If half a million people show up, the infrastructure should be okay, except for major issues such as transportation and dining near the mall.  But if a couple million people converge on the Mall, the infrastructure, along with the food service industries will be pushed to their limits.

So here’s a few of the potential “disasters” that might occur due to massive crowds attending the inauguration celebration, and my estimation of how likely it will happen.

1. Multiple hour waits to get on Metro trains leaving the National Mall — With crowds expected to run at least five times more than a typical July Fourth event, it’s likely that Metro will be overwhelmed, even with 15 hours of consecutive rush-hour scheduling. Likelihood – very high.
2. Mobile phone service will cease — Due to overwhelmed cell towers around the Mall, especially during the hours just before and after the ceremony, the cellular carriers will likely not be able to handle all of the call traffic.  Considering at times all over the Washington, DC area, especially during rush hour, it can be sometimes tough getting a call through, so don’t expect to place a call phone call on the first attempt 3 minutes before Obama takes his oath.  Likelihood – medium/high.
3. Chartered busses might not find parking – With upwards of 10,000 chartered busses potentially bringing people to the inauguration, where are they all to park? So far, potential places include Wolf Trap, JFK Stadium, Hanes Point, and more so parking should not be an issue. Likelihood – low.
4. Getting people from chartered busses at remote parking areas to the National Mall — Getting upwards of a half a million people to the Mall and then back again quickly will be an issue. So see #1. Likelihood – high.
5. Grocery stores will run out of staples – With a million-plus people who are not staying in hotels looking for items such as as bread and milk, grocers may run out quickly.  While the hint of a snowfall in the area causes some people to rush out and hoard 200 rolls of toilet paper and 40 gallons of milk, I doubt that retailers will miss the opportunity to stock up and make big bucks form our out of town visitors. Likelihood – very low.
6. Parking at Metro rail station will not accommodate all the cars — With only 60,000 parking spaces spread out over 42 stations, if you don’t get to the Metro very, VERY early, chances are you won’t get a parking spot. Again, see #1. Likelihood – very high.
7. Getting a meal on the Mall will require an act of Congress — You should be able to find plenty of hot dog vendors around the Mall on inauguration day. But if you want to wait out the exit rush after the ceremony, at a restaurant anywhere near the Mall, expect a multi-hour wait. Likelihood – high.
8. Restroom facilities will be tough to find – DC does a great job at having enough porta-potties at most major events in the Mall, so this shouldn’t be an issue. Likelihood – low.
9. Finding a taxi to get to or from the Mall – With all the expected street closures, security checkpoints, rerouted traffic patterns, and the massive crowds all heading to the same place, finding a cab (or for that matter, a cabbie willing to bring his cab anywhere near the expected gridlock on Mall that day) is unlikely. Likelihood – medium.
10. People will simply grin and bear it — In the crowd that descends on Washington, DC, there will be some complainers who expect a seat on the Metro train, a table at a restaurant just blocks from the Capitol, parking garages to have open spots an hour before the inauguration ceremony and no hassles getting to and from the Mall.  But I hope people will just expect the worst and smile when things go well.  Likelihood – high.

So what do you think?  Will Washington, DC handle the crowds or will it be a tourism nightmare?  Make a comment below.

Image – Flickr – 2005 inauguration

__________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

Nine cities, nine city-themed rooms, and a couple thousand people celebrating New Year’s Eve in Washington, DC.

City themes include music and food representing:

• New York City – hip and trends DJs keep the vibe live, and enjoy one of the local food items, Manhattan Clam Chowder.
• Chicago in the Roaring 1920s – No Prohibition here, with a fun swing band and of course pizza.
• Miami and Havana – a live Salsa band and a Cuban menu fills this room.
• Spirit of the Caribbean delivers the island feel with Reggae and Calypso.
• Boston boasts a live Irish band and New England Clam Chowder.
• Become a star at the Los Angeles Karaoke stage and enjoy Asian themed consumables.
• Spirit of the Caribbean delivers the island feel with Reggae and Calypso.
• Viva Las Vegas at a casino-themed room with mock casino and a hotel style buffet.
• Move south to Big D, Dallas and enjoy some good old Texas BBQ and Texas Hold ‘Em.
• Stop by paradise in the Maui-themed room,  and enjoy the live Polynesian band and a roasted whole Hawaiian Luau pig.

Promo Video

New Year’s Eve Salute to America Gala
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
2660 Woodley Road, NW
Washington, DC (map it)

Dates and Times – Wednesday, December 31, 2008, 9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Tickets – $174.00 and are available online, but prices go up as the date gets closer.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Woodley Park, Red line, then a 3-block walk.

