January 28, 2009
We started the morning looking for an IHOP and luckily with our GPS it wasn't hard to find. I had dreams of the icing filled french toast our friend Ben had told us about but alas, it was not meant to be. Not only was the french toast stuffed with cream cheese but they were out of soda...ALL soda. After a disappointing breakfast we headed to the Clinton Presidential Library.
This is the largest Presidential Office in the country and I have to say very overwhelming. The ceilings seemed miles high as you gaze at the official Presidential Seal stamped on everything. We began our tour in the cabinet room which is the exact replica of the room all of our countries major decisions are made. Dave was the President of the United States while I held the honorable position as his Chief of Staff. It's never too late to get into the politics after all it does run in the family. By the time we had fixed all the world's problems the short movie on Bill Clinton's career (not the juicy stuff) was being seated and we headed in to fill our heads with Democrat propaganda. 
After we headed onto the third floor where you can get the idea of what a day in the life around the White House would be like. We enjoyed looking at all of the gifts that were given from leaders around the world as well as how elaborate the state dinners were. We finished our tour with a stop in the Oval Office as it looked when Clinton was in office. We were disappointed to find we couldn't take our pictures at the President's desk but we did get a better idea of what it would be like to run the country.
With a quick glance at the American Chopper exhibit we headed to the Presidential gift shop and then were driven directly to our van by the Presidential shuttle. Bill Clinton knows how to treat his guests. To finish our Clinton filled day we sampled Bill's favorite BBQ in Arkansas, a tiny restaurant called McClard's in Hot Springs, AK. Dave got his third and final ribs of the trip and I tried the BBQ Chicken. Both were good but we agreed we have had better BBQ on the trip.
Arkansas is behind us, Oklahoma tonight.
Emily
We had the chance to tour the Gibson Guitar Factory in Memphis, TN before we headed into Arkansas. I found it very interesting even though I know absolutely nothing about guitars or most of the terms that go along with them. But we still enjoyed seeing behind the scenes of how world-class guitars are made.
Welcome to Gibson Pure.
Safety First!
Setting the frame.
Ready for the next step.
Strung up.
This one needs the base.
Waiting patiently to be checked...again.
The final touches before painting.
That Gibson gloss.
Sanding to give it a smooth finish. They will repaint it if it loses luster.
Some finished. Some not.
This guy has the best job ever! He gets to test the guitars before the are tagged and sent out.
Liz-I know someday one of these guitars will have your name on it.
Interesting Fact: If at any time the Luthiers find any imperfections, even the smallest mark in the finish, on the guitar they will place it on a separate rack. When that rack is full they all have a smashing ceremony which is very sad but they can only have Grade A guitars out there.
After our exciting tour of the factory we headed over to Charles Vego's Rendezvous to test their world famous ribs. You may remember the restaurant from a little movie called The Firm. These ribs did not disappoint and were better without the sauce than with. So of course we ate them the way they were intended to be; bare with just the flavor of dry rub. Yum! 
With a quick stop to see the Mighty Mississippi we were on our way to Arkansas. Home of the one and only BILL CLINTON!
Emily
January 26, 2009
We finished our daily chores at the hostel and we were off to Sun Studios, the birthplace of rock and roll. We got a very informative tour of the studio where Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis all got their start. Emily and I even got to stand in the same place as Elvis and hold one of the microphones he used! It was a great tour, one I would highly recommend. Sun Studios provided a shuttle to Graceland so after a quick stop in the gift shop we were off to the home of the King!
We toured Graceland; they provide an audio tour so you can walk through the rooms at your leisure. I particularly enjoyed the lime green shag carpet on the floor and ceiling of the jungle room. There was also a room with the same upholstery on the floor, ceiling and walls! Elvis’s life motto was the most interesting fun fact I have learned on the trip thus far. His slogan was TCB with a lightning bolt, which stands for “Taking Care of Business in a flash”. We also toured his collection of automobiles, two airplanes and the King’s jumpsuit collection. Graceland is frozen in time, not much has changed since the 1970’s. We both really enjoyed taking in the phenomenon that is Elvis Aron Presley. 
We also made a quick stop at the Rockabilly Grill for one of Elvis’s favorite snacks, fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, before we headed back into the city on the shuttle. We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and catching up on a few of our administrative duties.
