Photo by primplan

Good Inauguration Day morning, Washington!

It looks like a lot of you got up early. Really, really early. At 6 a.m., we were already getting concerned text messages from our correspondents who saw on television that the front part of the National Mall appeared to be almost full. By 6:11 a.m., Metro’s parking lots at the New Carollton, Greenbelt, and Branch Ave. Metro stations, three of the largest lots at the end of Metro lines in Maryland, were already full and closed. By 6:45 a.m., the, Fort Totten, Rhode Island Avenue, Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn and Largo Town Center Metro parking lots were also full. If you’re driving in to a Metro parking lot from the suburbs after 7 a.m., you’re already out of luck.

6:30 a.m.: DCist’s Martin Austermuhle reports “total chaos on Independence Ave. SW.” The crowd heading to the National Mall appears to be wall-to-wall tourists, and everyone is lost. This brings up an interesting point for locals: if 2 million people are potentially going to ask you for directions today, do you really want to gain a reputation in the crowd as being knowledgeable? Quote of the morning, from a man near Federal Center SW: “OK folks, it’s time to play a game… it’s called, ‘let’s find the Mall!”

6:36 a.m.: WTOP reports that the Blue and Oange line trains were bypassing Federal Center SW due to crowded conditions until further notice.

6:45 a.m.: DCist Martin made it to the National Mall’s media tent, and says that it ended up being relatively easy to get there. It’s crowded on the Mall, he says, but not yet at capacity like some TV reporters have insinuated.

We’ll be doing our best to bring you reports from DCist’s correspondents in the field throughout the day, though cell phone service is likely to be a problem.

Stay tuned to DCist … it’s going to be a long, cold, big, exciting historic day.