I was so super excited to go to the Rally to Restore Sanity this weekend, and I had a great time in D.C. But sadly, I didn’t get to see or hear much of the rally. It was rather disappointing. Apparently, though, I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

I don’t think anyone was quite prepared for the amount of people who came. Everyone on the National Mall was surprisingly nice and well-mannered, especially considering we were smushed up against each other and being whipped in the face with backpacks. (Sorry about that!) But the saneness of the group couldn’t make up for the tiny screens that were impossible to see unless one was directly in front of them, or the inadequate speakers over which I heard indistinguishable mumblings presumably belonging to Jon Stewart. I used to think the 1 train was awful during rush hour, but the Washington metros were so crowded yesterday, people were literally pressed against the windows and the doors couldn’t close.

I was also astonished at the age range of attendees. I figured the normal Daily Show/Colbert Report demographic would come out, but I had no idea that 3 year olds and retirees would make up such a large proportion of the crowd. While on the one hand, it was really cool to share this experience with such a diverse group—reasonableness is an admirable quality at any age—at certain moments I was a little frustrated. I mean, while definitely off the awesome charts, this wasn’t exactly a presidential inauguration or the March on Washington. I don’t know if the toddlers are really going to tell their future grandkids about this, in which case they might have been better off playing in a ball pit somewhere. And baby boomers have already had their own rallies. It would be nice if they would let us have our turn at being cool and politically active now.

All in all, it was worth my $40 bus tickets. While only my first rally experience, hopefully it will not be my last. I can always watch what I missed online, and I did see some neat media people taking pictures afterward. I socialized with rally-goers from across the country and got some swag. Anyway, Jon and Stephen are in New York all the time—I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.