Jones, a network engineer, caught a bus with his family at 3:30 a.m., got on the Metro at West Falls Church at 4:02 a.m. and were stationed on the Mall near 14th street by 8:45 a.m. -- a simple five-hour commute.

Emotionally, though, it was much more of a trip.

"I made this trip, of course, for my parents. The march on Washington, with Dr. King, I always felt I wanted to be here. I had to be here, come hell or high water."

Jones' mother died in August 2007, his father 15 years ago. Even at the end, Jones says nothing would have kept his mother from attending the inauguration.

-- Alex Wayne

The San Franciso political consultant had previously worked on the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of Democrats Al Gore and John Kerry.

And after his preferred 2008 candidate, John Edwards, dropped out after trailing Barack Obama in the Iowa caucuses, Kneisley said he decided Obama's campaign was the right one for him.

Standing inside the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum Tuesday, the Democrat said today's mass attendance for the inauguration shows that Obama's message was stronger than those that were dished out by the Democratic nominees who lost to President Bush.

"In my mind, I worked on the last two elections to stop the bleeding," Kneisley said. "In 2004 it was about trying to restore reputation. But now we have moved past; it is what can we do next? Before it was never about Gore or Kerry; it was about defeating Bush."

--Marc Rehmann

Johnson, a 58-year-old bus driver for Sarpy Transportation, says he couldn't imagine a more historic time to leave his Montana home and travel to the nation's capital for the first time.

He was part of a contingent who drove 24 members of the Crow Nation, who are riding horses in today's parade.

Jeremy Wertheim from Jersey City, N.J. (Josh Rogin/CQ)

Traveling to Washington, D.C., to take advantage of a last-minute ticket, Wertheim only planned to take a story and some great photos back to his classroom. But in the crowds, he had an experience that showed him the day's political significance was not only found on the Capitol steps.

"I didn't really pay attention too much," Bender said of Obama's speech. His parents, he said, had supported Republican presidential nominee John McCain, leading him to lean towards the Republican, as well.

Bender still thought it would be fun to come with the rest of his high school civics class to Washington for the inaugural festivities. To pay for their trip, the students held car washes and bake sales and operated a dunk tank at their school's fall festival. They also were hosts for a local candidates forum before the election, asking attendees to donate money for their trip.

Bender said the thing that has most stood out to him about the inaugural experience was just being a part of the vast crowd. "There's a lot of people. It's pretty cool," he said. "You don't get to see that every day."

-- Emily Cadei

Although Prince got only fours of sleep during the bus ride and was planning to get back on a bus tonight for another all-nighter back to Chicago, he said the trip was worth it.

"I feel like I am part of history," said Prince. an analyst for an internet company.

Tah Tange came to Washington for Tuesday's inauguration directly from Philadelphia. Before that he traveled much farther than most attendees. Born in Cameroon, on the west African coast, he moved to the United States with his family when he was 16. "I'm an immigrant," he says. "We were coming to pursue the American dream."

Now 28, Tange is a graduate student at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he studies politics. "I think I'm a fan of the U.S. Constitution, and I believe in the doctrine of progress. I felt like I had to be here," he said of Obama's swearing-in.

"We went through all the civil rights struggles of the '50s and '60s," said Woods, a grandmother from Columbia, Md., who is a retired Social Security employee. "I went to all the marches, the march on Washington. Still, I couldn't believe I would see a black president in my lifetime."

Solomon, 34, is principal of the school, where the student body is largely African-American and largely economically disadvantaged. She says the staff of Southeast Elementary has been struggling to improve school facilities and raise the students' test scores.

Wadinski's flight from Korea touched down at Dulles International Airport at 9:30 a.m. He jumped on a shuttle and then the Metro to head downtown. By 2:30 p.m., Wadinski was back on the Metro toting three large suitcases and hoping to make it back to Dulles for his 4:20 p.m. connection to Minneapolis.

Ryan Peterson of Laguna Beach, Calif. (Drew Armstrong/CQ)

Shivering, wearing one of the few pairs of winter gloves he could find to buy in California, Peterson looked over the crowds gathering on Tuesday morning.

"I came to my first inauguration when I was 12 years old. My daughter is 12 years old, and I wanted to give her the same experience," Peterson said.

Julius Freeman of Long Island, N.Y. (Catharine Richert/CQ)

Yet Freeman, who hails from Long Island, N.Y., didn't come to Washington for Barack Obama's inaugration to revel with the stars. He is notable in his own right as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the country's first African-American military airmen who enlisted to fight in World War II. And he's the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. Along with a group of his fellow airmen, Freeman traveled on a chartered bus from New York to Washington to witness an event he thought he would not see in his lifetime.

"I was just exhausted by the politics," she said. "The Bush/Gore election really put a bad taste in my mouth."

Wiggins entered graduate school at the University of Chicago's School of Public Policy. And the program's welcoming address was delivered by none other than an Illinois state senator named Barack Obama.

Howard, a 23-year-old who works with autistic children and is studying education at Montgomery College in Rockville, had hoped to snare two tickets from a friend who works at the Capitol. But when only one ticket could be had, she figured that joining the crowd would be more fun than going solo.

"I just want to chill with my friends," she said. "It's just as good - and I'll save the ticket as a keepsake."

Samara Dickerson was on her way by Metro Tuesday afternoon to catch a glimpse of the parade, but she wasn't all that interested in Barack Obama.

Clutching a doll in her arms, 5-year-old Samara wants to know about Obama's two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

If she could meet Obama, who she said she has seen on the news, she would have but one request of the leader of the free world.

"I would like to meet his children," she said.

If Samara did get to meet the first daughters, she'd ask them to play duck, duck, goose.

--Colby Itkowitz