Notes from DC

Peter Hansen arrived in DC today and sent back these notes:

I spent two hours over at the Gallaudet campus today. We'll have one large gym and a few smaller rooms, so it will be cozy but manageable. The staff are all very friendly and doing as much as they can to accommodate our needs. We also owe a big thank you to Senator (Tom) Harkin (of Iowa) - he's been a long-term supporter of Gallaudet - a big factor in the University's willingness to host us.

The walk from Gallaudet to Union Station and the Capitol area is an easy one - I made it from the campus to Union Station in just under 20 minutes. In front of the Capital are the chairs for the 20,000 or so individuals that are lucky enough to have tickets. They were doing a sound check this afternoon - someone was reading a newspaper article about the Univ of Maryland basketball team over the PA system - not quite the same as the Inaugural Address.

The weather for Tuesday looks OK. Local forecasts say morning temps in the low 20s and afternoon highs in the low 30s. Hand warmers and toe warmers would be a good idea.

There might be souvenirs for sale in DC that do not have a picture of Barack Obama, but if there are, I haven't seen them.