Inauguration

Hello, DC

Inauguration festivities kicked off with a bang this morning when my Wilshire & Washington co-host, Ted Johnson, and I embarked on our road trip from New York. With a little help from my girl Jacqueline, we located the Lincoln tunnel after a standoff with an unruly Tom Tom, and the rest was smooth sailing. Except, of course, when we encountered a very strange and overwhelming service area in Deleware that featured a Sbarro, Roy Rogers and Bob’s Big Boy as dining options. (We called it quits and opted for a package of mixed nuts.) I was also taken aback to discover a number of SUV drivers still sporting McCain-Palin stickers in Ole Joey’s home state.

Surprisingly there was essentially no traffic at all on the journey, and driving in the district was relatively painless. (I cannot say that about hailing a cab in Adams Morgan tonight, amid the sea of pre-game revelers.) 

That’s not to say the trip has not been without hiccups. In fact, the worst possible one was narrowly averted late this afternoon when I realized - with one hour of FedEx-able time remaining - that I’d left my inauguration and neighborhood ball tix at home in New York. Jacqueline rushed to the rescue again and shipped them immediately! This is what happens when you don’t sleep for a week because you’re still operating on Pacific Standard Time. [continues ...]

Tomorrow will be fairly low-key for me. I’m going to skip the concert at the Lincoln Memorial in favor of the Manifest Hope gallery, and then hook up with my pals from Declare Yourself for their Maroon 5/John Legend show at night. Monday I’ll be volunteering for a veterans group in Logan Circle and attending the HuffPost ball at Newseum. Then Tuesday, my girl Calysta and I will be the two crazy chicks out on the mall at 5am ready to make it happen at the swearing in ceremony. That will be followed by the neighborhood ball and the Google party. On Wednesday morning I’ll squeeze in a visit to the Medill School of Journalism DC newsroom to pay homage to my alma mater before I hop the only-available New Century Chinatown bus back to New York for the Huffington Post’s Y29 event. If you’re in town and attending any of these events, be sure to let me know or say hello; I hope I can see as many friends and colleagues as possible. 

It’s so exciting to be in DC right now. There’s a buzz about the place that makes it feel like Monday is the real New Year’s Eve, and 2009 is about to go off the hook. 

I also want to strongly encourage people to participate in the Obamas’ call to service on Monday. We are so blessed to be here having this experience, and amid our pretty ball gowns and fancy parties we have the chance to make it about what’s real in the new administration: civic responsibility. For Barack Obama to succeed, it’s going to take the same dedicated work in the field that it took to get him elected. I want to renew my commitment to inspired, hard work and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate MLK day. 

*NOTE: If you want breaking updates from the trip, I strongly encourage you to follow my Twitter updates.

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Discussion

One comment for “Hello, DC”

  1. Have fun, Maegan! You worked hard for this, I hope it’s everything you ever dreamed it would be! Love you…..

    Posted by Maureen Child | January 18, 2009, 6:09 pm

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