White Oak Democrat Steve Safos took a gamble on Donald Trump in the November election. So it’s fitting that Safos, 43, chose to watch Trump’s inauguration Friday at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh before spending the afternoon betting at the casino. Safos, who voted for Barack Obama in the previous two elections, said he isn’t convinced his gamble on Trump will pay off. “We’ll see how it goes. If it doesn’t go well, I’ll go back to voting Democrat,” Safos said. While many people across Western Pennsylvania made a point of watching Trump’s inauguration on television or online, some went out of their way to do anything but watch it. It seemed to catch others off guard. The historic national event took a backseat to monumental events in local people’s personal lives. Others went about their normal routines. Inaugural anniversary High school sweethearts Lucas and Savannah Reekie started their day by getting married at the Allegheny County Courthouse. A more intimate ceremony followed at Point State Park, where Lucas, 20, described Savannah, 19, as his best friend and she said she’d love him no matter how far away he was. They kissed and exchanged rings. Later, Lucas scooped up his wife as they stood along the river, and he held her close. Lucas and Savannah Reekie were married at the Allegheny County Courthouse and went to Point State Park for a small ceremony and photos. Photo by Aaron Aupperlee Trump’s inauguration couldn’t have been further from their minds. They focused on making the most of their short time together. “Only a few hours,” Savannah said, unable to contain the smile on her face. Four hours later, Lucas, an airman first class in the Air Force, needed to board a plane bound for El Paso, Texas, where he is stationed. Nearby, Mark Edwards, 56, walked his 11â?„2-year-old American foxhound, Scout. “We try to get out most days. He has a lot of energy,” Edwards said as Scout tugged at his leash and ran circles around Edwards. Edwards, who lives in Downtown’s Gateway Tower, said he watched pre-inauguration coverage. Friends who traveled to Washington for the event also sent photos to him all morning. Across the Allegheny River on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, people went about their business. Workers set up for a Steelers pep rally being held Friday evening at Stage AE. Employees inside the Tilted Kilt hustled to get the bar and restaurant ready to open. Jerry Smith, 22, extended a squeegee to clean the top windows of Rally House, a Pittsburgh sports fan store at West General Robinson Street and Mazeroski Way. “We wash windows in the rain, snow, anything,” Smith said on the rain-soaked morning. He listened to a podcast as he worked, unaware of the inauguration until asked about it by a reporter. Watching in silence In the basement level of the William Pitt Union on the University of Pittsburgh campus, three large television screens showed Trump’s inauguration on C-SPAN. The volume was turned off on each TV. Only two people paid attention: a man in his 60s and a woman in her 50s who were sitting at different tables. Four students at tables in front of the TVs buried their heads in laptops and smartphones. Two students played pool in a corner 20 feet away. Two others — including 19-year-old computer science major Josh Dorn, who was wearing a “Youth for Trump” T-shirt — started a game of pingpong. University of Pittsburgh student Shreink Gadagkar, 19, watches the inauguration on his laptop as televisions play behind him inside of the William Pitt Union in Oakland. Photo by Nate Smallwood As the screens showed former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence being sworn in as vice president, Srihaasa Kompella, an 18-year-old freshman economics major, walked in and stared up at the screens. When she asked why the volume was off, a male student shrugged. “Does anyone care if I turn up the volume?” Kompella asked. No one protested. “…So help me God,” Pence said as the sound came on. