Massive crowd attends inaugural parade

WASHINGTON (WISH) - After his swearing in, President Obama took to the streets of Washington, literally. The inaugural parade traveled a mile and a half down America's main street, Pennsylvania Avenue. The parade started at the capital and ended at the White House.

The famous avenue was packed with frozen spectators in the 20-degree air and thousands more watched from the windows and rooftops of surrounding buildings. In all, there were 13,000 parade participants from all 50 states.

Click on the video player in the left margin to see the Culver High School Black Horse Troop ride in the parade.

Fifteen minutes into the parade, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, stepped out of the limo and walked along the parade route for several blocks.

A couple of moments later, Vice President Biden and his wife joined them on the walk. The event paid homage to pioneers who paved the way for the nation's first black chief executive.

The parade also showcased re-enactors from a black Civil War regiment, World War II's surviving Tuskegee Airmen and Freedom Riders from the civil rights movement.

Bands from five historically black colleges were among the more than 40 musical groups marching proudly.

The President then watched the remainder of the event from the reviewing stand at the White House.

Security along Pennsylvania Avenue was extremely tight. The Secret Service estimated a crowd of over 300,000 people, even though there were only 5,000 bleacher seats on the parade route.

Over three-and-a-half square miles of downtown Washington Streets were closed off for the event.