On the Mall

Mackenzie Carpenter

I'm standing by a Jumbotron near the Washington Monument and about 6,000 porta-potties. People are sitting on the lawn  watching the televised motorcade as it makes its way to the other end of the National Mall. A group of high schoolers from Yonkers, N.Y., tells me they boarded a bus at 3:30 a.m. and arrived here just an hour ago.  They wouldn't have missed this for the world, they said.

Marvin Barnes, 30, of Los Angeles, was parked in front of the Jumbotron wearing an Obama beanie to keep him warm. "I'm feeling elated, I'm feeling excited. I'm just at a loss for words," said Mr. Barnes, an African-American. "I never thought I would see this in my lifetime."


Posted Jan 20 2009, 10:50 AM by Timothy McNulty
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