Their man won and they don't want to lose out on seeing Barack Obama become President.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day that we had a black president," said Gary Rakestrau of Hartford. He's going to ride a bus overnight to Washington with the NAACP of Greater Hartford.
"They say it's gonna be cold, so we're just gonna layer down, have fun, eat on the way going," said Beverly Myers, the chapter's vice president.
Seven University of Hartford students won a drawing for silver tickets to the oath of office. Their college has chartered them a bus. Their tickets get them seats just behind the reflecting pool down the hill from the Capitol.
"It's awesome," said Jasmine Levy, a UHa student from Hartford. "It's historic, and I can't believe I'm going."
At Union Station in New Haven, two passengers boarding the Acela were en route to the inauguration.
"It's a special day for everybody," said Mary Barr, who lectures in African American Studies at Yale University. "Given what my studies are and what my interests are it has special meaning for me," she said.
Neal Pearson, a Higganum man hoping to become a history teacher, said, "It's something I want to be able to talk about with my future students. Can't miss it!"
