My First Rally!

Hello all!

Sorry for my delays in posting...once again, Dad has been hogging the computer in an attempt to write a novel, so there is a lot to catch up on!

A few weeks ago, there was a huge rally held down here in Washington, DC right on The National Mall! Now, usually Mom and Dad avoid such events, but this one featured Sanity as its main focus, and two of Mom and Dad's favorite TV personalities were hosting it.

Yes...my first rally was The Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert!

Now let me tell you....this was a crazy day all around. Cell service around the Mall was scarce, and Metro trains were packed...people were excited about this little event, I must say....Also, I'll preface this whole thing by saying that we really couldn't see or hear much on the Mall itself... was CRAZY packed with people!

Mom started off the day by getting me ready a bit earlier than usual, while Dad went to work as he usually did on Saturday (he works right across from the rally, so not only did we get to go there together, we got a sweet parking spot!) After getting me prepped, Mom had to actually take me on the Metro a few stops going in the opposite direction of the event just to get to the point where the trains had some room for us!

Once we got on, it was a little cramped, but everyone was in super good spirits and were being (Surprise) rational. So, it wasn't much of a problem.

When we got down to the agreed-upon Metro stop to meet Dad, we discovered that cell service was pretty limited, but lo and behold, as Mom checked her messages, who should appear, but Dad! He bounded over to us, we sat down to eat a quick lunch near the lion statues (I'm all about statues these days...I'm either fascinated by them, or terrified...no middle ground.) and then headed off to the rally.


When we got there, we couldn't believe how many people had shown up! The organizers of the event had planned for around 60,000 people, and there ended up being around 150,000.

As we got closer and closer, the crowd got thicker and thicker. People had made these really funny signs (Most of which I didn't understand, but they kept Mom and Dad laughing) that were supposed to be "Sane and Rational" according to everything I was told. They were supposed to go against all the crazy signs usually at rallies. It was a lot of fun!

As we got closer, the crowd got really thick, and it was hard to move...I was a trooper the entire time, creeping my feet up to make sure I didn't kick anyone, and people were very kind about letting us through, but after awhile it got to be too much.

People were doing anything they could to see, especially my favorite guy up there on the stoplight...I kept telling Mom and Dad, "That man is up in the sky!!"

When the crowd got too thick, we ducked out into the sculpture garden where there was some breathing room to take a break, and just enjoy the surroundings...it was really cool.

You know who else was cool? Me.


We finally decided to walk around back behind the stage since I was getting a bit restless, as it was approaching my nap time. We walked around, and generally enjoyed the good vibes that surrounded the rally.

Even though we didn't see much, and could only hear a little, it was still a really good time! Everyone was in a really good mood, and there were so many entertaining people there!

On the way out, we walked backstage, and got to see a bit of what it was like back there. Mom and Dad saw the giant teleprompter that had the words the hosts were saying on it, and they even saw the backs of the hosts as they performed a musical number. It was really cool.

I, however, was obsessed with the green men. Yes, men dressed up in full body spandex suits (That were based on a bit from a show I'm not allowed to watch called "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) were wandering around taking pictures with people, and I couldn't get enough of these guys!

Even now, when I see anyone that looks vaguely like a green man, I start shouting "Green Men!" It's a little weird, I know, but I'm all about costumed characters right now...even if the costume is just a vaguely creepy lycra bodysuit.

On the way out, Dad let me get really close to a police car to see the flashing lights....you all know I love watching emergency vehicles of all kinds go racing by me, whether it's looking out our window at home, or being on the side of the road watching them...but to be this close was such a dream come true...it was really fun.

The police officer was so nice, and he let me touch the lights, which was super neat. I was over the moon!

I was also exhausted, and Mom and Dad left at just the right time...they laughed as we approached the car (in its awesome parking spot) and I got all excited...they laughed harder when I saw my car seat and shouted, "It's Sammy's seat!!" and climbed right in.

I was being pretty obvious that it was time to go home.

Thanks to our primo parking spot, we were out of the Mall area, and home in about half an hour...it was a tiring day, but super awesome.