A WORD ABOUT THE METRO:

I love the public transportation here out on the East Coast. It’s actually used by everyone, it’s open until late at night, it’s clean, well-signed and most people follow proper etiquette, e.g., no eating or drinking and moving away from doors when people go in or out. I’m not sure what will happen this year, but I remember seeing people riding in their tuxedos and ball gowns the night of the inauguration. It was more fun than actually attending a ball (which my daugher and I did once as volunteers).

It’s been quite a week – between no sleep and the bitter cold, we were all worn down to nubs. A word about the cold here: I hate to admit it, because it does no good for the image of Minnesotans as tough, but I’ve never been so cold in Minnesota as I have in D.C. I remember the wind chill being way below zero at Clinton’s second inauguration; last week was gruesome, especially with the wind. Most of the problem is due to the fact that people here actually have to walk places instead of running inside from a warm car to a warm house or workplace. I end up walking about five miles a day just getting around town here; and to keep up with everyone else, I have to maintain a brisk pace. I actually feel healthier after two weeks here.

But I digress. A couple of statistics: The warmest presidential inauguration day was for Ronald Reagan in 1981, when it was 55 degrees. The coldest was in 1985 for Reagan’s second inauguration, when it was 7 degrees. Pres. William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia after only one month in office because he refused to wear a coat at his inauguration in 1841, when he gave the longest inaugural address in American history – one hour and 40 minutes!