[chronicles]

We lived in Northern Virginia in the 1970’s. In ‘76 my husband voted for Ford and it pains me to admit it but I voted for Carter. I dragged my family to Carter’s inauguration. We nearly froze to death. It was all downhill from there.

[PUGACHEV]

I went to Reagan's first inaugural parade and the first one for Bush in 2001. Unless you can find some way to get a ticket for a seat in the stands you'll need to get there five or six hours in advance to find a spot along Pennsylvania Avenue from which you can actually see anything. Otherwise, you are going to be so far back in the crowd you would need a periscope.

The weather at that time of year in D.C. is usually terrible. It's always cold and often rainy, windy, or snowing. For Bush's inaugural I went to West Marine beforehand and bought a set of marine rain gear, a yellow parka and pants, and Polartec everything, and that with a pair of Sorrel boots kept me dry and warm all day. I would recommend wearing something like that.