Results tagged “inauguralparade”

The however many million people visiting D.C. this week did not disappoint, filling a whole episode's worth of overheards.

Attention all inaugural ticket holders who are still smarting over harrowing security gate experiences: the Presidential Inaugural Committee really does feel bad. To prove it, they are offering to give you free stuff. Said stuff is said to be copies of the Swearing-In invitation and program, photos of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and a color print of the ceremony itself. Does this free stuff make up for you feeling super disappointed/having been actually frightened by an angry mob/spending money and time on something that you didn't get to experience? You tell us.

The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, entered his motorcade at around 3:30 p.m. EST at the U.S. Capitol, and started traveling at a slow roll down Pennsylvania Ave. toward the White House.

By now we've received dozens of tips and reports from readers as they made their way away from the National Mall. Some people told us about how they never made it inside an area where they had tickets—both at the Swearing-In and along the parade route. Others expressed relief at having had an easier time than they expected. There was word of pushing and shoving as crowds trying to leave the National Mall at 14th Street were crushed together. And there was tale of incredible kindness and good spirits as strangers tried to help each other find their way out of the throng.

Good Inauguration Day morning, Washington!

I've been following all the transportation plans and announcements for weeks. I've poured over Metrobus corridor plans, street closure maps, parking restriction maps, Metrorail station closures, bridge closure rules, jumbotron locations, and lists of security checkpoint entrances. And to all of you out there still sitting there, at 10 p.m. on Inauguration Eve, wondering exactly which way you're going to get down to the Inauguration festivities tomorrow morning, all I can say is, best of luck to you.

Some of the 5,000 people who have bleacher tickets to the Inaugural Parade route on Tuesday need to check the attitude. Look at this washingtonpost.com chat with D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier. One person asks Lanier to clear up some perceived confusion about what will happen once the parade route reaches capacity. Do ticket holders really need to show up as early as those who will be in the standing room-only sections? Lanier smartly advises that ticket holders should expect the U.S. Park Police to stay true to their word and close all security checkpoints to the parade route by 10 or 11 a.m., once the area is at capacity. "This is important so ticket holders do not come late thinking that they will be able to get in at any time," Lanier said. About a dozen comments later, "JennX" writes indignantly,

This is absurd. If I have a ticket to a seated area for the parade (I do) and arrive after the swearing-in-- say 12:30-- even if the standing areas along the parade route are deemed to be "at capacity," the ticketed areas clearly are NOT since the person who holds a ticket to sit there-- ME-- isn't there yet. So why can't I watch the swearing in, revel in the atmosphere on the Mall, and then dart over to my assigned, ticketed, PAID FOR seating area?

The message that spectators simply won't be able to get to the parade route if they wait until after the Swearing-In Ceremony has been repeated over and over for the last several weeks. If you happen to have gotten lucky and been able to pay all of $25 for the privilege of being able to sit down during the parade, we have a tip for you: get down there by 9 a.m. and sit in your seat and be happy you have it. The idea that you expect special treatment from the U.S. Park Police really sounds a bit silly.

For D.C. residents and visitors alike, it seems like the planning for Inauguration has been haphazard at best. Even the people tasked with running the show don't know what's going on. But there is one thing we can all be certain of on Tuesday: the Inaugural lunch. The Senate has put together an entire webpage devoted to Barack Obama's first meal as president, complete with wine pairings and recipes. The meal, which is inspired by Abraham Lincoln, features "a brace of American birds" and will be served on a replica of Mary Todd Lincoln's china. For the overly curious, you can also learn about the flower arrangements, artwork, and weird glass tchotchkes that will be presented during the meal.

You already knew that the Secret Service had ordered the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter and the Smithsonian Metro stations to be closed on Inauguration Day, Tuesday, January 20, for security reasons. Now comes word that two additional stations, Judiciary Square and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St Convention Center, will also close for part of the day due to their proximity to locations hosting Inaugural Balls.

Did you brave Sunday's cold temperatures to take in the official rehearsal of the presidential inauguration ceremonies? A few of our Flickr contributors did, and they grabbed these shots to share with DCist readers.

Yep. In news that will shock literally no one, Ticketmaster's allotment of 5,000 inaugural parade tickets sold out in under a minute — this was the image that greeted us at 1:01 p.m. on the dot. Did anyone actually manage to score any? A few are already starting to pop up on Craigslist.

Tickets for the 56th Inaugural Parade go on sale to the public at 1 p.m. today for $25 each through Ticketmaster. There are only 5,000 such tickets for bleacher seats being made available to the public, so expect them to go in the blink of an eye. Each person is limited to four tickets per purchase.

As expected, the U.S. Secret Service, along with regional transportation officials and the MPD, unveiled their plan yesterday to close all Potomac River bridge crossings on Inauguration Day. The announcement also included the above map, which shows plans to close off almost 3.5 square miles of downtown Washington to vehicular traffic starting at 3 p.m. on January 19 until the morning of January 21. You can download PDFs of both the Law Enforcement and Public Safety Public Affairs Subcommittee Joint Transportation Plan and the Secret Service Security Plan at the D.C. government's Getting There web site. Both documents contain extensive information on road closures and restrictions throughout the inaugural celebration period. Maryland and Virginia also have special web sites set up with the latest information. Below the jump, you'll find excerpts from the recent announcements that include lists of road closures and traffic restrictions. Of special note for those of you planning on walking down to the National Mall for the inauguration will be the list of pedestrian access points -- you'll want to pick which way you plan to walk before you set out that morning, or you may find yourself stuck.

Both the AP and the Post picked up the Presidential Inaugural Committee's decision to hold an essay contest to award parade viewing stand tickets to over 100 D.C. students. The contest, which asks students to write 500-word essays responding to the question, "How can I contribute to my neighborhood through community service?", is open to any public or private middle school or high school student in the District. Since the contest is aimed at minors, the PIC is asking parents to submit their child's essay for them, which can't help but make us wonder how many of these essays will basically be written by the parents instead of the kids. Selected entrants get three free parade tickets -- so parents, click here to get started on your (ahem) child's application. Essays are due by 11:59 p.m. on January 11.

Fox 5 reminds us that the deadline to apply to be a volunteer at one of the many presidential inauguration festivities, celebrations and ceremonies is tonight at midnight. The Presidential Inauguration Committee needs as many as 18,000 volunteers for the several days surrounding Jan. 20, though be warned that 60,000 people have reportedly already signed up for the spots. Still, the volunteer application form makes it pretty plain that the PIC favors those folks who live in the area and won't have transportation issues, are familiar with the city, and have previous volunteer experience -- all prerequisites we're sure DCist readers have in spades. Just make sure to fill out the form by midnight, and keep your fingers crossed that you'll be one of those selected. You won't get to pick your assignment, but you will get a meal, a commemorative volunteer credential, and a red hat.

Reader Matt Ashburn sent in these captures of workers installing special street lamp globes adorned with golden eagles along Pennsylvania Ave. The eagles are being placed in time for the inaugural parade on Jan. 20.