Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

On Saturday, in between committee sessions at Model UN (they gave us a convenient four hour break) I was able to attend the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. It was an experience, that's for sure! I personally think it might have been the very definition of insanity, due to INSANE amount of people!! Estimates say that anywhere from 200,000-250,000 people came. To put that into perspective, the total population of DC (not the Metro area, just the District of Columbia) is a bit less than 600,000. Also, the ridership of the Metro system on Saturday was a record-breaking 825,000, compared to the average Saturday total of about 350,000.

We actually rode Metro to the Rally, which was difficult. The trains were packed, and by packed I mean we ran along 3-4 cars before we found 1 where I could fit in. My roomie couldn't squeeze in and had to wait for the next one. I was plastered against the door...literally. A very interesting experience! I couldn't hold onto anything, but as there was no room to move, I couldn't fall down!

As we walked up to the Rally, we heard the National Anthem being sung, and the roar of the masses. No matter what the cause, those sounds are inspiring! We couldn't see the crowd at that point, due to huge governmental buildings, but we could hear the size of it. Then we turned the corner and were shocked! I think the crowd was larger than I or my roommate imagined.

If you've ever been to the mall, actually walked even a part of it, you can appreciate how big it is. Photos cannot do the size justice. The crowd stretched from the stage near the Capitol to almost near the Washington Monument. We tried to move closer to the stage, and got pretty close. However, only people with tickets could get into the area closest to the stage. We also couldn't hear much, but going and checking things out was a pretty neat experience! I felt bad for kids and babies who were brought along, because that just wasn't the right place for kids (crowds waaaay too big). And seeing the signs was pretty funny, for the most part. I took some pictures of signs, and will post later.

Being in DC during the time of this rally was pretty awesome, and I'm glad I had the chance to go. How many times in your life do you get to join 200,000+ people on that National Mall?

Jen