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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Good observations in your last blog. Also think about the fact that aside from walking or biking, the metro was the only way for people to get in from VA. The roads surrounding the Capitol and White House were blocked off to all traffic for security concerns. It may be hard to make a generalization and argument about class and transportation. What did Metro add to the experience of getting to and from the inauguration? What did they provide for people in terms of memorabilia? What can be said about that?
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