A couple weeks ago, we commemorated the inauguration of President Barack Obama with a special issue devoted to ways you could be more like the 42nd President. In that issue, Eat Out editor Heather Shouse speculated as to who would be the White House chef. She said:
“…current White House chef Cris Comerford..is both the first minority and the first female White House chef, two achievements that make it somewhat unlikely Michelle Obama will kick Comerford off her throne…”
As we went to press, her prediction came true. But even more impressive was that her bet-hedging second prediction also bore itself out:
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11:04am: People are literally screaming during the oath given by Justice Roberts. It’s like we’re at a Van Halen concert. And yes, he’s using his middle name. “Congratulations, Mr. President.” I’m pouring myself a drink.
11:06am: Obama’s speech begins, saying that it is not up to those in high office, but all of us to fix things. “So it has been, so it must be with this generation of Americans.”
11:10am: “The time has come to renew our enduring spirit….The God-given promise that all are free.” Cites the sacrifices of those who were at Concord, Gettysburg, Normandy, Khe Sanh. “Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed…our capacity remains undiminished…Starting today, we must pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off.” So far: we must all be of service, and a mix of some of his greatest hits.
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9:08am: Whoops, got a late start. A West Wing rerun was on so I got confused and thought President-elect Obama’s term had already started or something. Muhammad Ali is being seated on the dais. While this event can legitimately be called a down payment on King’s legacy, it’s nice to see evidence today of how America’s been saving its pennies this whole time.
9:10am: Matt Lauer is lamenting that Obama is the first president that is younger than he is.
9:13am: WGN is having a hard time getting its act together. They’ve got people all over.
9:15am: “There is no way to estimate the crowd size,” says Brian Williams on NBC. He later calls the inaugural ceremonies “one of the greatest things about America” and then says the same thing about Tom Brokaw and Lester Holt. So there’s your yardstick.
9:21am: Do we really need to go with the 21-gun salute? Circumstances being what they are, I’m just wondering if that’s the smartest thing.
9:23am: Flipped over to Selma, Lord, Selma, a film about the 1960s civil rights movement, on BET. Just in time to see a depiction of people being chased through the streets and beaten by National Guardsmen on Bloody Sunday. It’s almost boilerplate to note the importance of what’s happening here today, but it’s impossible to overstate it.
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January 20, 2009, will be a day for the history books. So ask yourself, “Where do you want to be when Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States?” We already gave you several party ideas in this week’s feature, but I’ve vetted a few other Inauguration Day events to make yours one to remember. Here’s what I found:
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Your best bet downtown for a place to watch the swearing-in for a few hours is Poag Mahone’s. Wash down the 44-cent “West Wings” with a couple $4.40 cocktails. They start things off at 10:30am. The Berghoff will also be open at 11am, and The Emerald Loop is usually open at 7am even on a regular day if you’re looking for something on the northern end of the Loop.
If you’re stuck at your desk, Lifehacker has a great roundup of how to follow the festivities online from streaming video to Twitter (use the site’s search page and look for #inaug09 or #dc). Hat tip to Whet Moser at the Reader for the link. Most television coverage starts at 9am.
We’ll be covering the ceremonies live on the TOC blog starting at 9am. Plus, check out our Twitter stream for occasional updates from D.C. by our Books editor Jonathan Messinger.
As the President-elect spends the day before his inauguration at a local youth shelter, and with our “be a better person” resolutions not quite forgotten about, you might be looking for some volunteer opportunities around the city on this, the National Day of Service.
But hey, you’re working, and you’ve got that thing later tonight. So volunteering today isn’t going to happen. So consider donating some time in the future. Here are some organizations that offer literally hundreds of opportunities to help people of all ages, backgrounds and needs:
Chicago Cares
VolunteerMatch
Chicago Volunteer
Idealist
Chicago Public Schools
If none of these quite fit the bill for you, here’s a list of other organizations from Northwestern Law, or consider browsing through the archives of our “Any volunteers?” articles.
Our Books editor Jonathan Messinger is in Washington D.C. this week for the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. You can get read all his updates by following the TOC Twitter stream. Look for the tags #dc and #inaug09.
