WASHINGTON - Knocking at the door of history, Barack Obama came calling at the White House to meet with outgoing President George Bush, as hundreds of thousands gathered at the Capitol for Tuesday’s inauguration of America’s first black president.

Arriving in ‘The Beast’, Obama’s 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine with doors designed to withstand a bomb blast, Obama and wife Michelle were greeted in the front portico of the storied presidential mansion by Bush and still the first lady Laura.

Michelle handed over a gift box tied with a red ribbon to Laura before going in for a cup of coffee. Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill arrived at the White House shortly before the Obamas.

After coffee the Obamas, Bushes and Bidens headed for the Capitol in a procession with the president and his successor in one limousine and Michelle and Laura in another.

Earlier, the Obamas attended a prayer service at the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church and then headed to the nearby White House. The 9 a.m. church service kicked off a day of events for the man who will become the nation’s 44th president at noon.

Known as the ‘Presidents Church’, nation’s leaders from Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush have prayed there with Pew 54 designated the President’s Pew.

Washington awoke Tuesday crowded and excited with the inauguration of a new president. Thousands arrived before daylight Tuesday in standing-room-only trains. They carried blankets and wore Obama scarves to ward off the wind chills below 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

As many as 2 million people are expected to crowd into the area between the Capitol, the White House and the Lincoln Memorial as Obama takes the oath of office.