(Washington) Mall Rats: Raquel Welch, Fringe Fashions & The Obama Economy

Intrepid correspondent Choire Sicha spent hours in the cold to document the goings-on in DC on this, the day before the inauguration. To say he captured some local color would be an understatement.

My favorite picture ever. The ad on the back of the rickshaw, by the way, is an anti-fur ad. Also the brother in the fur coat is smoking. The black woman next to me waiting to cross the street was dying laughing. I believe we were totally both thinking, “Yeah, pedal faster, cracker!” Because we are both racists.

Binoculars! So you can look at the Jumbotrons through them! Worst deal EVER.

The change we can believe in is now when we take photographs of
strangers on the Metro, we show them to them! Then become friends. Maybe go to dinner together!

No they didn’t.

On the Mall, MSNBC’s set-up is getting picketed by Jesus freaks. SUCK IT, JOE SCARBOROUGH!

The shirt industry is out of control — and it looks like every shirt was made from a version of Obama’s face on another shirt, so he starts looking less and less like him and more like some sort of guy from outer space.

These are the seats for the rich white people tomorrow.

Um, this is a sculpture of Raquel Welch in the National Portrait Gallery. I mean, it has nothing to do with the Inauguration but isn’t it BANANAS?

Everybody’s got something to sell. Exuberantly!

I don’t know. Maybe these guys are in the West German army circa 1978. Or maybe the freaks are finally coming out.

These Obama belts for sale on the mall? They are actually awesome. I
will go back and get at least two.