We apologize if we’re going into Inaugural overload. But when your city is effectively shut down, it is difficult to really avoid it.

So last night, this DCist did a little tour to see what was going on around town. At dinner in Dupont Circle, a friend said of the regular stream of helicopters circling the city’s central neighborhoods: “Is this like the Tet offensive?

Limos of all sorts of flavors and colors (black, white, beige, Hummer, SUV, prom-like) were driving all around. Downtown streets were shut down. Black SUVs were out in full force. And in Woodley Park, traffic near the Wardman Park hotel — including two massive Purdue University glee club buses and numerous other coaches, cars, limos and security vehicles — was clogged with those heading to and from the Black Tie and Boots ball.

But we did see perhaps the Inaugural’s first victim: a bicyclist seemed to have been hit by a car at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Calvert Street sometime around 10:30 p.m. Police and fire personnel attended to the bicyclist (who we think, and hope, is OK), while other police officials spoke to the apparent driver of the vehicle: a man in a cowboy hat. The woman who was presumably his date stood on a nearby sidewalk like an iceberg, and was too wearing a cowboy hat. In a city that is among the bluest of the blue, such a symbolic image could spark instant anger. Or at least a quick comment tied to Inaugural frustrations.

(Early morning live shot from a DDOT camera fixed on the corner of Seventh Street SW and Independence Avenue, where you can see the first ring of security barriers.)

Filed Under: Black Tie, Calvert Street, connecticut avenue, dcist, downtown, dupont circle, fire, inauguration, independence avenue, neighborhoods, Observing DC, police, seventh street, Street SW, suv, the city, traffic, university, woodley park,