This is intended as an open thread to assist Kossacks who want to attend the Inauguration festivities.
Okay, so you want to attend the inauguration festivities.
Are you sure? Here are some realities. If they are acceptable to you, great.
- Fun. Now that we know that THAT ONE is now President-elect THAT ONE, it's going to be absolutely wild. Why? Well, Democrats are more fun than Republicans and DC Democrats are already partying in the streets. This city's residents voted roughly 12:1 for our President-elect (no surprise) and it was already batshit wild on the streets. Good wild, but wild.
- Cash. Washington is an expensive city even during ordinary Januaries. But hotel rooms are booking up like lightning and a great many hotels are already fully booked according to informal reports. Accordingly, unless you have MASSIVE money and can get a lucky break, or have a free place to stay, you are likely to be staying further and further from the action. I expect hotels in Baltimore - 40 miles away - to feel pressure.
- Slush. I love cold weather, the slush, the rain, the ice - they purify my soul. But most people are not grim bastards like me. DC in late January and early February often has slush, freezing rain, sleet, with the temperature bouncing around 31 degrees F. I feel bad for any Hawaiians coming out here for this event. I feel worse for the visiting Kenyans, though that country has a cooler climate than you might think in the highlands. Point being: know that you are going in DC in prime snow and slush season.
- Traffic. While Inaug Day is the 20th (Tuesday) and the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday is right behind it on Monday the 19th, a lot of local folks still must put in a workday on either or each. Many law firms, for example, provide both days off but not all. Washington has the second longest commutes in the nation; for three years I commuted 4 hours round-trip from Baltimore County before moving down here.
- Partying. If you have tickets to an inaugural ball and are committed to going, great. If not, you may be looking for stuff to do that night. While there will probably be partying in the street, literally, in places like Adams Morgan, U Street, probably Georgetown, you may want to think ahead about what you will do once you see our President cruise up Pennsylvania Avenue giving a warm victory fist-bump to Sasha and Malia en route to his new
cubicle well-appointed ovacule. (Damn, that felt so good to think, let alone write.) In short, if you are going to come here, planning is a damn good idea.
Now if you are still interested in coming here, here's what I recommend.
a) Get your transit passes as needed in advance. There exist a variety of passes from Metro. (FYI - "Metro" is the informal name of the transit agency as well as the MetroRail that it runs. It also runs MetroBuses of different sorts and for destinations like Adams Morgan and Georgetown, the MetroBUSES are very useful.) If you cannot order the pass that you need, I urge that you get either one-day passes or a SmartCard adequately loaded for your full travel.
In short, you don't want to be standing in line for a la carte fares behind some pissed-off photographer working for the National Review who hates transit. Get the pass(es) or SmartCard early so that you need not refill them for your sojourn. Consider whether you will need bus and rail both, and plan/purchase accordingly.
Another tip: do not eat, drink or smoke on the Metro. They arrest 10 year-olds for eating their brown-bag lunches here. This is a DC Metro etiquette/survival guide. Please read it.
b) Closely related, forget about bringing a car into downtown DC that weekend. Seriously, f*** that noise. Unless you have very special needs (e.g. disabilities, bring infants, etc.) it's a terrible idea. Between the Secret Service, DHS, the DC Parking Gestapo, etc., your life may be miserable. Dump that car at a Metro transit lot in the outer perimeter or in a friend's garage. Don't try to outstupid Sarah Palin.
c) Dress warmly. Wear shoes that you are happy to have exhausted, cold feet in, as you may be standing in 3/4 inch of slush for 4 hours, then walking great distances. Spend money and get good ones; sometimes one must pay retail.
d) Secure your lodging. I intend this as an open thread for Kossacks inside the Beltway or nearby to consider offering their space to other Kossacks for free or at cost. Some Kossacks may have extra room; others may be planning to use the four-day weekend to get the hell out of dodge, and may rent their place or otherwise offer it. Now offering your quarters to a stranger, or accepting such, may merit some "getting to know each other" first; that's your department, not mine.
As for me, I have room for up to two backpackers/bring your own sleeping bag-ers in my modest apartment, but this is not an immediate offer right now (if you are interested, drop a comment and let's chat off-site.) Obviously, if you have the means and act VERY quickly, you may find motel lodging or the like that suits your needs tolerably close.
e) Consider organizing a Kossack Inauguration Day Party in your region if coming to DC doesn't work. We should probably have a running list of such parties nationwide (planetwide?)
f) If you are local and are either staying for the fun or getting out of town, please consider hosting a Kossack or subletting if you are able and feel comfortable doing so. It's what THAT ONE - himself a Kossack - would want you to do.
Thanks.
UPDATE: ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT WARRANTY I note the existence of this site:http://www.inauguraltickets.com/... I do not endorse it; caveat Kossack.
UPDATE II: http://inaugural.senate.gov/... is a link to the official inauguration ceremonies from the Senate. A Presidential Inaugural Committee is about to be formed to set up the inaugural balls - done after the election.
UPDATE III: A Wikipedia entry of some value: http://en.wikipedia.org/... , but WITHOUT WARRANTY again.