For dinner we headed to Gus’s World Famous fried chicken, a fantastic recommendation made by Emily’s Dad. It was a small dive down near the Mississippi River, with only about 10-15 tables and it did not disappoint. This is the best-fried chicken I have ever had in my life. You could even order a 40 (so of course I had too!). The chicken was crispy and spicy but not too greasy and served on a Styrofoam plate with baked beans and slaw (we substituted slaw for potatoes salad and fries). I wasn’t sure if I should order a 2 piece or a 3 piece so I asked our waitress. She then asked me if I was hungry to which I replied very. To which she answered “We better get you a 3 piece white.” I loved it!
After our amazing fried chicken we stopped in The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, a suggestion from our waitress the night before at Rum Boogie. It was pint night and they have over 100 beers on tap for only $2.75. We thought she had said the blues band from the night before would be there but there was no band at all. We were a bit disappointed but still enjoyed seeing some of the nightlife and sampling some amazing beers. Memphis has been a great stop so far!
This concludes our broadcast day.
Dave
January 24-25, 2009
We enjoyed the wilderness of Alabama but enjoyed the city much more! We got up in time for our complimentary continental breakfast and wouldn’t you know it Titanic was playing on the television. So we settled into the comfy couches with our fruit loops and breakfast pastries until time forced us back into reality and we headed back to our room to clean up and head into Birmingham.
Our first stop was the gas station and while Dave was pumping gas I started to play around with the GPS and found something called “The Statue of Liberty.” My interest was peaked and Dave and I set off in search of this so-called Lady of Liberty. It turns out that there is a replica of the Statue of Liberty in a business plaza that uses it as their symbol. We also found a monument thanking the outstanding Eagle Scouts of America (we checked for Dave’s dad’s name but sorry Mr. Edsall it’s not there). We decided to grab something to eat because we were waiting around for the Civil Rights Institute to open at 1pm. 
Now comes Dave’s favorite part…Sonic! For those of you who don’t know it’s a burger place where you order and they serve you outside in your car. We got two cheeseburgers and Dave tried one of their slurpees (Grape). Needless to say Dave already wants to go back. It was a very entertaining side trip.
Then we headed to the Institute. They offer pay what you wish on Sunday’s which made our wallets very happy. There were many moving exhibits. It was such a wonderful opportunity to be able to see how far we have come in less than 50 years and also very informative of how far we have left to go. It was moving to see the African American’s struggle for freedom and equality through sculpture, video from the era and audio/visual presentations. I don’t think we could have had a better experience in Birmingham. 
We only had a couple of hours in the Museum as we had to get to Memphis before checking in hours at the Pilgrim House Hostel were closed at 8pm. Before we left Dave had called the hostel and asked if we needed to make a reservation or if they had enough dorm beds for the night. He ensured us that we would be fine just showing up. So we arrived around 7pm to find a small sign for it outside of a huge community center. The doors were locked and so we tried calling and when that didn’t work we tried banging on the door. We did this for about 15 minutes until finally our harassment paid off. Dave found a nice woman to help him inside and walk him up the stairs and I finally got the guy to answer the phone. He grumbled about us not making a reservation and we ignored him. Finally we were checked in and alerted to the hostel rules, which included a chore to do everyday. You would be so proud of me mom! Finally we were shown to our room. I don’t know why people travel any other time of the year than the winter. No one is traveling so you get the hostels to yourself. I’ve experienced both and I much prefer the desolation of January.
After checking in we went in search of food. We asked our sour resident assistant if he had any recommendations but he didn’t really offer anything that sounded very good. So we headed to, The Neely’s, a restaurant I had heard about on the FOOD Network. We drove there only to find that it was closed. I forgot we were in Tennessee on a Sunday so everything was either closed or never opened at all. So we headed to the one street in Memphis we knew would be open for business, Beale Street.
We walked around and took some pictures of this vibrant street. It has the feel of New Orleans and Las Vegas combined. We picked out one place but went in and didn’t like the vibe so we went back to the place we had originally began at, The Rum Boogie Café. I got some BBQ wings and Dave got the Gator Gumbo (Patty made him try Gator tail in St. Augustine and now he’ll try anything). But the sweetest part was a live blues band, called The Plantation All Stars, began to play a set shortly after we arrived. They were amazing. I will never forget hearing live blues on Beale Street in the city where Rock and Roll was born.
