Photo: The Beast: the presidential limousine.
Where the President goes, the 17-piece motorcade goes as well. Including the moving studio apartment known as The Beast. Taking over whose street his street in the heart of Washington DC is one thing. But the admittedly single-lane blacktops in and around Cornwall, UK? Not so much.
11 June 2021 | James Porteous | Clipper Media
Anyone lucky enough to be in Washington DC ‘in session’ may have marveled at the sight of the presidential mortorcade that often takes over huge swathes of the city.
I happened to be walking near the Capitol one day years ago when I came upon a small but growing crowd of tourists milling about.
I had no idea what was happening but I decided to mill as well.
It soon became clear that the police and others were blocking off access to every single road between the Capitol and the White House.
What followed was performed with clockwork precision as police cars and motorcycles and I guess sharpshooters took their positions along the long, long route, each patiently waiting for The Moment of Truth.
Where can I spot a motorcade? You might see a motorcade anywhere around town, but the most likely zone to watch the president roll by is near Pennsylvania Avenue in Penn Quarter and downtown near the White House, where the motorcade commonly travels along – and stops traffic on – 16th Street NW or Connecticut Avenue NW.
By now there were hundreds of people lining the street, as far as the eye could see.
We were in a trance, knowing that something was about to happen but with no real idea how it would play out.
And then, finally (and I mean a good half hour after we had first started to congregate!) the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, coming closer and closer, yet so far away it was still a sound and not a sight.
And then, like a moveable tornado, a seemingly endless line of vehicles came into view. Identical black SUVs, a fire truck, ambulance, secret service hanging from vehicles, all rushing past in a blur.
And then, in the middle, The Beast, an absurdly huge studio apartment on wheels.
Taking over whose street his street in the heart of Washington DC is one thing. But the admittedly single-lane blacktops in and around Cornwall, UK? Not so much.
“Joe Biden’s 17-vehicle motorcade charged through a sleepy Cornish town in the middle of the night, complete with a bulletproof limo, anti-IED jamming truck, an ambulance and dozens of heavily-armed Security Service agents.”
Below, with thanks to the Daily Mail, are some photos of some of the 17 vehicles taking part in this vehicular version of Russian Roulette.
