I drove down to Washington DC with my friend Gordon to witness the historical moment when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the crowd of millions on that crisp afternoon and were swept up in the tide of hope and goodwill.

After the speech, we were essentially held hostage in the city by the local security forces, as subways closed and streets were cordoned off for the parade. With nothing else to do, we walked around the core of the city for hours trying to find a way out or, at the very least, somewhere to warm up and eat. That proved to be a considerable challenge.

The upside is that on our impromptu tour of the city I took many photos and made this timelapse video, which required us to stand outside, not moving, in the cold January wind for a good twenty minutes, a sacrifice I’m grateful to Gordon for making, however reluctantly.

The pomp and ceremony is over; it’s time for the work to begin. Show us what you can do, President Obama.