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir began singing “America the Beautiful.” One of the students playing pool walked over, looked up and shook his head. “Oh God,” he said. “It’s happening.” More students took notice. They asked strangers if they could sit next to them at the chest-high tables in front of the TVs, then sat side-by-side and watched in complete silence. “I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear … that I will faithfully execute … the office of President of the United States,” Trump said. A woman sipped from her coffee. Kompella nibbled at a slice of pizza. Dorn continued to play pingpong. When Trump promised to “make America great again” at the conclusion of his speech, the crowd on television roared. The basement of the William Pitt Union was silent except for the sound of a pingpong ball bouncing from one student’s paddle to another. Lunch crowd At Downtown’s Mitchell’s Restaurant, a popular hangout for government workers and political operatives, Trump had his share of supporters. They applauded several times during Trump’s speech, which showed on big-screen TVs positioned around the bar. “I just liked that he talked about, kind of like Reagan did, giving government back to the people,” said Alan Marian, 47, of Penn Trafford. Doug Hamilton, 49, of Peters, called Trump’s speech “tremendous,” then groused, “What did our previous administration ever do for all of our returning veterans?” Not everyone was on board. “Struggles? What does he know about struggles?” someone yelled out during the speech. Nearby, a man drinking Miller Lite predicted that Trump’s presidency would last only one term. Mindy Barber, 47, of Industry, Beaver County, said she didn’t realize the inauguration was on Friday when she stopped at Mitchell’s for lunch. “Honestly, I’ve never watched one before. I don’t have anything to compare it to,” Barber said. At Fat Head’s Saloon on the South Side, TVs behind the bar and in the dining room were tuned to ESPN. A bartender said employees are generally supposed to keep CNN on at least one of the bar TVs. “I couldn’t do it today,” she said. Hollywood escape Glenn Campbell, 63, a Squirrel Hill Democrat, went to the movies instead of watching the inauguration. He caught an 11:40 a.m. showing of “The Founder,” a movie about the founding of McDonald’s, at a theater in The Waterfront retail complex. Campbell said he has respected previous Republican presidents but is no fan of Trump. “I think his actions demean the presidency,” Campbell said, citing the president’s use of Twitter to attack civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, and actress Meryl Streep. “I think sometimes you just be silent.” Nancy Holston, 64, and Deborah Diedrich, 57, of McDonald, caught the 12:20 p.m. showing of “Jackie,” about former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. “We’re avoiding it,” Holston said of the inauguration, complaining that Trump “really hasn’t done anything to unify the country.” The married couple planned to travel Saturday to Washington, D.C., to join the Women’s March on Washington. About 300 people gathered at Freedom Corner in the Hill District to protest Trump’s inauguration. The August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Downtown hosted an “Inauguration Day Alternative” event to celebrate the achievements of President Barack Obama. ‘Fridays are our days’ Inside the Oh! Nails salon in Penn Hills, Trump’s speech showed on a TV mounted above a sink in the rear of the salon. As he promised to make America strong, wealthy, proud and safe again, a manicurist idling between clients yawned. One customer watched intently while her nails dried. Two others focused on their smartphones. Three-year-old Maliyah blows on the freshly painted nails of her mom, Jocelyn Starks, 24, during a trip to a Penn Hills nail salon that coincided with Trump’s inauguration speech. Photo by Natasha Lindstrom After Trump said he’d make America great again, Jocelyn Starks, 24, turned to her manicurist and asked, “What’s the name of this nail polish?” Then Starks turned her attention to her 3-year-old daughter, Maliyah. “Show me how you do your letters,” Starks told her daughter as the youngster quietly fiddled on a handheld device as her mother’s shiny magenta nails dried under lamps. Starks, who works in food services for UPMC, acknowledged that she probably wouldn’t be watching the inauguration if she wasn’t at the salon. “Fridays are our days,” she said gesturing toward her daughter, who was using a stylus to draw a letter B on the device. “I’m off work, and she’s off day care, so we always spend Fridays together.” As for Trump becoming president, Starks said, “I’m still waiting for Ashton Kutcher to hop out and tell us it was all a joke. But it’s not.” Tribune-Review staffer writers Aaron Aupperlee, Bob Bauder, Theresa Clift, Megan Guza, Natasha Lindstrom, Chris Togneri and Wes Venteicher contributed. Tom Fontaine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7847 or tfontaine@tribweb.com. Email Newsletters TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.