WASHINGTON — On planes and in cars, from the East and the West, Barack Obama fans have descended upon Deanna and Linphord Darlington's two-bedroom townhouse in the southwest section of the nation's capital.
Maryanne Rehberg and Chris Hogeland, both social workers, flew in from Santa Cruz on Thursday night to bunk in the loft.
Next came Deanna's brother and two longtime friends who caravaned from Rochester, N.Y., bearing an air mattress, blankets, pillows, lasagna and wine. Two of them snagged the guest room. The third scored the pullout sofa in the home office.
The final guest flew in from New York on Sunday morning. Grand total of houseguests: six.
"We should have an emergency evacuation plan -- 'the nearest exit may be behind you,' " said Rehberg, 41, who has known Deanna for 14 years. "Every surface space, every comforter, every drop of hot water is being utilized."
In the days before the inauguration, nearly all hotel rooms in town have been booked and apartments sublet, but that didn't stop thousands of Americans without reservations from making the pilgrimage to see Obama sworn in as president.
The housing solution they've found gives new meaning to Obama's pledge to unite the country. Across the Washington area, generous souls have turned their houses, apartments and dorm rooms into crash pads for friends and family members and their friends.
But it's not only a cheaper -- even cozier -- option. The inauguration has kicked off a national sleepover of the excited throngs who have flocked here.
"You have to make sure you experience this with everyone," said Nick Owen, student body president at Howard University, who shares a house with three roommates.
For most hosts facing the limits of sofa beds and bathrooms, being part of history trumps comfort. Owen, 21, is giving up his bedroom to two cousins and their two friends. He'll find a spot on the floor.
"It's a historic time. You have to do what you have to do," he said.
The guests who clustered in the airy living room of the Darlington townhouse Saturday afternoon have known each other for years, some since high school. They are a microcosm of the electorate that got Obama to this moment:
"Gay, straight, black, white," said Hogeland, 46, who is Rehberg's girlfriend.
They are all accustomed to each other's quirks, which makes sharing beds, floors and bathrooms a little easier.