We headed back to the hostel to get our rest before another fun filled day in Memphis.
Emily
January 22-24, 2009
We experienced a bout of déjà vu as we headed from Ashville to Atlanta, a route that we had taken two weeks earlier. Our GPS led us to a Chick-Fil-A that was closed but luckily we were in the same parking lot as the Mall of Georgia. So we checked the food court and wouldn’t you know it they had both a Chick Fil-A and an Orange Julius (I passed on the Chick-Fil-A). For those of you counting this would be Emily’s fifth serving of Chick Fil-A. 
We battled through the Atlanta traffic and arrived at Emily’s Aunt & Uncle’s house in Marietta, a suburb of Atlanta around 8pm. Friday morning we went to the Atlanta Aquarium, which opened in 2006 with the claim to fame being the world’s largest. They have whale sharks, Beluga whales and the world’s largest viewing wall; its 60’ long by 30’ high. They were also holding a limited exhibition of artifacts recovered from Titanic; it was really interesting to see things that they had discovered. I learned a lot about the Titanic that I never knew and it made Emily want to watch the movie. The aquarium was amazing; I really enjoyed it and was glad we went. We only encountered four school groups so it wasn’t too busy. After spending most of the day there we left the aquarium and headed back to Marietta in time for dinner.
We woke up early Saturday so that we could head to the Atlanta Cyclorama. The Cyclorama depicts the Battle of Atlanta and is the world’s largest oil painting; it’s 400’ long and 60’ high. As they tell the story the auditorium seats rotate and allow you to view the whole painting. It’s a pretty impressive piece of art. There is also diorama in front that makes the painting appear 3D. After leaving the Cyclorama we headed to one of the few remaining Don Pablo’s (a Mexican restaurant that is Emily’s favorite but they closed many locations in the Northeast). It was as delicious as we remembered!
And then we were off for the third and final time! We never thought we would be happy to see “Welcome to Alabama” signs. After 17 days we have finally headed west. Next stop Mentone, Alabama.
We originally thought that we would spend the night in Mentone but once we got there, we realized there wasn’t enough to do for an entire day. We stopped at Desoto State Park to view the Desoto Falls and take a quick hike through some of the trails to look at several smaller waterfalls. We left the state park and drove along the scenic Little River Canyon, it took us awhile to locate it as Doris got lost a few times but we made it and we enjoyed seeing the “Grand Canyon of the East.” 
By the time we left the park it was dark and we headed on to Birmingham. Our destination was Dreamland BBQ. Dreamland did not disappoint, we enjoyed the best ribs I have ever had. The ribs were crispy with a delicious tangy sauce. The sauce was so good I just had to buy a jar!
We found a cheap Best Western outside the city and decided to stay there for the night. My Cousin Vinny was on cable and we both enjoyed watching a movie set in Alabama while we were in Alabama!
This concludes our broadcast day.
Dave
As you can see we are a bit behind on our blog because the Inauguration post, as well as the event, took a lot out of us. So I will try to quickly and efficiently catch you up on the events in our lives following President Obama's first days in office.
Monticello
Charlottesville, Virginia
We checked out of our hotel in Richmond and headed to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. It was located in the opposite direction we needed to go but we thought it would be an interesting side trip nonetheless. We arrived around 1pm and made our way to the visitor's center in order to catch the shuttle bus for the tour. We were quickly led in to view his compact and innovative home. Jefferson did not believe in wasting time or space and this was very evident in the way he lived. Our tour guide was obviously a retired school teacher and was very knowledgeable and entertaining to listen to. He built the beds into walls to maximize space, he only had rooms built that both him and his family would use. Everything was covered with art, self-portraits, wall hangings, statues, maps and books. He was a very well read man and has been quoted as saying "I can not live without books." He is clearly a man after my own heart. He was also a self taught architect and he learned everything by trial and error. His vision was for a self-sustaining farm that would supply enough for his family and his workers. The tour lasted around 40 minutes and then we were free to roam around the grounds as well as underneath the house. This is where the kitchen was located, where the beer was brewed and where the vegetables are still grown today (they give them to the employees). We walked back down the hill to stop at his grave site and then we were on our way to Asheville, North Carolina.
