alexiscartwheel | You can feel it all over...

This afternoon I went to the Sixth & I Synagogue for an event about race in America with Ken Burns. He showed a compilation of clips dealing with race from a variety of his films, and answered questions afterward. He seemed very knowledgeable about American history and gave some really insightful and eloquent answers. It was definitely a worthwhile event, and very timely, of course.

After that we decided to go for dinner. The whole area was pretty packed with people, some coming from the Mall, others heading out to parties and balls. It was a really exciting atmosphere, very different from your usual Sunday night. It also meant that most restaurants had long waits for tables, so we decided to try a hotel restaurant instead. That turned out to be a great choice. Not only did we sit down immediately, but a hotel lobby in the District is the perfect place to people watch this weekend. There was a party for "Declare Yourself" at the hotel, so we saw lots of people decked out for that.

Oh, and I saw Stevie Wonder! He walked by, literally just a couple feet from our table. Sadly, I didn't have my camera out, because I wasn't exactly expecting Stevie Wonder to pop up while I was eating my fries. But how cool is that?

I'm glad that I went out today, so now I feel like I got to experience a little bit of the Inauguration festivities. I'd really enjoy seeing the parade in person, but not so much that I want to leave my house at 5am and stand out in the cold all day to do so. But we're trying to plan a special American menu for Inauguration Day. It will involve apple pie. Naturally. :)