When we were in D.C. last week for the Inauguration, we were constantly amused by the folks around us complaining about the "cold." People, it was above freezing, and that is NOT even close to cold. more ›

The initial planning stages of our inauguration coverage began on November 5, 2008. After months of prep, paper work, applications, and urgent calls to friends looking for a couch to crash, the moment finally arrived and just like that, it was all over. After five straight days of traveling and sprinting around D.C., Wednesday was spent recovering and, for some of us, traveling once more. With President Obama now sworn in twice for good measure, he's hit the ground running, something extremely difficult for us after a weekend of scurrying around the city, trying to cover as much as possible. Tankboy, Lizz, and Karl have returned safely to Chicago and by the time this post goes live, my plane should hopefully be on its approach to Midway. But before I left town, I got a chance to scope out Washington D.C. in its own recovery mode. For the first time since I arrived, I had a chance to relax and take some time to check out some monuments and how the deconstruction of the National Mall was going. more ›

Not all of us had prime seating to Tuesday's swearing in ceremony, and in our case we secured tickets for the Silver Section from our Congressman the good ol' fashioned way ... via lottery. We heard many folks in the same area were denied entry, and even though we only arrived about 30 minutes before the ceremonies began we were able to utilize our skills at crowd navigation and "looking like we belonged" to find our way to our designated section. Communication between security and the crowd was non-existent, which is probably why there were so many snafus regarding general entry. more ›

At first we wondered how a bus-full of rowdy Hideout regulars -- musicians, employees, and employees -- would be greeted by a city like D.C. We pictured streams of lobbyists and grumpy Republicans growling with disdain at a ragtag group dressed up in their finest duds of proms long past. more ›

For those who have never been to an Inaugural Ball (a group which included myself up until a couple nights ago), let me make this parallel: Imagine a wedding reception for approximately 8000 people. The attendees probably don't know each other from Adam, and may only be there for one person, bride or groom. Everyone is uncomfortably dressed, underfed, and most likely overserved. And everyone leaves saying, "Well, wasn't that fun!" more ›

While other revelers who attended yesterday's swearing in headed home or to the parade, I fought the crush of people and made my way back to temporary HQ where I filed yesterday's Dispatch, got all gussied up in my tux, and headed out for some formal fun. more ›

Now that we've gotten back home from the festivities and gotten a shower under our belts to wring the last of the January cold out of our fingers, we've got a few seconds to formalize some thoughts before it's back out into the madness that is DC. For a few more hours, the world's eyes will be on all of us as we collectively celebrate (most of us, that is) the changing of the guard. more ›

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. more ›

The time is upon us and we're not too long away from the swearing-in. Several Chicagoist writers (including myself) are down at the Capitol right now watching the festivities and we'll have a ton of pics and reports to bring you later. Our friends over at sister site DCist are live-blogging the events, so swing by there to check out the blow-by-blow account and then head back here to share your comments and feelings about the inauguration. more ›

After our morning at the Capitol, we made our way over to the Lincoln Memorial for the "We Are One" Concert which was to feature a range of political, celebrity, and musical appearances before an expected crowd of up to 500,000. We were plenty early as we made our way through the masses and it gave us a chance to scan the hundreds of items available to buy from the countless vendors. Shirts, towels, buttons, flags, you name it, it probably has Obama's picture on it and you're going to pay a a lot of pennies for it. Once inside the grounds, we found the press section nestled below the right side of the stage with a nice view, though the set pieces and a jumbotron obscured our view of one of the two onstage podiums as well as the actual Lincoln Memorial, but, still, we weren't complaining. We dodged CNN's John Roberts as he filmed a report from our corral and set up position for the show. more ›

It was a cloudy Sunday morning, but with temps in the mid 30s, it feels downright tropical. With the "We Are One" Opening Ceremony/Concert looming in the afternoon, we decided to venture down to the Capitol Building and scope out the scene. With a cup of coffee in hand, we bounded past the Russell Senate Building where we picked up some credentials (no sign of Burris) and checked out the stage at the Capitol for Tuesday's inauguration. Sure, it looks simple now, with simply thousands of empty folding chairs fanned out in front of the large stage and bleacher section, but we know millions of people will be spilling into the Mall area 48 hours from now. The atmosphere of people milling about was relaxed yet excited, if such a thing is imaginable. Groups of people wandered around, taking it all in, moving from movements of rapid chatter to silent awe. After poking around a bit and wondering if there could ever be such a thing as too many portapotties, we took off but look forward to returning Tuesday morning. Next up, a party with our friends Bruce, Bono, Beyonce, and Barack. more ›

If there's one thing that D.C. didn't want to see arrive from Chicago, it was the cold. But, sure enough, the cold blast that sent temps in Chicago tumbling earlier this week has rolled into the Baltimore and D.C. area, as has a crew of Chicagoist writers. After a 24-hour journey that included planes, trains, and automobiles, I've finally arrived at my temporary HQ in Washington, D.C. and am preparing to head out to settle some logistics - the government makes nothing easy. We've been lucky enough to gain credentials to several events here in D.C. over the next couple of days and we're looking forward to bringing you reports from the field as best we can in addition to our usual round of Chicago news. We'll be hitting, among other things, tomorrow's "We Are One" Concert at the Lincoln Memorial, the Swearing-in Ceremony, the Inaugural Parade, and even the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball (though it appears I won't be able to get a date for that). We're excited to be a part of it and look forward to sharing it all with you. more ›