The floor is hopping here at the National Museum of African Art which is part of the Smithsonian Institute at the National Mall in Washington DC.

There is live music by an African-American band, and they play some mean mix of reggae and jazz. Everyone in the room is bobbing his or her head, or simply swaying to the music. You know how it is with blacks-they fall into rhythm without even trying, and that's the way it is right now. Everyone is wearing this dreamy grin, and just moving effortlessly to the beat, nary a sweat broken, enjoying the moment, in the moment, in the mood.

This after all is the eve of the inauguration of one of their own as president of the United States of America. This was the day that Dr. Martin Luther King Junior dreamed about before he was cut down by an assassin's bullet in 1968. Today is Dr. King's birthday, a public holiday in the United States of America, a day when kids stay home from school and adults don't have to go to work. King dreamed of a day when Americans would no longer be judged by the colour of their skin but by their contribution to the fabric of the nation. It took some time before that dream was realized, but Obama made it come alive, real, and fulfilled, being the first African American to arrive at the pinnacle of power, thereby keeping King's dream alive.

Today was mostly about having a good time before the deluge expected tomorrow. There are at least 8,000 police, 10,000 National Guards, and 1,000 FBI agents on hand to steer the celebration to a safe conclusion. Most people at the National Mall were mainly there to size up the competition, to figure out where they would stand or sit tomorrow during the inauguration. At least two million are expected tomorrow by the time the events conclude in the evening.

Long lines snaked for blocks as the lucky few-240,000-lined up to pick up their tickets which allow them to be within a kilometer of the podium where Obama will be sworn in tomorrow at noon. With tickets in hand, participants had to determine which colour-coded area was their designated placement. Green, yellow and orange were inside the seated areas where chairs are set up on the south side of Capitol Hill. Purple and deep purple will be standing, as is silver colour.

I found out that I drew the short end of the stick (if you could say that of someone with a ticket) having been assigned silver, Mall Standing Area-that means I will be at least 500 meters from the podium where Obama will be sworn in-out of range of my Canon camera, but still considered a lucky draw because millions will be even further back.

The invitation itself is nothing to sneeze at-it is obviously a historical keepsake, very elaborately done in gold embossed letters and US Coat-of-Arms. The elaborate invitation letter reads:

The honor of your presence is requested at the ceremonies attending the Inauguration of the President and Vice President Of the United States

The Capitol of the United States of America City of Washington

January twentieth Two thousand nine

by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies

Diane Feinstein, Chairman,

Harry Reid, Robert F. Bennett

Nancy Pelosi, Steny H. Hoyer, John A. Boehner

MALL STANDING AREA. SILVER

My game plan is to get up at four in the morning, make my way to the screening area by 4:30 a.m., wait for opening of the gates at 9:00 a.m., and then get as good a spot as possible, and hope for the best. I have overhead many others plotting to get up at two in the morning to beat the rush that will undoubtedly come. I think that's sheer lunacy, but then again how many times will one get a chance to witness an African get sworn in as president of the United States of America.

We had a taste of the big rush in the morning on the subway where the human crush was palpable, so many packed together as sardine, all heading in the same direction.

For now though, there are hundreds of thousands here at the National Mall, enjoying the ambience on this cold day-about minus 6 degrees Celsius-while anticipating what is to come tomorrow on inauguration day. Regardless of what comes, many are here to enjoy, to be part of the history and, most important, to get into rhythm with kin and kith from all over the North America and the world.

This is the place to be and the music is good, grooving good enough to sway to, clap and even do a bit of a jig. Why not?