Voting is convenient where I live. I thought about the people who had to wait in 4-hour lines.
My polling place around 11 am
I voted, then got breakfast with Mike. I saw this poster outside of his house:
After work, Tom and I went to our friend Scott's house to watch the results. Once CNN declared the winner, people cheered. I'm having goosebumps now, writing about it.
I wasn't cheering, exactly. I have my doubts about how the government is REALLY run, how frequently elections are rigged, whether it's all just a big dog-and-pony show, etc. But I do believe Obama will inspire the American people, and I'm happy for that.
When he gave his acceptance speech, that's when I really felt something. He's such an inspirational leader. I truly believe the country will be better with him as the next president. When he was done, we all applauded. That's such a crazy thing to me; that we applauded the TV.
Tom and I headed back to Williamsburg (from the UWS), and the subway car would periodically erupt into peals of "WOOOOO!!" and "YES WE CAN!!" It usually happened as soon as it pulled into a station (for the benefit of those on the platform), or once the doors closed and the train was headed for the next station.
Downtown 2 Train, 1 AM
Williamsburg was a sight.
At North 7th and Bedford (the main intersection and subway stop), the roads were FILLED with people. They were cheering and beating drums and climbing lightposts. They were happy! I missed it, but Tom said they broke into chants of "NYPD!!", and when a bus came, Tom started a chant of "MTA!!"
North 7th & Bedford (2 photos combined, hence the weird break in the middle)
He said a cop in full riot gear, trying to look serious, couldn't keep from smiling.