Obamas Join Parade

Though the Obamas watched the start of this afternoon’s inaugural parade from the steps of the Capitol and then set off in their presidential motorcade to the White House, they weren’t about to spend the whole parade in their armored limo: They stepped out on Pennsylvania Avenue on the section that runs past the National Archives and the Navy Memorial and walked for about eight minutes. With the temperature hovering around 28 degrees (16 with wind chill), the president donned a burgundy scarf, black overcoat, and black gloves. Lining the 1.7-mile route were police, troops, and Secret Service agents, all part of the tightest security for an official event in the city’s history, with 28,000 law enforcement and military personnel deployed.