The place was totally packed. It took us nearly two hours to get back to our hotel room from the rally, and we were only a half-dozen DC Metro stops away. It was wall-to-wall people as far as the eye could see. My crude calculations based on population density and populated area suggest there were over 150,000 people there. Don't believe me? Check out the aerials courtesy of http://www.geoeye.com/ . They clearly support my conclusion.
On the whole, it was a really fun time with a great message. There were lots of great costumes and signs throughout the crowd. Even though there was a clear liberal bias in the crowd and the participating organizations (indeed, I felt at times like the most right-wing person in the crowd, but that's ok), the rally's main message transcended partisan politics and was a call to refocus America on unity and solutions. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert put on a magnificent show in which reason triumphed over the forces of fear.
I just want to get this post out there to offer up some truth to counteract the interpretations that this rally was a failure. The rally permit was for 60,000 people and the rally easily drew twice that, perhaps even thrice. It raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the supported charities, namely the Trust for the National Mall and DonorsChoose.org. It gave the attendees a fun, peaceful gathering while the politicians were home fighting for their jobs and their supporters were out with them. Based on all that, I'm not sure how one can classify the rally as a failure.
I urge anyone who hasn't seen it to watch it, or at least try to find some video or some transcripts.
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