The Material Culture of Inauguration Travel

Ashley L. Olt
22 January 2009
AMST72W

Material Culture: Transportation

In Inaugurations of years past, one would have assumed visitors were coming to witness the President Elect of the United States take the Oath of Office, perhaps view the parade, and dance the night a way at an Inaugural ball. With the celebrity status that has accompanied President Obama, visitors are no longer flocking to the District just to witness a constitutional obligation. The inauguration of the 44th President of the United States was a tourism spectacle, a destination vacation of sorts. While the majority of visitors utilized the Metro or walked, transportation as a sign of status has become an ironic divider at an Inauguration meant to bring people together. Though President Obama was touted as the “common man” his iconic and near pop celebrity has endeared him to both the poor and mega wealthy alike. The methods of transportation offered, and the stark contrast in cost is symbolic of the divide amongst the Obama voter base. While some visitors packed into metrorail cars like cattle, others rode to the events in style. Towncars and limousines were de rigueur for the more privileged Inauguration guests, while some opted for the convenience and expense of taxi cabs, with the remainder of visitors packing into the metro or walking miles on foot.

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Ashley L. Olt

January 20, 2009

AMST 72W

Effect of Media on Transportation Images

 

            As one approaches within a ten-block perimeter of a Metrorail station, the lines of people waiting for entrance curve around the block. People push, teenagers shove, and students from various student groups shout and yell as they attempt to decipher the metro rail system.  With maps passed out to the millions of people who descended on the city, the system seems to be relatively self-explanatory. The orange and blue lines carry the majority of passengers from surrounding areas with the majority of passengers passing through major outlets like Metro Center. While riders were encouraged to walk at least two to three miles before considering utilizing the Metrorail system, many were discouraged by the crowds along the National Mall, and turned to the Metrorail system.

            For DC residents who utilize the Metrorail system on a daily basis, following the election of the 44^th President, Barack Obama, they were bombarded with in station announcements decreeing the special Inauguration weekend hours of service. For some, this became quite tiresome and obnoxious, as many DC residents are familiar with the workings of the Metrorail system. The Metrorail website *www.metroopensdoors.com” or www.mwata.com has been reworked. Gone is the old format with small scrolling alerts, replaced by large alerts organized by line. At 12:02 pm on Inauguration Day, in the midst of he ceremony the crowds had already begun to swarm outside the downtown Metrorail stations- with the escalators being turned off and the traffic directed in one direction. While the majority of Metrorail users were familiar with the direction of their travel, many had troubles deciphering the maps and matching the station names with the corresponding colored line. From mere observation by sight, unimpaired by the sounds and peripheral vision- the aerial view from the escalator above showed a sea of red and blue hats, jackets emblazoned with Obama buttons and logos, flags waving in the air, it seemed as if it was a sea of paraphernalia versus a sea of people.

            Following the election, signage and advertisements began to appear in Metrorail stations. The image of then President-Elect Obama began to appear in Metrorail train stations, and one noticed a switch in advertisements. The advertisements for the typical inside metro advertising like Pepsi-Co, popular restaurants and visitors sites all changed their advertising to reflect a patriotic them or to reflect the logo of the 44^th Presidential Inauguration.  Again, for the residents of Washington DC and the surrounding area the presence of the advertising was redundant, as many were aware of the impending inauguration. For those that visited the city over Inaugural weekend, the advertisements would have been lacking in focus and successful readership because the large amounts of people crowded inside the stations would have made it very difficult for visitors to observe the advertisements.

            Perhaps one of the most interesting and innovative aspects of the far-reaching Metrorail efforts was the pre-sale of commemorative edition Inauguration fare cards. While regular paper fare cards with the image of President Obama appeared two weeks after his election, the reloadable Metrorail Smarttrip cards were also sold with an image of the President. The commemorative Smarttrip cards were for sale through the Metrorail (WMATA) website and at 21 CVS stores located in the District, Beltsville, MD, Arlington, VA, and Alexandria. The selling of smarttrips at CVS stores fell in line with the President’s goal to make this inauguration the most accessible in history.   The presale of Smarttrip cards also aided in relieving some congestion at crowded stations. Those that lived far from a Metrorail station or were planning on visiting the district for the weekend were able to order the Smarttrip card over the Internet and have it mailed to their house. My grandmother, a resident of Lake Forest, IL (a suburb of Chicago) came to DC for Inauguration weekend. Being familiar with the Metrorail system and paper farecards, she decided to order a commemorative edition smart trip. It arrived at her house within a week, and was pre-loaded with 10.00.

            The other aspect of the intersection of media and transportation was the displays on the private charter buses and decoration of the pedicels that offered their services to Inauguration visitors. Many charter buses were decorated with bunting, Obama posters, signage from the campaign and the DNC Convention. Even the GWU float could be considered a form of transportation, as they utilized the old Colonial Express spirit shuttle and converted into a model of a train car similar to that of what would have carried Abraham Lincoln. 

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