(CNN) -- Friends and strangers across the country gathered on the streets and in schools, churches, bars and auditoriums to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the United States.



A diverse crowd in Los Angeles, California, cheers as Barack Obama takes the oath of office Tuesday.



"It's a great day to be an American," iReporter Roger Germann said at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, where revelers watched the inauguration on television monitors among exhibits of sharks and otters.



Tuesday's inauguration brought together Americans from different walks of life, united in their hope that Obama will deliver on his promise to change the nation's course. Click the links to read views on President Obama's inauguration from people across the country.



Reaction to speech What Obama means to Americans Hopes for Obama



Reaction to speech



Public inauguration-viewing parties were held in auditoriums, schools and arenas across the country, where the atmosphere mirrored the excitement in Washington.  Watch people react at viewing parties »



"People are cheering here as if they were there," Irene Koehler of Fremont, California, said of the atmosphere in Oakland's Oracle Arena.



More than 200 parishioners from the First AME Church, the largest African-American Church in Los Angeles, gathered in the recreation hall to pray together and share in the excitement of an historic moment



Dressed in Obama shirts and hats, the level of audience participation had the effect of transporting the crowd to Washington.



They stood when Sen. Dianne Feinstein asked the crowd to "please stand" and bowed their heads in prayer. They sang along with Aretha Franklin and even took pictures of the screen when Obama appeared.



A handful of viewers had tears in their eyes, but most were filled with "pure joy."



"On Election Night, I was full of tears. I am all cried out -- it is all about joy now," said 72-year-old Shirley Turner-Haymer, the granddaughter of a former slave.



Even young parishioners derived some significance from the event.



"It's really inspirational that we have a black president now ... because now I could see I can do whatever I want," said David Colvin, 10.



Lynn Gabriel Thomas, far right, says she is watching the inauguration in honor of her father.



Lynn Gabriel Thomas, daughter of Tuskegee Airman Daniel Moore, was one of about 300 people who crammed into the Jackie Robinson Center in Pasadena, California, to watch the inauguration.



"My father would be so thrilled to see this, Barack Obama being sworn in." Thomas said. "He loved parades, and he hated crowds. I'm here for him."



Across the country in New York's Bronx borough, students huddled in the halls of a school to watch the ceremony on a projection screen.



"They were cheering; they were clapping; they were in awe because everything we had talked about they were able to see," teacher Marta Rendon said.



"When they heard Obama's speech, they were right there clapping and screaming with the rest of us. It was really something. It was really amazing.  Watch Obama promise hope over fear »



More than 100 people gathered at the central library in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, to watch the ceremony.



"It was really exciting to see people being excited about the country and really happy about there being a new president. And it was great to see such a collective sense of community ... hope and happiness," said Jessica Namakkal, a 29-year-old graduate student from Minneapolis.



"I think Obama's speech was great and that he really addressed the past eight years in a diplomatic and fair way, while also sort of pushing forward in a good way."



The unusually bitter cold affected the turnout at Daytona Beach, Florida's, outdoor inauguration celebration, forcing people to take shelter at a local bar.



Sean Mingo and his mother, Joan, watched the inauguration in Daytona Beach, Florida.



More than 50 people packed into Mai Tai
What inspiration did Obama provide? when did this happen What does the republican hope?
I could see I can do whatever I want," Tuesday. that Obama will deliver on his promise to change the nation's course.
question: What inspiration did Obama provide?, answer: I could see I can do whatever I want," | question: when did this happen, answer: Tuesday. | question: What does the republican hope?, answer: that Obama will deliver on his promise to change the nation's course.