Why I won't be attending the Inauguration

In just eight days, the Inauguration will commence in Washington, DC, ushering in the Obama Administration for the next four years. The event will be marked with parades, parties, and pageantry, but most importantly the swearing in of Barack Obama as our next President. All of these events are causing the local authorities to project an attendance in the millions. However, I will not be one of them.

This Inauguration will be a historical event. You hear that mentioned everywhere you go. However, EVERY Inauguration is a historic event, just as is every election. Everyone should attend at least on Inauguration, and I have been fortunate to attend two. In 1989, I was fortunate to attend President George H. W. Bush’s Inauguration. I remember clearly standing next to the fountain on that cold morning, with thousands of my closest friends. There were 30 people lined up in front of the fountain spelling out “Congratulations President Bush” on their jackets. However, even though I was so close, I could not see nor hear the actual swearing in event.

Four years later, I had the rare privilege of participating in the Inauguration parade for President Clinton. Since staging for the parade took hours to coordinate, I was not able to see nor hear the swearing in event again, let alone take in many of the sights and other participants in the parade. I did have a unique perspective; however, as I marched past the viewing platform that enclosed President Clinton. Trying to keep my eyes and head pointed forward, it was difficult to make out the new President as we passed by.

I was out of town for the 1997 Inauguration, and the 2001 Inauguration was plagued by poor weather. I chose to skip the 2005 Inauguration for much of the same reason, as I will be skipping the 2009 Inauguration: traffic. Unfortunately, this year the traffic will be worse. Not because the roads will be crowded with cars, but because the roads will be closed. In preparation for this years Inauguration, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Homeland Security will be closing down the bridges across the Potomac River within the Beltway. Additionally, Interstates I-395 and I-66 within the Beltway will be reserved for buses, shuttles, and taxis only.

The primary entrance into the city will be through public transportation. Buses, as noted earlier, and the Metro (DC’s subway system). With the Interstates being closed within the Beltway, Virginia is limited to only four Metro stations; two stations on the Orange line, one on the Blue line, and one on the Yellow line. You can easily guess that with many visitors coming up from the South, access to these four stations will be difficult. With millions anticipated to be traveling into DC that day, the odds are that the Metro trains will be filled to capacity at these few stations in Virginia. As a result, many local businesses, and even some Government offices, are closing their doors for the day since their employees will not be able to make it into work.

With all that said, I will be staying home this year. I won’t have to commute to the event, meaning more hours to sleep that morning (not to mention the gas that I will be saving). The news channels will have cameras and microphones positioned close to the swearing in event, so I can hear and see the action. But, my most favorite reason is that I will have easy access to a clean bathroom. With millions of people projected to be in attendance, the likelihood is that there won’t be enough bathrooms available to meet the demand.

None of the above discusses the security aspects associated with the event, but that should be self-explanatory.

Related articles:
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority – DC Metro rail map
Arlinton County – “Arlington Road Closures on Inauguration Day”
Yahoo! News – “Bridges, streets being closed for inauguration”
Virginia State – “Presidential Inauguration 09: How to Get Around”