Metro announced that they are running a rush-hour schedule for virtually the entire day....

Biking in makes sense, but I would suggest that depending on where you live, try parking 10 miles away and then riding closer. Have shoes that you would be comfortable walking in, and bring enough layers that you will be warm just standing around for a while.

If they are right about the number of people, there will probably be *tons* of people walking all over the place. Sidewalks and trails are going to be full, and as you get closer you would end up riding in the street.

The thing that resembles this the closest is July the 4th, I guess. But that is in the summer and people would be comfortable hanging around all day. If you work downtown and have a building pass of some sort, bring it with you so you have a place to go in and warm up.

I can't decide if this thread is a joke or not.

^^^ The renting-your-apartment-out part is something I was joking about, but man.. I have to say that it's getting to be tempting.

Right now there are over 8000 listings on Craigslist if I search for "inauguration" in the Housing category.
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/s...y=inauguration

My rental room has cable for only $2,900 and I'll throw in free breakfast :D I can also provide a loaner bike if you ride 56cm - 61cm.

The C&O canal is a straight shot into Georgetown and I suspect it won't be flooded with pedestrians. Finding parking close to the canal would be an issue.

Do you guys really get just how historically significant this election was for the whole world, not just for the USA? You know, my wife and I would love to go to the inauguration and I'm not even American! unfortunately we're not in a position to go.

If I were an American citizen, especially if I lived somewhere in or near DC, I'd be there.

Oh, damn... I can do that, too.

Let's see -- queen-size bed, comfy couch, just enough floor space for a sleeping bag, and some bikes. Here's the icing on the cake: I even have a garaged parking spot. I could host a few people here, park my car at work, and either sleep at work or at a friend's. And I could still head down for the festivities.

*edit* I've also got a Wii. :D

At least you'll be able to see and hear what's going on if you watch it on TV. I don't see the point in cramming in with 4 million people just to say I was there. Of course, I don't like Obama any more than the rest of the politicians.

^^^ Well, it's partly to say you were there, and partly to be with all those other people. That's why you go to a football game even if you're in the top deck and can hardly see the ball -- it's the energy of the crowd that makes it more fun.

Yeah, I get it. But not every American can go. It's going to be plenty crowded with "only" one per cent of the population there (3.1 million people).

Sure. MapQuest says it's only a tick over a thousand miles from Little Rock to Washington. If I start pedaling on New Years, I should be able to reach there by Inauguration Day no problem. :thumb:

Currently a young man is commuting to the inauguration.... from LA. He's in Texas currently:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...&postcount=254

His route as of now is across Adventure Cycling's Souther Tier route, and then up the coast to DC.

Any suggestions, tips, etc, you DC commuters can offer him?

While true, remember that *almost* half of us voted for the other guy! :)

I'd love to be there, too, but it's in the middle of winter and it's a 7 hour drive.

There are a lot of people who are saying that this presidency is going to be of historic significance. This is generally a reference to Barak Obama being the first American president of African-American descent. Certainly this is significant here in the United States, but from a world perspective, it is but a footnote. The idea that Barak Obama’s presidency is automatically of high historical significance to the world is a bit presumptuous. I do believe that there are people who have allowed their visceral hatred of George Bush to drive unrealistic expectations of the Obama presidency. And there are some who will only be happy if the Obama presidency reduces the United States the world’s lap dog, submitting to every whim of the world’s self proclaimed higher authorities. Pardon me for being the iconoclast, but I don’t see the US trading all its power and independence for the world’s approval. If the US does, it will be the first super-power in the history of the world to willingly do so. That indeed would be of historical significance. But I will reserve my judgment of the significance of the Obama presidency until after it’s over.

Now, to keep this on topic, there is no way in hell I’m subjecting myself to these types of crowds on the National Mall.

-Old Army

I hate crowds too, but if I was in any position to get there, it would be well worth it. I could tell my step-grandkids all about it.... :thumb:

It's going to be a total zoo. I've been to the Mall on the 4th of Jul,and those crowds were almost impossible to navigate. Plus the DC Council has voted to extend last call to 4am,which means the entire city is going to be Adams Morgan on a Sat night for a week. It's going to be stupid.

And this is all assuming nothing bad happens.

On the front page of the LA Times web site right now...

http://www.latimes.com/la-na-moment1...,3535091.story

I'm a native Washingtonian, lived here all my life and seen many of these big events come through. There's no way in HE** I'm going to be anywhere near DC while this is going on. First off, the crowds all around the DC Metro area are going to be horrendous. Then there's the terrorism threats (which are probably the least of my concerns, but a concern still). The biggest issue however, IMO, is what's going to happen with the crime when you go just a mile away from the parade route. Remember that all the MPD officers are basically being pulled in from every corner of the city to deal with this madness - what do you think happens in the surrounding areas? Crime soars. We have seen it happen with just about every major event that takes place downtown (July 4th is always bad). All the gangs that terrorize many of the neighborhoods in DC have a field day knowing that no one is going to respond to 911 calls. Nope, we're heading out of town to a little cabin in WVA for a few days.

Huge crowds and bitter cold will not make a pleasant time, no matter how historic.
Besides that, think of all the germs and viruses floating around.
It'll be one massive flu-fest.
Disgusting.

I agree, I can't believe the City Council passed that. Hello? Does anyone here remember the 68 riots? A lot of people here are just looking for an excuse to tear this city apart. IMO, the events should have been canceled. You don't need a big broo-haha to acknowledge what a momentous even this is. The bottom line is that many people in this city could care less WHO is elected - sadly, they are just looking for an opportunity to present itself. And with all the MPD officers down at the event, neighborhoods like Anacostia, Petworth, Columbia Heights, etc are going to be ripe for the picking.

It will be a grand and glorious event--the best party the world has seen since 12/31/1999. Obama is even more loved in the rest of the world than he is here in America.

Perhaps because the rest of the world doesn't live here.
Ignorance is bliss.

He shoulda took the Northern Tier... we're all "red" states down here where Obama lost bad in almost every state. We're sore losers, too ;-)

Metro announced that there'll be no bikes allowed in the Metro train system for the entire four days that weekend, January 17 - 20. They must be expecting extremely heavy ridership all weekend, usually they only prohibit bikes on the 4th of July!

There might be a million people with a great story about how they witnessed live the inauguration of Barack Obama, and one and a half million people with a horror story about how they travelled all the way to DC and missed the inauguration sitting in a car/tour bus/broken Metro train/cager.

George

Yep.. When was the last time the world witnessed foreigners flying American flags. They have now..