January the 20th

Chicago (6:43 p.m. EST, 5:43 CST)

Mid-50's man on #8 bus responding to question from bus driver: "It was nice. He didn't cover all the bases he could have. It could've been half-an-hour and he only talked for 17 minutes. He could have really, really shamed the outgoing president. He did shame him a bit, but he didn't go into detail."

Nathan's Deli, Detroit (3:15 p.m.)

The Channel 4 News woman comes in to use the toilet and get a beverage with her cameraman. She's quickly recognized by another woman and they converse about how they both missed "the speech." The blue shirted, blue-collar woman says her son is going to talk all night about how there is a black president.

The news woman responds, "He's as black as he is white. That makes him a president not just for black people, but for all the people."

The newswoman and I catch eyes as I think about whether her curly black hair is a wig and about the profundity of her comment. As she opens the door to step back into the sunny but sharply cold air, she wishes the few customers and employees, "Happy Obama Day."

As I wait for my egg salad sandwich on rye, a maintenance man from Wayne State University wearing green coveralls comes in with an older gray-haired gentleman. Maybe his father, maybe not. The maintenance man treats him as an elder, allowing him to sit in a booth while he places the orders. He asks the older man if he wants Swiss cheese.

"No, I don't want any of that WHITE cheese," he retorts.

Being the only white customer, I perk up quickly. The jolly maintenance man smiles as though caring for a child. Then I quickly smile too.

"I ain't never liked that white cheese," as he balks at the question, "you know that."

I laugh to myself thinking about the racial significance of the day.

Riverview Theater, Minneapolis, Minn.(1:20 p.m. EST, 12:20 CST)

Spontaneous dancing, singing, cheering as people leave the theater after watching the inauguration ceremony. Twenty-something woman turns to friend and says, "You were totally right, this is way better than Christmas!"

Chicago, Ill. (1:17 p.m. EST, 12:17 p.m. CST)

It's eerily calm in the office this morning, only a few scattered keyboard taps in place of the normal buzz and frenzy that characterizes the offices of the third largest school district in the US. Coworkers wander back and forth between their desks and the boardroom with the flat screens to watch the inauguration. Those of us with urgent work, and the ones faithfully manning the phones, hunch over our computers to watch news clips online, even though we aren't supposed to because IT warned that the network will crash. Pride and hope mix with uncertainty, as we watch or listen to Chicago's native son take oath to the highest office in the country knowing that he is taking our highest officer with him.

The coffee and donuts are long gone, the crowd trickles back to work still replaying his speech in their heads, still smiling.

Sidetrack Bar, Boystown, Chicago (1:15 p.m. EST, 12:15 p.m. CST)

The crowd booed and hissed as Rick Warren took the stage, but went wild cheering for Aretha Franklin and her fabulous hat. The bartender in the southernmost room almost ran out of Bloody Mary mix.

Mandel Hall, University of Chicago,Hyde Park, Chicago (1:01 p.m. EST, 12:01 CST)

During speech,
Obama: “We will restore science to its rightful place….”

UofC Crowd: Science!!!! Whoooo!!! (crowd erupts)

Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.(12:09 p.m. EST, 11:09 a.m. CST)

A student from East Africa dances in front of the group with a cloth that shows a photo of new President Obama. The cloth looks like one from East Africa. She does this right after he is sworn in.

Chapin Hall, University of Chicago,Hyde Park, Chicago (midday)

Two whole conference rooms were filled with inauguration viewers. In the larger conference room the inauguration festivities were streamed from the internet and projected onto a large screen starting at 10 a.m. The room was already filled when I arrived about 10 minutes to 11 a.m. During most of the event, people were quiet, perhaps saving their comments for later or just whispering to the person next to them. Sitting in front of me, a Caucasian woman grabs, clutches, and shakes the hand of an African American woman in the air and says something to her after it’s announced that Aretha Franklin will sing. They both look happy and excited. I saw one woman look at someone across from her after Rick Warren’s prayer with a smile and laughing eyes as if there were an inside joke or opinion between the two. There were a few faint claps during the speech when the crowd at D.C. clapped, but applause in the room was saved for after the speech.

The most audible reactions: 1) When, for a few short moments, the projector screen froze or went completely blue and said, ‘no signal'. “Couldn’t we get a TV for this? There are so many people streaming on the internet.” and 2) when the crowd laughed each time president Bush was shown. They also laughed when President Obama seemed to forget the rest of one of the sentences he was supposed to repeat while being sworn in. When all were asked to rise for the National Anthem, many looked around and a few looked like they were ready to stand, but no one stood up (except for me, quietly, in the back). A man sitting to my left harmonized as he sang softly along with the Anthem.

Morris University Center, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Ill. (midday)

Observed that the overall amount of cars on campus was low- perhaps many classes were not meeting this morning.

In the University Center the Inauguration was broadcast onto a large projection screen. Appeared to be a couple of hundred people, others on the second story, watching. This group seemed largely to be made up of students, though there were some faculty, several staff and a few administrators in attendance.

During the swearing in of the vice president, some people stood, most sat in chairs. There was light applause. A lot of quiet attention. Very little talking among the crowd during most of this event.

During the music performance there was more enthusiastic clapping, this became a little louder during the swearing in of the president. Most everyone stood for the duration of the swearing in ceremony of the president. There was a small amount of hooting, but mostly very calm, rather light applause. During the president's speech, some reaction, much clapping. After the speech and during the poet's address, most of the crowd faded away. Some stayed for the closing words of the reverend. There was a lot of grinning and clapping during his speech.

After this a panel of social work, sociology and political science professors spoke, though the crowd greatly reduced at this point...

St. Louis, Mo. (11:56 a.m.)

My supervisor and I are watching the happenings on a big screen while working. Aretha comes on. We both say, "wow." It's so calm outside.