By Mel Gagarin:

Dispatch 10
January 20, 2009 11:39 AM

So I got locked out of history. Disappointing, not quite. I still managed to make my way over to the canons for the 21 gun salute and have a crowd huddle around me while I had a family member to hold their phone to the t.v so that we could here the inaugural address. Afterwards, we headed over to a bar. I’m standing with my fellow purple compatriots watching Marine One lift off with ex-president Bush.

The city right now is one giant party with people from all over the country. I know there’s much work to be done before we live in a post-racial America, but for today and right here I can pretend. Besides, I’m in a bar called “Irish Times” watching two African American grandmothers doing a jig with two white college guys to a band called the “Dropkick Murphy’s and that, more than anything today, brings a tear to my eye. Today is a new day for America and a new chance to perfect our democracy.

Dispatch 9: Purple riot
January 20, 2009 11:36 AM

Gate closed crowd getting rioty. “Let us in!,”  being chanted followed by “Purple!” (Color of tickets we hold and color of gate which, according to rumor never opened.

Dispatch 8: Locked out
January 20, 2009 11:08 AM

After all the wait, entrance closed. Thousands of angry ticket holders.

Dispatch 7: Light at the end of the tunnel
January 20, 2009 10:05:53 AM

It’s been a couple of hours now and we can just barely see the light at the end of the 3rd street tunnel. Behind us the line stretches for atleast a half mile. People are getting anxious at the slow rate of line movement and the clock running closer to “The Moment”.

We’re getting word that access to the Mall has been shut and that rthe rest of the ticketed lines are slow moving. The unprecedented level of security seems caught a bit off guard in processing these massive crowds.

Dispatch 6: Ooops
January 20, 2009 7:50:18 AM

Those of us waiting at 1st and D were in for a surprise when officials came to direct purple ticketholders to the back of the line.

This line is incredible! It wraps around D street and through the 3rd street access tunnel. To put it in perspective I started in NW and now am standing at the back of the line in SW D.C. And the line is continuing to grow by the hundreds behind me. Absolutely incredible sight.

Dispatch 5: Security
January 20, 2009 7:26:41 AM

Apparently the streets were empty because everyone was on the metro. I’m standing now on First and D in a crowd of thousands waiting for the security checkpoint to open.

The cold doesn’t seem to be interfering with what looks and feels like an early morning block party.

Dispatch 4:
January 20, 2009 6:30 AM

Nothing like walking a mile at 5:30 in the morning in the middle of January to get the blood flowing. DC is officially locked down and with the city preventing one from transferring lines in the Metro I’ve been forced to hoof it to the nearest red line.

The streets are not as crowded as I expected them to be but I’m sure that will change soon enough. The cold is biting but nothing can really tamper with this moment for me.

I’m about to jump on the metro and will check in once I get downtown.

Dispatch 3: The Heights
January 19, 2009 6:31 PM

I’m spending the night in Columbia Heights and, while this isn’t news to anyone living in the district, I’m a bit taken aback by the gentrification that has washed over this area. What used to be a predominantly African-American neighborhood is now filled with younger affluent whites and gaudy three-story Target/Best Buy combos.

I used to spend a lot of time here during my college years and seeing the changes that have come to this neighborhood is a bit disappointing.

Being here on the eve of the inauguration of a president who seems to understand the needs of urban centers, I hope that we’re able to address the displacement of poor black neighborhoods and that they are included in the redevelopment of these communities.

Dispatch 2: Union Station
January 19, 2009 6:18 PM

Controlled chaos. The station upon arrival is packed. It seems the only locals are the massive security presence and the various vendors peddling their “Hope” and “Change” wares. The metro below is much the same and I am beginning to incur some impatient stares from folks as I type away, so I’ll pack it up for now.

Dispatch 1: The Trip to D.C.
January 19, 2009 2:10:51 PM

Normally my job is to collect and share the news of the day. Seldom do I have the opportunity to go watch the news be made. So it’s with a great sense of excitement that I start this trip down to Washington DC to witness, first hand, the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America.

Over the next day and a half I’ll be submitting my first hand accounts of my trip and impressions surrounding and including the inaguration. I am writing this from my blackberry aboard an Amtrak train heading to the District.

Everyone I’ve met so far is heading down for the inaugural. The train is packed to the gills and the excitement is palpable. Having lived in DC for 5 years and taken this route countless times before this is singlehandedly the most unique train ride I’ve taken. Everyone is speaking to strangers, the mood is light, and the name of Barack Obama on everyone’s lips. It’s funny the effect a once in a lifetime moment can have on a group of people.

I’m going to make my way back to the cafe car and check in with you all once I arrive in DC.