the field, flanked by several S.S. men. Hearing his speech itself was no unique experience. It was the same one he had been delivering for weeks, with a few changes made to accommodate the location. But I didn't go to hear the words. I already knew what would be said. I went there to see him in person, to be part of history, or at least to see it in the making.
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