Bon Paul & Sharky's Hostel
Asheville, North Carolina
This has been the most eccentric hostel I have stayed in yet. It is named after the owner's (who currently resides in Mexico) two goldfish. It is run by very laid back hipsters and felt a lot like a college party house. We only had $30 on us (the cost was $46 for both bunks) so we paid what we could with the promise of going to an ATM the next morning. The shower was a claw footed bath tub held up with electrical tape and the bunks were very old and I'm pretty sure the sheets weren't that clean. But we were happy to have a cheap place to stay and caught up on our journal writing and postcards before heading to bed.
We got up pretty early the next morning which happens when you sleep on creaky bunks with a house full of strangers. We had to battle the construction workers to move their vans so we could pull out of the tiny parking lot. After Dave parked the van on the street we went in search of an ATM and then found an organic coffee shop across the street to grab breakfast. Dave ordered a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich and I ordered the Strata. I had visions of Dave's mother's cheesy, greasy goodness but was disappointed when I was presented with a quiche like triangle filled with peppers, onions and many other things I don't eat. Dave gave me half of his breakfast sandwich for which I thanked him profusely. We paid the rest of our bill to Bon Paul & Sharky and were off to see the world's largest home.
The Biltmore
Asheville, North Carolina
This home is the glorious vision of George Vanderbilt come to life. We bought our tickets and then headed up the 3 mile drive in the middle of the forest and along a beautiful stream. We got to experience most of the rooms even though some are closed due to restorations. We walked through the atrium, dining room, breakfast room, smoking room, billiard room, master bedrooms and guest bedrooms among many others. This is also one of the first houses to have indoor plumbing with a total of 43 bathrooms! We also saw the servants quarters and got to go downstairs to the basement which was by far the most interesting part of our self-guided tour. This is where all of the recreational activities were held. He had built a state of the art gym, swimming pool, many changing rooms for his guests and even a bowling alley! I know at least two Edsalls who would love a bowling alley in the basement of their home. This is also where the kitchens, plural, were. He had a pastry kitchen, main kitchen and rotisserie kitchen. He had a refrigeration unit, a canning room and quite a few pantries. It took us quite a long time to walk through it all but we did enjoy our time imagining what it would be like to live in a home that magnificent.
We then stopped at the winery for a tasting of Biltmore wine and champagne. We found out how they make it, bottle it and store it. It also made us want to watch Sideways. Then finally we were on our way back to Georgia.
See you in Hotlanta!
Emily
Disappointment for us but not for our country.
January 20, 2009
We arose at 4am to leave our hotel in Richmond in order to make our 5:15 bus to Washington, DC. We didn’t end up leaving for the bus station until 4:30 and we’re in line for our tickets by 4:45, there were only two women working the counter and it took us 15 minutes just to pick up our will call tickets. Apparently Greyhound wasn’t too concerned about excessive crowds. We make it to front of the line and finally get our tickets; we double-check about parking in the lot only to find that it’s an employee only parking lot. So I quickly run out to the car and move it to the street while Emily grabs us a place in line. I sprint back to the terminal and make it there just as the line is beginning to move at 5:15. Emily reports about 10-15 people have gotten on the bus. We continue to wait in line as the line triples in size and begins to wrap around the terminal. Ninety percent of the crowd is headed to the inauguration and there is an air of excitement and eagerness. One guy doesn’t care when he gets there as long he’s there by noon (I think he knew something we didn’t). While we wait in Richmond we watch the television and begin to see the first people enter the National Mall in DC and that’s when the crowd begins to get restless. At 6am the line finally begins to move, we board the bus and are shockingly able to get a seat together. The bus loads up and pulls out of the terminal, and then about 200 yards from the terminal we stop. I assume we are in traffic but as I look out the window I see the bus driver walking on the sidewalk smoking a cigarette. It seems to be a little early in the trip for a smoke break to me! We sit on the side of the road behind another bus for about 10 minutes with no announcement from the driver. Finally he gets up and gives us his standard Greyhound announcement. I still see no reason for sitting by the side of the road. This is not exactly the day that I’d like the bus to take its sweet time. Finally at 6:40 we pull out onto the highway and find out that we have been waiting for another bus to join us. Emily and I look at each other and can’t believe we have put our trust in Greyhound on this day of all days. Finally, after some deep breaths the Obama bus is on its way!
