How Big Will It Be?

It looking like Obama's inauguration may be the biggest in history. According to a story by Michael Ruane, Nikita Stewart and Joe Heim in Sunday's Post:

With the election of the nation's first black president and the enormous interest in the young, charismatic leader and his family, officials said the crowd could surpass the 1.2 million who attended President Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration in 1965.

With so many people suddenly wanting to spend late January 2009 in Washington, local phones may start ringing off the hook with requests for beds:

America, apparently, is looking for a place to crash.

"People who haven't called me in months, years, are suddenly calling and saying, 'Hey, I was just thinking about you,' " said Eric Tyson, 29, a pharmaceutical salesman who lives in Anacostia. "And then, as the conversation continues, they say they might be up for the inauguration and then they ask how many people are staying at my house.''

The same kind of conversation is happening across the region, as the inauguration of the first African American president -- whose diverse, fervent following filled arenas on the campaign trail -- has people from across the country and around the world planning to be in Washington on Jan. 20.

That's from another Sunday story -- in this case, from The Post's Avis Thomas-Lester and Lori Aratani.

By Washington Post Editors  |  November 10, 2008; 11:44 AM ET  | Category:  Post Coverage
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