Salina And Wife Enjoy Presidential Inauguration

Count Berlin Mayor Adam Salina as a person who hopes to attend the Presidential Inauguration every four years for the rest of his life whether the winner is a Democrat or a Republican.

"There is just such a sense of patriotism in Washington D.C. that it kind of returns your faith in this country," said Democratic Mayor Salina upon his return from the inauguration, which was Monday. "This is my second one. I was here with about two million others in 2008. I want to keep coming back regardless of whether its a Democrat or Republican. You meet people from California and Alabama and right near here in Arlington. They are all coming here to see Democracy in action. It's a celebration of the freedom we have and it was smaller this year than four years ago but it is a really impressive site."

Salina went solo in 2008 but this year his wife Danielle and his business partner Dave Kozek and his wife also went.

"We were able to stop at Senator (Chris) Murphy's office and Congressman (John) Larson's office on Sunday when we got there to pick up our tickets," Salina said. "We tried to figure out where we were going to be sitting and what gate we would be going in because its easy to stand in line for two hours and be at the wrong gate. We also were able to get to the Connecticut Democrats party and saw Governor Malloy and the Lt. Governor. That was fun.

"The security is amazing. They button down that city pretty good. We saw law enforcement officials from as far away as Washington state. It was common to see snipers on all the buildings as well."

Salina said after the inauguration, his group was able to tour the Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave., which opened in 2008 after moving from Arlington, VA. According to its website, the Newseum is:

An interactive museum of news and journalism located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. The seven-level, 250,000-square-foot museum features 15 theaters and 14 galleries. The Newseum's Berlin Wall Gallery includes the largest display of sections of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany. The Today's Front Pages Gallery presents daily front pages from more than 80 international newspapers. It features the 45 words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, etched into a four story tall stone panel facing Pennsylvania Avenue.

From the Newseum, Salina's group made its way to get a spot for the parade. They were six or seven people deep and watched as the motorcade passed by.

"The President and First Lady got out of the car and started walking about a block past us but we didn't move because it was like being at a golf tournament and following Tiger Woods," Salina said. "As soon as the President's car went past, just about the whole crowd followed the car. We stayed put and saw Vice President Biden and the bands that followed. It was just a great couple of days."