When we were about 30 minutes out of DC the bus pulls over to the side of the road again. The driver explains to us that one of the buses made a wrong turn and we have to get off the highway and head back. Emily and I both think that he made the wrong turn as I see the bus behind us head up the exit ramp. Again this is not the day to get lost. How does a bus get lost going from Richmond to DC anyway? In a three bus convoy no less! Luckily there was very little traffic and we made it DC around 9am. Emily and I had recently been to DC last May for the Cherry Blossom Festival so we already knew our way from the bus station and moved quickly through the streets towards Union Station. I think people could tell that we knew where we were going as we got asked several times where Union Station was. The streets were lined with vendors selling anything they could with Obama’s face on it, T-shirts, posters, buttons, and flags. If they could put Barack Obama 44th President on it, then you could buy it on the streets of Washington. We stopped in a small deli to grab a bagel (sorry Dad we had to) in order to avoid the crowds in Union Station. We’d heard from Emily’s friend Stephanie that the crowds on the Metro were ridiculous so we wanted to spend as little time in Union Station as possible. We took a side entrance into Union Station to catch the Metro. To our surprise there were no crowds, the first thing to go our way yet. We grabbed two tickets and headed for the train and for some unknown reason there was only one turnstile open. I think maybe DC forgot there was going to be 2 million people in the city. I headed for the escalator only to find that they were both moving up, I see a guy in front of me run down the up escalator and I see the train on the platform. We need to catch that train so off I go and run down the escalator. I hear Emily behind me say, “I can’t do that!” I get to the bottom of the escalator and turn around to look for Emily, luckily there was an elevator right there so she joins me on the platform. We run for the train and that’s when we hear an announcement saying the train is delayed in the station because someone has been hit by a train. The only way to get under the capital is to take the Red line to the Blue line. Our tickets are for the blue gate and we need to take the blue line to the Federal stop. We wait on the train a few moments only to hear an announcement that the Red line is no longer in service. So we jump off and decide to walk from Union Station to the Capitol, as that seems to be our only choice because we don’t have time to wait for the shuttle buses. What a waste of two tickets, oh well we need to get moving. 
We exit Union Station and begin to see signs for the Silver, Purple and Yellow gate but no Blue. We head towards the signs hoping we’ll see an arrow for the blue gate. There are very few cops and we are unable to find anyone to ask about the Blue gate. We have to cross to the other side of the Capitol so we begin to navigate through the immense crowds to get around the Capitol; several routes that we try are blocked off and no one can seem to find a way through. We come across many other groups trying to navigate there to either the blue gate or the silver gate. It reminded me of the Poseidon Adventure, everyone has an idea of how to get there and you have to choose which group you are going to join. Unfortunately, Gene Hackman could not be found. One person we ran into said we had to the take the 395 bridge, great suggestion, but we have no idea where the bridge is. Last time I was at the Capitol I didn’t see an Interstate anywhere! We finally find a cop and ask about the Blue gate, he says go to D street and take a right and you’ll be able to walk around the back of the Capitol to Independence Avenue. This makes perfect sense once I think about it; of course you can’t make it in front of the Capitol because they must have closed it off. I’m kicking myself for not thinking of this before. So we take off into the growing crowds towards D Street. 
I think that that Cop must have told everyone to take D Street. I really wish we had taken any other street or even gone back the way we had come. I have never been more scared inside a crowd in my life than I was on D Street. It was one city block packed from wall to wall, with two groups of people moving each direction, by the time we were in the middle of the block we were completely locked in. At this point the crowd stops moving and we are stuck in the middle of the block. I fear that we will be here for hours because there is no sign of anyone in the crowd moving. The crowd is very unruly and angry that they are not moving. A man behinds us yells “Hot Soup” I have no idea why but he continues for about a half hour. The crowd begins to surge in bursts, arms and hands push us in the back, and I fear that someone will be trampled. There are no cops to be seen and no one controlling the crowd. We have no idea why we are stopped or even if we can get out. There is a fireman on some scaffolding talking into a radio but no help is sent to us. Finally we begin to get word from the front of the crowd that yes there is a way out but it is barricaded at the end of the block. There is no turning back, the crowd will determine where we end up, Emily and I get separated but are able to remain within eyesight. Finally there is hope for rescue. We see a gap in the barricade wide enough for one person to go through at a time. Next to the gap is a chain link fence being held up by a member of the crowd. Luckily there is a crowd member who is helping control the crowd and make sure that people move safely through the gap. I finally see a cop standing behind the fence taking in the crowd. He does and says nothing, there is a young girl who is separated from her parents, and the leader who is helping the crowd alerts the cop. HE DOES NOTHING! This is a sign of things to come. I make it out of the crowd into some open space, Emily quickly joins me. It’s 10:30 and now we are really running up the street so that we can get far enough away from the Capitol to where the streets are no longer blocked off. We get behind the Capitol and see our first sign for the Blue gate. Finally we are getting somewhere, all we want to do is get to the blue gate. 
