YUGE CROWDS

[joshcryer]

[underpants]

1. Stewart & Colbert had a better turnout than this

[joshcryer]

3. True that:

And we still lost in 2010.

Never get over that.

[janx]

2. How long ago?

When was this taken?

[nolabear]

5. I saw a similar shot on TV about ten minutes ago. It's empty.

[joshcryer]

6. Minutes ago you can see here:

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/dc/nationalmall/?cam=nationalmall

They will probably get rid of the white areas (mainly by spacing people out) but it won't cross the street there that's for almost certain.

[IndianaDave]

14. Looks like the "movement" Trump keeps referring to

is a bowel movement. That is, he's full of it. Maybe the Democratic National Committee is paying people $1,500 to $2,000 to stay away. That explains everything.

[csziggy]

16. Why are there still people streaming into the areas?

You'd think if they had planned on watching the inauguration they would have shown up sooner.

It makes me wonder if word went out to some of the federal offices to get out to the Mall for the ceremony to inflate the crowd numbers.

My memory from 2009 and 2013 is that by ten or eleven o'clock the entire Mall was packed all the way from one end to the other!

[SHRED]

4. Ha ha ha

[politicat]

7. Glad the parks service put down those white protection panels.

Nice, clear shot of how few there are.

[joshcryer]

8. They spent $40 million on refurbing the lawn. Damn straight they should protect it.

[politicat]

9. Damn right, and it takes a beating.

But I'm also glad it has a secondary utility.

[joshcryer]

10. Indeed, that.

I bet they were asked why they couldn't at least get blue or green tarp. But vinyl is white, white's probably cheapest.

The white provides a perfect contrast, blue or green would obscure better.

[shraby]

11. Sheesh. Pitiful.

[joshcryer]

12. I just read an article, apparently they had to borrow panels from sports stadiums around the country

[politicat]

13. It's actually not white -- it's translucent so the grass gets sunlight and is cushioned.

I think the article's at the Atlantic -- it's pretty awesome, actually -- it's like rigid bubble-wrap.

Oh, yes, I am a geek who really enjoys material science.

[joshcryer]

15. Yeah I see that article.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-park-service-just-spent-40-million-on-grass-and-will-not-let-inauguration-ruin-it