Willis Anderton of Spokane thought Barack Obama's inauguration was "great." As an African-American man who grew up in the South, and saw crosses being burned as a youngster, seeing Obama sworn in as president is a sign the nation is moving towards equality.

"The country's turning around. There's no more 'We can't,'" Anderton said.

Three generations of Andertons came to Washington, D.C. for the ceremonies. Those who didn't have tickets to the swearing-in ceremony went to the parade, he said.

"We could not stay away," he said

 

But as great as the ceremony was, "getting in and getting out was hectic and chaotic."

They got up at 5 a.m., started for the National Mall at 7 a.m., and didn't get to their assigned area until 11:30 a.m. Metro subway cars were "filled to the brim."

In the Mall, there were people "as far as the eye could see." Some stood silently, some were clapping or crying.

"We met people from all over the world. Everybody was snapping pictures of everybody. There were cameras all over the place."

In picking up their tickets on Monday, his wife Evelyn spotted Sen. Roland Burriss of Illinois, who was appointed in a controversial move by the embattled governor to replace Obama. She went over and grabbed his arm, and he posed for a photo with her.

"That's a keeper," Willis Anderton said.

The Andertons aren't sure how much of the ceremony they missed. They believe they'll have to sit back and watch it being replayed on television. After a long day of walking and standing, however, sitting back with his feet up and watching television sounded like a good idea, he said. 

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