We see the Blue gate in the distance, victory! We find the line for the blue gate and immerse ourselves into the side of it. It is now shortly after 11. I periodically call Mom for updates of what is happening as we are standing behind the Capitol and can’t see or hear anything that is happening. After about 15 minutest of waiting the line surges ahead, I think that they have opened the gates! We end up near the front of the line as the line shifts forward and slightly left. The crowd comes to a halt, we stand in line for another 10 minutes or so and I realize that the line hasn’t moved at all but that we’ve just reorganized and shifted position. We were standing over there and now we are standing over here. I make this comment to several in the crowd and we all agree, we aren’t going anywhere. We learn that some people have been waiting in this line since 8 or 9am one group was even there as early as 7. I make the mistake of saying we just got here. Two girls are upset, they’ve been there since 9 and they ask if they can get ahead of us. Emily and I just ignore them; no way anyone is getting in front of us. It’s not our fault they can’t get through the crowd. They cut in front of us anyway but it doesn’t matter because no one is moving (a few feet in front is not going to make a difference). One older gentleman in front of me pulls out a collapsible chair and sits down. At 11:30 I comment that there is no way that this crowd is ever going to make it in by noon for the swearing in ceremony. A few people around us begin to bail out. A few minutes later we here word from a woman standing on a barricade that there is no way out or in and that we are blocked in to the front and the side. We aren’t even standing in the line for the Blue gate; the line for the blue gate is over to the left. Again there are no cops or anyone in authority to alert us of what is going on and tell the crowd they are in the wrong place. I guess they can’t afford megaphones in DC. After we learn that this line is going nowhere there is a mass exodus and the crowd begins to disperse. We give up too and realize the tickets are worthless. We would have had a better shot going to the Mall if only someone had let us know about the Blue gate. 
Emily and I walk away from the gate to see if we might be able to hear anything, anywhere. We can hear the crowd cheer but we are unable to hear anything from the Ceremony. We eventually get within sight of the Capitol but still can’t really hear anything. A few minutes later we head back to the Blue gate, maybe more people have given up and we can sneak in at the last minute. We stand there for about 30 seconds and we hear from the crowd that they’ve just closed the blue gate permanently and no one else is getting in. The tickets are now worthless and we are not alone because thousands are turned away. We walk away still trying to hold onto our resolve. We ended up walking around the perimeter of all of the barricades and by sheer luck we found an opening and we are able to finally hear Obama’s address. We continue to move through the crowd and end up close enough that we can see the Jumbotron that is next to the stage. Finally we are in a place right in front of the Capitol about a half a mile away. This would have been a perfect spot to stand earlier, too bad we spent all that time stuck on D Street and waiting in line for the Blue gate. 
We are dejected and heartbroken that we weren’t able to use our tickets but we are able to hear the last half of Obama’s speech. After his address much of the crowd clears out, since we’ve just gotten there we wait until the ceremony is over. The last thing we want is to be stuck in another crowd so we wait for it to thin out. As Bush’s helicopter takes off the crowd lets out an enormous cheer and waves goodbye. The reign of terror is over! 
