Inauguration Q's? PLEASE READ!
 

If you are coming to the DC area for the Inauguration or are even thinking of thinking of coming, PLEASE GO TO www.washingtonpost.com AND READ UP ON THE SITUATION!!! The impact of the inaugural events will also extend far into the suburbs, including Metro parking lots (will be closed or full by early AM), the Beltway (will be jammed), the George Washington Parkway (will be closed), bridges (most will be closed), MARC commuter trains (already sold out), the Metro trains and buses (you will wait in very long lines to just get into the Metro stations), toilets (won't be enough of them)...well you get the idea. Just to make it more interesting, the DC area is having a cold spell that might (but I hope not) last into next week. I'm talking Michigan, Wisconsin, and upstate New York C-O-L-D. It'll be an amazing day, but only the prepared and hardy will survive. ;-D

ttt

I wouldn't even consider trying to get anywhere via interstate from Richmond to Baltimore, frankly - esp. northern VA. I-95 will be gridlock from Richmond to DC - northbound on Sun. and Mon., southbound on Wed. I wouldn't want to mess with I95 north of DC or the BW parkway.

My sister, who lives in Arlington, says locals are just going to hide under their beds with TV and ice cream.

It's a great day in history, but I'm so grateful for distance from DC - just hope the history that's being made won't include catastrophic accidents due to the crush.

Well, maybe not ice cream, given the weather. Hot buttered rum?

We're about 10 miles from the center of DC, in Northern Virginia, and I was surprised to see the variable messages signs around town today encouraging people to take Metro to the "Major Event," and the "No Inauguration Parking" signs around my neighborhood stores!

As historic as this event is, we're treating this like the usually befuddled DC area "snow day," and staying put in our warm house with a rather enviable person-to-restroom ratio and no security lines!

Godspeed to all of you who are braver than we!

Best advice is to watch on TV. You will be warm, a clean toilet will be available, food will be in the refrigerator, etc. Downtown will be a crush, cold, portapotties for toilets (ugh!) and long lines for what food is available.

<b>FROZEN</b> portapotties for toilets (double UGH!!)

People coming for President Obama's inauguration are coming for an emotional experience. They will get it even if they don't see anything of Obama (and I doubt I will!). I will be with a group of kids from Newark, NJ. The tour company I am working for has 30 groups in town over inauguration and we will all be exhausted. On the night of the 20th they have planned a mock inaugural ball with actors showing up as former presidents. My hunch is that the kids will have a better time (not to mention more food) than those attending the official balls.

We will spend a lot of time in traffic. If it really gets annoying, I have some historical videos I can show them (from the Biography program, etc.).

With all the downers and the disgusting freezing toilets, the kids will have a blast. I know I will be glad on the 21st when it is all over. They are all getting handouts about the drill if they get separated from the group. We meet at our bus parking--which, because it was reserved ahead of time, is within walking distance of The Mall. People coming by themselves on the Metro will have more difficulties than the group will and we do have a toilet on the bus.

I will be packing hand sanitizer and plenty of little packs of tissues in case the toilets run out. When you go to an event like this, you must be prepared for inconveniences.

If I were not working, I would be watching the entire extravaganza on TV.