Parking – Paid hotel parking is available, but may fill up.
___________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

A big hit at birthday parties, The Great Zucchini has entertained children at the White House Easter Egg Roll and the National Zoo.  He bring his interactive  show, especially for the toddler-set, to both of the Washington, DC’s area Cinema & Drafthouses in Arlington and Montgomery.

The Great Zucchini’s magic tricks may not be all that amazing to an adult, but his interaction with his pre-school audience, making himself the brunt of every joke, is what makes children howl with laughter.

The Great Zucchini 
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse
2903 Columbia Pike
Arlington, Virginia (map it)
and
Montgomery Cinema & Drafthouse
11006 Veirs Mill Road
Silver Spring, Maryland (map it)

Dates and Times 

• At the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse – Saturdays – January 10, 2009 at noon, February 14 at 11:00 a.m., March 14 at 11:00 a.m., and April 11 at 11:00 a.m.
• At the Montgomery Cinema & Drafthouse – Saturdays – all shows at 11:00 a.m. – Saturday Jan 24, 2009, February 28, March 28, and April 25.

Tickets – $8.00 and are available online.  These shows often sell out, so best to order tickets in advance.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Arlington Drafthouse – Pentagon City, Blue and Yellow lines, then a 1½ mile walk or cab ride. Montgomery Drafthouse – Wheaton – Red line, then a ¼ mile walk.

Parking – Arlington Drafthouse – Street and garage parking is available within a couple blocks of the theater.  Montgomery Drafthouse  – free parking at the Wheaton Plaza mall.

Images – Laughing child

_________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

If you are not inside the security perimeter, these rules will most likely not apply.

Note that strollers and chairs are on the list, so ATTENTION PARENTS with small children and people who may need to sit during the long wait.

Prohibited items at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration include, but are not limited to:

• Strollers
• Chairs
• Backpacks, large bags, duffel bags, suitcases
• Thermoses or coolers
• Signs or posters
• Firearms, ammo, explosives, fireworks, knives, blades, mace, pepper spray, or any other weapon or sharp objects (of any length)
• Umbrellas
• Laser pointers
• Animals (other than service animals)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Other items that may pose a security threat

So it looks as if people lucky enough to get inauguration tickets will be required to stand, leave small children at home or carry them, and only pack a small bag.

This list might actually lesson the number of people who attend the inauguration.  And as always, this list is subject to change.

The West Lawn of the Capitol grounds will open at 8:00 a.m.. with the event starting around 11:30 a.m. 

________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

A few of the model railroad layouts include themed displays including a huge 40 foot by 50 foot display, along with close to a dozen other major displays  from Washington, DC area model railroad clubs, representing all kinds of different themes. 

Plus, there’ll be an interactive slot car track and a train layout made exclusively out of Legos. 

For the smaller children, take them on the Train on Time, a riding train just for kids.

And if you didn’t find that special model railroad gift you were hoping for this Christmas, expect many vendors selling all kinds of model railroad gear.

The Greenberg Train & Toy Expo
Dulles Expo Center
4368 Chantilly Center
Chantilly, VA  (map it)

Dates and Times – Saturday and Sunday, December 27-28, 2008.  10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily.

Tickets – Adults – $7.00,  children 11 and under free. Admission is good for both days. Tickets are available at the door. 

Parking – Free.

Images – Flickr – station, Santa Fe

_________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

From klezmer bands to hip hop, hard rock and honky tonk; this should be a concert for the whole family to enjoy.  It’s a unique collection of some of the best of the annual Jewish holiday celebration songs.

With classics (and not so classics), like O Khanuke, O Khanuke, (I have a little) Dreydl, Honky Tonk Hanukkah and the fun On Christmas I Got Nothing, it’s hard not to find something to smile about.

Here’s the opening verse of On Christmas I Got Nothing (lyrics by Chuck Brodsky)

My family never roasted chestnuts – on an open fire
Never went around the neighborhood – singing carols with a choir
Never went to Midnight Mass & sat on cold hard pews
My family – we had different views

This year, the eight days of Chanukah (or Hanukkah), is celebrated from sunset on December 21 to sunset, December 29.

A Chanukah Feast in Concert
The Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852  (map it)

Date and Time – Saturday, December 27, 2008, 8:00 p.m.

Tickets – $21.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro subway station – Grosvenor-Strathmore – Red Line.  Take the elevators to the 4th level and cross the sky bridge to the Music Center.

Parking – Free parking is included in the ticket price, valet parking is $10.00.

