The Vote
Posted by lee Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:49:00 GMT
People were literally dancing in the streets. Cheers were echoing down Manhattan blocks from buildings above. Horns were honking and people were hugging. I smiled as a group of young women ran out onto 8th Ave and half danced/half cheered with each other. I looked away and made eye contact with a guy walking towards me, who smiled and high-fived me on his way past.
I was at the tail end of a 5 hour round-trip to LI to cast my vote at Bay Ave Elementary. Arriving back at Penn Station around midnight, that was the scene greeting me after popping up on 34th St. Having been disconnected on the train ride the whole time, I was curious how the election was shaping up. I was now pretty sure that Obama had won the presidency.
Is it always like this in cities where the popular candidate wins? The excitement on the streets reminded me of walking through New York after a New Years Eve celebration. This city is psyched for this dude. It would seem that most of the country is too.
The trip to LI was long, but having never updated my voter registration after moving to NYC it was my only choice tonight. Lots of Americans, over lots of time, have made lots of sacrifices to earn this right. This feels like the least I can do.
I hope he was worth it.
so good!!thak you!!