BY ROWENA VERGARA
If you saw even a piece of it, that's all that mattered.
Some were delayed on Washington's Metro rail system for hours, and feared that they would miss President Barack Obama's entire speech.
Harris Kareshi, a Washington native, said he was stuck for four hours with hundreds of people in a tunnel that was supposed to lead to the purple ticketed gates.
Others, who didn't have a ticket, like Diana Stout and daughter Amanda Stout of Houston, Texas, found warmth within D.C. bars until 4 a.m., and headed straight to the gates of the Mall.
But all of them somehow found a way to witness history, from inside the Mall or at televisions in establishments nearby. Time sat still.
And for those nearly 20 minutes that Obama spoke to the nation, the streets in Washington were nearly clear and quiet.
"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met," President Obama said to a roaring Mall crowd holding American flags that sparkled from far away.
People continued to talk about their experiences as the masses filed out of the Mall.
Attendees were curious to find out what others witnessed, and hung on each others' words, storing the first-hand accounts in their memories.
After Tuesday, the nearly two million people who converged on Washington all have a story to share about how they witnessed history.
They'll remember what feats they went through to arrive in Washington, via train, car or overnight bus. Or what little sleep they had in the past few days. Or how their toes and fingertips froze outside the Capitol, and didn't thaw until hours later.
For many, Tuesday was a day that changed their lives, no matter what view they had.
"Even though I couldn't see him the whole time, it was a great experience," 16-year-old Scott Haddock of Orlando, Fla., said.
Emily Green, who works for D.C. Public Schools, took her granddaughter to the ceremony to also witness the moment.
"I missed the Martin Luther King march, but now that I'm old enough I made it to the Obama (inauguration). For those who could not make it, I was there for them. I have a mother at home and a father in the hospital," she said.
Green and others know Obama can't solve everything overnight, but they believe he'll give it his all.
"He can't walk in (Dr. King's) shoes, but God set a place for him to be at the right time, and he can only take it one day at a time," Green said.
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