Images – Flickr – candles, Dreydl,
_______________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

Images – from personal collection   ©2008, Jon Rochetti 
_________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

One might make the perfect last minute stocking suffer.

• The most expensive inauguration package I found was the Omni Shoreham Hotel’s staggering $440,000 Commander-in-Chief package. Located near the near the National Zoo, it includes a $44,000 jewelry shopping extravaganza, and a private in-room dinner with a performance by well-known political satirist, Mark Russell.  Get to and from Washington, DC on the hotel-provided private jet and, just like the Obama’s, select a puppy of your choice as a memento of your trip. After the inauguration, play the diplomat and get whisked off for a 5-day first-class trip to St. Petersburg, Russia.
• Try the 14-room suite at the Mandarin Oriental overlooking the city and the National Mall for a paltry $200,000. It includes a chauffeur-driven Maserati.
• The ritzy Ritz Carlton Washington in Georgetown has a $150,000 package that includes private jet travel, personal butler and massage therapist and tickets to an inaugural ball.  Leave for home with a full set of Louis Vuitton luggage as well.
• The Georgetown Ritz Carlton offers a $99,000 package that includes first-class travel and a stay at the Ritz in the Grand Cayman Islands, as after all that pampering, I guess people need to relax a bit.
• The lovely Fairmont Hotel in the West End on M Street offers not so fat cats a lower priced  package in an exclusive suite. For $10,000, it comes with a chauffeured Rolls-Royce and two Secret Service-like body guards.  I wonder if they will talk into their wrists and give the guests special code names.

Many of the presidential inauguration hotel packages include other perks, such as lots of Dom Perignon and Beluga caviar, spa treatments, high-end shopping trips, tickets to the inaugural balls, limo service, designer clothing and jewelry, butler service, special dinners, designer luggage set and more….but only if you act fast and have a Fat Cat’s budget. 
_________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

The collection chronicles from the historic event of Rosa Parks being arrested for not giving up her bus seat, to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968.

The Road to Freedom – Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement – 1954-1968, offers historic mages that capture the non-violent civil rights movement movement through non-violent awareness raising, the events surrounding the 1961 Freedom Riders who protested racial segregation on public transportation, the fire hosing of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama, the famous Bloody Sunday during the Selma-Montgomery March of 1965 and other crucial events as they were captured on film are on display.

A few of the most moving, historical and my personal favorites included:

• Rosa Parks calmly getting booked at the police station after being arrested.
• A burned out public bus after a riot.
• A bloody protestor who was beaten by police.
• Several photos of Bloody Sunday. 
• A series of photos of Black students being the first to enter integrated schools, as protestors taunt them and the National Guard protects them.

This is magnificent collection of historical photographs during one of America’s most violent and disturbing time.

Road to Freedom – Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement – 1954-1968
The Smithsonian International Gallery
1100 Jefferson Drive, SW
Washington, D.C. 20560  (map it)

Dates and Times – Daily through March 9, 2009 – 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission – FREE

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Smithsonian – Blue and Orange line, then a 1-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street parking is available in the area.

Images – Bloody Sunday, March on Washington – both public domain _________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

Drivers that may be alcohol impaired or unable to safely drive can request a free taxi ride to their home, up to a maximum cost of $50, through January 1, 2009.

It’s never wise to drive after indulging and especially during the holiday season. Again this year, area police will be establishing sobriety checkpoints around the region.

Most years, Metro DC police set up approximately 30 during holiday season, including some surprising locations. One year, I saw a check point in the heart of Georgetown, catching post-happy hour drivers.

Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland all have a .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) limit for a establishing DUIs, and Maryland adds a .07 for a DWI.

The penalties for a receiving a first-time DUI are severe, including losing your license, fines, points, and possible jail time.  Washington, DC also requires mandatory jail time of a minimum of 5 days for drivers arrested with a BUC in excess of .20. While Virginia also has mandatory jail time for higher BACs on the first offence, resulting in 5-15 days if the BAC is over .15.

The SoberRide program is in effect daily only between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and offered to licensed drivers at least 21 years old.

The rider (or person who requested the cab) is responsible for any fare on the meter over $50.

Call 1-800-200-TAXI (8294) from any Washington, DC , Virginia or Maryland mobile phone, pay phone or landline and mention “SoberRide”.

Calls and rides can originate from any of the following locations:

• District of Columbia
• Maryland – Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, or the cities of Rockville, Bowie, College Park, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt and Takoma Park
• Virginia – Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William and Eastern Loudoun Counties, or the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas and Manassas Park

A total of 17 area taxi companies are participating this year.

Image – Flickr – checkpoint
___________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler