A throng of people squeezed around a single entrance into Grant Park, and the streets of Congress Parkway and Michigan Avenue became filled with a diverse crowd spanning from all states throughout the country and some that even traversed over the Atlantic Ocean-all to catch a hopeful glimpse of the president-to-be.

The message “Welcome to Election Night in Grant Park” began to boom from loud speakers just as dusk fell over the giddy crowd. An overabundance of American flags colored the group of restless people in a blur of reds, whites and blues as hugs and high-fives were dealt furiously, and friendly conversations sparked between complete strangers as they spoke anxiously of their election predictions. These people were all brought together for one cause-Barack Obama.

Arriving in the United States at 6 a.m. on Nov. 4, Gary Lidington, 47, didn’t want the Atlantic Ocean to get between his missing of another historical moment during his lifetime. Lidington stood in the non-ticketed line with an unmatchable excitement as he waited for the night’s events to unfold.

The sheer notion that he was in Chicago and in Grant Park during Obama’s election was enough-he didn’t need a ticket to the event to justify his nine-hour trip from London to Chicago. Lidington was happy just to be there and hang out among people who held the same beliefs and passion. But ultimately, his greatest anticipation was to see how the city would react.

“In 1990 I missed it when the Berlin Wall was torn down, and I have never let myself live that down,” Lidington said. “I just couldn’t let myself sit back and miss another genuinely historical moment.”

Lidington’s trip to the United States was short-lived, and after the rally in Grant Park wrapped up and shut off its beaming bright lights, he had plans to return to O’Hare International Airport and fly back home on Nov. 5 to London, which he believed would find Obama’s election just as epic as the United States.

“When Obama wins, it’s not just for the U.S., but for the entire world,” Lidington said. “This is absolutely enormous for everyone.”

Residents from states all over the country made their own smaller-scale voyages. Kelly Wilson, 42, and her two daughters came from Ohio, crammed into their two-door car for a six-hour drive. The three were unable to find a room at any nearby hotels, so they ended up staying at an O’Hare hotel, where they left at 8 a.m. to travel downtown via the CTA.

“Ohio’s role in the election is huge,” Wilson said. “I had to be in Chicago to represent our state.”

Online carpooling community Zimride and other websites like Craigslist and Facebook made it easier for those within the United States to make their way to Chicago for the night.

Under the “rideshare” section of Craigslist were several requests for rides to Grant Park for the rally from people outside of Illinois, like Texas and Indiana.

Zimride created a carpooling application for Facebook users that would allow them to create requests for needed trips. And with a click of a button, those heading in the same direction could offer a ride.

Frederikka Toemmergaard, 27, also made a trans-atlantic journey and flew in on Oct. 31 from Denmark.

Toemmergaard said she met up with two friends in St. Louis, and the three of them drove into Chicago on Nov. 4 to catch the Obama rally.

The group stood out like a sore thumb as they camped out on the sidewalk of Columbus Drive with bags of luggage filled with clothes and food cluttered around them.

Toemmergaard said one of the most incredible things about the election is how engaged and passionate people are for the future of their country.

Seeing the giant Obama buttons and extravagant shirts of red, white and blue is something that Toemmergaard would never experience in Denmark, which tends to be much quieter and subdued when it comes to politics, she said.

To her, the experience in Grant Park was filled with an intense energy that is incomparable.

“We want to be in the front row when things happen. I want to be able to say to my kids that I was there when Obama was elected and made his speech,” Toemmergaard said. “This is a lifetime experience.”