Outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed his successor Barack Obama and his family to the White House for a coffee break on Tuesday morning, before accompanying them to the Capitol for the historic inauguration.

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill also joined them at the coffee table.

Earlier, the incoming first and second families of the United States began a hectic day by attending a morning prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House, in keeping with a tradition for those about to become president.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people, bundled against a frigid weather well below zero, streamed into the vast green at the National Mall and nearby reviewing areas in the city center, eagerly awaiting the historic inauguration of America's first black president.

Up to 2 million people, who came to the U.S. capital from all around the globe, are expected to witness the first change of administration since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2009)