Emily and I head to towards the exit, all of the barricades have been knocked over and we move toward a sign that says Blue exit. Hey look at that the Blue gate again! We move around the back of the Capitol and try to decide what to do. The crowds aren’t too bad now and everyone is moving in one direction. Oddly enough there are cars on some of the streets (still no cops though). We decide to look for food while moving towards Union Station. We debate whether we want to stay and watch the parade. Emily is dejected and ready to give up but I still hold out hope. We decide to look for food and a bathroom, if you remember all we’ve eaten today is a bagel in DC and a honey bun in the Richmond bus station. Every restaurant has a line going down the block, so food is out of the question. I remember that the Native American Museum is supposed to have a great cafeteria and I had overheard someone say that the Smithsonians are open. We find a traffic cop and ask if he knows where it is. I can’t believe it but he does! We head towards the museum and we see it in the distance very far away, too far to walk. Maybe the Library of Congress has a bathroom; nope it’s closed for a private event. We continue down the street and find a porta-potty on the other side of the street. We stop to cross the street and a cop stops us. We tell him we just want to use the bathroom but he just shakes his head. Now there are cops, where were they when we needed them earlier? I see another porta-potty behind us, we walk to it and it’s locked. By now I am completely dejected and ready to give up. Let’s go to Union Station and I know the way so off we go. 
We reach Union Station and of course it’s blocked off so you have to walk around Union Station to get in. We decided it’s not worth it; we’ll just eat in Richmond. We finally find some bathrooms without a line and make it to the bus station around 2:30pm. There is a bus leaving at 2:35 and Emily gets in line. I check to make sure it’s the right line and of course it’s not so we switch. We are at the end of a long line for Richmond. They fill one bus and we make it on a second bus, our bus is only half full. (Pay attention. This is an important tidbit). It takes us an hour to get out of the city. Around 4:30 we find ourselves behind another bus in the middle of a bridge. The bus in front of us has broken down so the driver stops to help. A few minutes go by and our bus begins to fill with passengers from the other bus. Twenty minutes later our bus is now full and we leave the remaining passengers behind on the first bus to wait for another bus to pick them up. I look out the window only to find the Capitol and Washington monument. Two hours have gone by and we are still in Washington DC. We make it back to Richmond around 6:30 and head for some much needed food. We eat at TGI Friday’s near our hotel and see that the parade is just finishing up. I was so happy that we haven’t stayed for it. We eat and head back to the hotel. We watch some of the inauguration coverage on TV but it’s bittersweet to have been there and missed it. Of course it was an amazing experience but we we felt so dejected that we could not use our tickets and get to see the ceremony.
I jump online and do some research (see links below). I find out that the blue, silver and purple all had massive problems at their gates. There were 240,000 tickets and the gates were open for three hours. They would have had to screen 1,300 people a minute. The blue gate’s generators failed and they had to begin screening by hand. Because of our close proximity to the President everyone was a security risk and had to be checked.
I was so glad that I could be in DC for Obama’s inauguration but I hope that they can correct their mistakes so that things will run more smoothly during the next inauguration. Thousands of people left sad and upset and I felt bad that it soured an otherwise wonderful event. A few days have passed and I’m glad that I was there and proud of us that we did everything we could. The only way we might have had a possibility of getting in is if we could have stayed in DC and arrived at the gates before 6am. Timing and a little bit of luck meant that you would have had a better chance at getting in. Unfortunately, from start to finish nothing went our way. The city of DC just wasn’t prepared and they gave out way too many tickets. Someday I hope to see an inauguration up close and in person but at least I gave this one my best shot. And even though things didn’t go our way we are both happy that we were there to experience this very historic and life changing event.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/20/as-thousands-crowd-dcs-metro-system-woman-hit-by-a-train/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcb_washington/20090120/pl_mcb_washington/washington200901bluegateatinaugurationhtml
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/inauguration-watch/2009/01/many_express_outrage_over_tick.html?wprss=rss_blog
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/20/AR2009012003362.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/js-mcdougall/the-blue-line-or-my-inaug_b_160008.html
http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/washington/2009/01/blue-gate-at-inauguration.html
http://tinyurl.com/obama-inauguration-imagery-kml
This concludes our broadcast day.
Dave
Hello All-
It has come to our attention that everyone is having trouble posting comments. I think we have fixed the issue.
When you are reading a particular blog posting click on the "Comments" link. A new page will pop up and you can comment at will.
Thanks and happy commenting!
Emily & Dave
We have officially been on the road for two full weeks.
Stay tuned for Dave's Inauguration Blog. He is currently gathering his notes...and strength.
Emily
We loved Charleston. We loved everything from the architecture to our strolls along the waterfront. It is a beautiful town full of history and beauty. Here are some of the highlights from our few short hours in this sweet southern city.
