hOpe....

January 19th was a holiday - Martin Luther King day. The wind was icy and the streets of Baltimore were quiet - virtually deserted. But on the corner of Lombard and Commerce, vendors were busy setting up their stands.

A hot chocolate vendor nodded at me and shivered against the cold.

"What time is Obama supposed to get here?"

He smiled broadly and rubbed his hands together, "I think around four. There is already a line a couple thousand deep a few blocks over."

I checked my watch. 9:43 am.

"Wow. Well, good luck today."

"Thanks. You too."

Temperatures that day wouldn't get above freezing. The crowd was estimated to be 40,000.