December 21, 2008
Inauguration City: Confidence Slightly Fading
Less than a month, folks. That's all the time this city has left before untold masses descend to witness Barack Obama's first day on the job. That said, color this resident slightly concerned about this Examiner report, in which the phrase "we're still working on that" is prominently featured. Also, if there's any way that the words "Inauguration," "perplexed," and "logistics" could be kept out of the same headline, that would be great. Yup, less than a month.
Norton's Got Our Back: In other news, here's why everyone loves Eleanor Holmes Norton -- the woman is always advocating for those of us who will be here after those said untold masses vacate. In addition to her plea to local buildings to provide shelter during the more-than-likely chilly Inauguration, Norton is asking Congress to double the funds currently allocated to the District for the ceremony -- noting that that figure would still pale in comparison to the funding amounts received by Denver and St. Paul for this past year's Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Recent cost estimates for the city are in the $25 million range, but with our new-found budget deficit, the city isn't really in the best shape to be flashing the cash.
City May Close Freeway For Buses: Mayor Fenty is working with officials to decide which roads will need to be closed in order to facilitate tour buses with no where else to park. Early candidates include the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, and the Roosevelt and 14th Street Bridges -- but, really, were any of you actually planning on crossing from Virginia into D.C. via car on Inauguration Day? Alright then, let's just move on.
Elsewhere: Metro's four-year-long upgrade of power substations to run eight-car trains during high tourist periods looks good to go for Inauguration Day...CBS News took a noisy video tour of the under-construction Capitol...D.C. police officer pleads guilty to assault of protester during the 2005 Inauguration.
Photo of the Inaugural parade route by christaki.
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maybe we should farm out the inauguration to somewhere else that 1) has the room and 2) needs the influx of money more than DC does (not saying we couldn't use it, but there are other cities in worse shape financially, etc., than us)
inauguration 2009—detroit
whaddya all say?
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I continue to wonder where every one is going to park. My guess is the beltway will be the defacto parking lot for many of the visitors. Too bad they will miss the party.
If 4 million people are expected to attend, that's a hell of a lot of cars and buses. I have no idea how that many people could be moved into the city, and have a spot for their vehicles. Maybe shut down 95 some where around Spotsylvania in VA, and Columbia in MD, and only run buses from there.
And god forbid it there were an emergency. DC's evacuation plans aren't even adequate for the citizens that live there.
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Even if only half the projected "4 million" come to the event, this is going to be massive chaos. I wonder how many of them have no actual plan and are really thinking about spending most of their day outdoors in freezing (most likely) temps. Heaven forbid we have a snowstorm, but it's happened before on MLK weekend and is certainly possible. For everyone's sake, I hope it's one of those 50 degree days with sunny skies.
How are people who MUST work going to get to work that day? Doctors, nurses, police, Metro workers, etc.
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"How are people who MUST work going to get to work that day? Doctors, nurses, police, Metro workers, etc."
Walk. METRO. Camp out in the office cubes. 'Cause vast swaths of downtown, and several bridges into and out of it, will be closed to auto traffic.
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My mind keeps circling back to that scene from Independence Day where everyone's trying to flee DC but is completely stuck in traffic. Natural disasters such as Katrina give a real-life picture of what massive traffic looks like. And the major roads in and out of DC are strained by rush hour traffic on a normal day...
Frankly, DC residents would be smart to treat the event as through it were a natural disaster of sorts -- stock up on food, bring loose objects in the yard inside, get a few DVD's, and expect to bunker down for a few days. Those who absolutely must to go to work should plan accordingly -- stay with a friend close to the office, bring a sleeping bag and camp out in someone's office, or map out several different routes via quiet backstreets. Oh yeah, and fill up the gas tank before heading out.
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I keep reading that "4 million" figure. Does anyone know where that came from? I'm kinda thinking this is going to end up being "million man march" levels of overestimation. Still, even a million or less visitors will end up sucking hard. Every restaurant will have an $78 "innauguration special" consisting of a small plate of boiled rat, a glass of urine, and a broomstick in the a$$, and you don't get to keep the stick.
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I believe the "4 million" figure came from the Mayor's imaginary mental calculator.
Even if it's only 2 million, that's a heck of a lot of people standing around in the cold. It will be the perfect feeding frenzy for the Morlock community.
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Morlocks are smart enough not to stand around in the cold like a dumbass. They left town weeks ago, after renting out their sewers for exhorbitant fees. Their definition of "centrally located English basement" is pretty broad.
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Congrats to Metro on getting some good press for a change! We'll do this again in another four years.
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well, some lucky visitor can have my cramped viewing spot on the mall. i'm staying tucked away in my warm apartment until i see some of the freaking change i believed in. seriously....
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Confidence can only fade if you have confidence to start with. This is Washington, D.C. we're talking about. How can anyone have any confidence that the city has the management skills to pull this off?