It's not terribly exciting to look at photos of parked buses, but if you want to see a couple shots of what Near Southeast looked like on Tuesday, here's
a few pictures. (You'll also see there a sprinkling of images of
1015 Half Street, now four stories high.) I left the Hill around 9:30 am and walked down south of the Freeway, crossing into Southwest on I Street, and inhaling all manner of bus fumes (from
illegally idling vehicles) along the way. I then followed the mobs westward along Independence (since the Mall was closed off before I even left home) and ended up at one of the Jumbotrons along 17th Street near the World War II Memorial. From there, it was an easy trip back homeward along Maine Avenue to I Street.
For all of the hassles that now are part of living on Capitol Hill, a day like yesterday reminds one of its benefits, since the Metro or bus rides or parking were not part of my day--just 5 1/2 miles of walking. My only regret of the day is that I didn't follow the brave souls who took the ramp up onto the SE/SW Freeway to cross toward RFK--it would have been my one chance to get photos from the freeway without being in a speeding car!
If you want to see additional photos of my inauguration trek (with a number from Southwest),
here they are, though note that they are in reverse chronological order.
UPDATE: And, just so that people don't think I'm praising life on the Hill at the expense of the other close-in spots, I'll note that a day like yesterday also shows the benefits of living in Near Southeast or Southwest. (You folks in close-by neighborhoods north of the parade route, though, didn't get to live the good life like the south-of-the-Mall-ers did, unless you really enjoyed that trek through the Third Street Tunnel.)
It's not terribly exciting to look at photos of parked buses, but if you want to see a couple shots of what Near Southeast looked like on Tuesday, here's 