We walked along the waterfront to get a peek at Fort Sumter. We also saw some pretty fountains and walked along the pier to get a closer look at the water. We were both surprised and excited to see a real, live Dolphin swimming just a short distance from us.
We walked along East Bay Street to a huge outdoor flea market that houses basket weavers, artisans and jewelers. We enjoyed strolling through and even getting a few small souvenirs.
We also enjoyed walking along the side streets to get a better idea of what it would be like to live in a city so full of history. What would it be like to live in a home older than our country?
We decided to eat at the East Bay Crab Shack. This allowed me to get my seafood fix and also get a pretty cheap meal. Dave is always fascinated to watch me figure out how to eat snow crab legs, peel and eat shrimp and shuck and eat oysters. All of this was steamed and served with melted butter, red potatoes and corn on the cob. I am eating good on this trip!
We walked along the waterfront again to enjoy more of the architecture. We ended up staying in Charleston much longer than we expected because we both didn't want to leave. But of course, we had to. We ended up leaving at 2:40pm and getting into Richmond by 10:30pm as we made a quick stop in North Carolina for Eastern style BBQ at Wilber's. Like I said we are eating good on this trip. To bed early because the next day is OBAMA'S INAUGURATION DAY!
Emily
Alleys in Charleston
Our NotSo Hostel
A Little Attitude
Just One of the Many Huge Waterfront Homes
We left Florida on the most beautiful and sunny day we had seen since getting there. But we knew we had to push on as we only had a couple of days to get to Richmond and wanted to make sure we didn't have to drive strait through like our first travel day. Begrudgingly on my part because of the weather and on Dave's part for the playoff football games he would miss, we said our goodbyes to Bob, Patty and The Worners and made on our way to Savannah, Georgia.
Since the beginning of our trip whenever we mentioned Savannah the question we were asked was "Are you going to Paula Deen's restaurant?" Finally, we took the hint and said "Yes, we are going." We arrived at Lady and Sons in the pouring rain only to find that they were completely booked for the day. We were stunned. We had our hearts set on a huge country kitchen Sunday buffet and had built it up so much that we couldn't help feeling a bit dejected. We asked the host if they knew of any other place in town to find a traditional southern meal and they said that if we just walked to the city market we would find plenty of places to eat. Wet and disappointed we grumbled our way into the heart of the city with a small hope of finding our meal just around the corner. I think you can see where this is going.
The host at Lady and Sons obviously didn't take into account that this is Savannah in the middle of January. So everything is closed for the season, even Mrs. Wilkes Boarding house. After awhile it would become a running joke between us because absolutely nothing was open. Stores were closed, the only restaurants we could find were pubs and we even tried going into a couple of stores for recommendations. No one could give us a clear answer. We then consulted our GPS to see if any of the names would sound promising. A few did but they either did not exist or they were...closed. We also found that our GPS is not meant for Pedestrians as it still thought we were in a car while on that setting. 
At this point we are so defeated, frustrated and soaking wet that we would eat anything. We saw a sign for "The Bayou Grill" and ran for it. We navigated our way down the tricky cobblestone street and found two already drunk men sharing a pitcher of cheap beer on the porch. When we walked in all of the local SCAD hipsters gave us dirty looks as did the lone and unfriendly barmaid/waitress/hostess. She took our order without one friendly word, I was scared to even ask this woman for ketchup. We decided on just getting an appetizer to build back up our strength and then go out in search of what we really wanted (country cooking in case you forgot). We ate quickly and then began walking again. We walked and we walked and we walked some more only to find again that there was nothing open or it was just closing. We even tried Paula Deen's again with no luck. There seems to be a theme in this town. 
We took the hint and powered through to Charleston. The weather kept getting worse and worse, just like my mood. But we survived long enough to check into the "NotSo Hostel" and get a recommendation for the type of food we had been searching for all day. We were not disappointed. We ended up eating at this place called Jestine's kitchen and ordered the works. We ate Fried Chicken, Pot Roast, Fried Okra, Black Eyed Peas, Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes and Cornbread. We finished the meal with Coconut Cream Pie and their famous Chocolate Kola Cake. I was very happy to finally eat the meal I had wanted since morning.
We headed back to the hostel full, happy and able to sleep without a problem.
Emily
P.S. You’re on my list Paula Deen.
