U.S. President Barack Obama arrived at the White House on Tuesday afternoon to add the finishing touch to a historic inauguration of the country's first African-American president.
Amid thunderous cheers from enthusiastic supporters lining both sides of the Inaugural Parade route, Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle, stepped out of the presidential limo twice on their way from the Capitol Hill to the White House, walking in the chilly wind and smiling and waving to greet the crowd.
They reached their new residence for the next four years at around 4:40 p.m., while the grand inaugural parade, 56th of its kind in history, was still under way along the Pennsylvania Avenue.
More than 13,000 people from all 50 U.S. states were traveling the 1.5-mile parade route, which has been jammed with excited onlookers braving the outdoor cold since dawn.
The presidential motorcade took the lead of the jubilant parade, which consisted of military units, marching bands, acrobats and other performing groups.
The parade route has also been lined with police and military personnel, who saluted the new president's limo as it slowly sailed past.
Obama was sworn in as the 44th U.S. president around Tuesday noon on the West Front of the Capitol building. The inaugural parade and the march toward the White House began after an inaugural luncheon hosted at Congress.
(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2009)
