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Would you go to the Inagural?

S

Santina

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2005
Messages
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Location
Andreas, PA
A bus trip is planned from Pa to DC. We will be staying in Virginia the night before and leaving for the ceremony in the morning. I told my teenage son I would go with him because he is really bugging me to go. I am really having second thoughts. I think it will be a nightmare. We don't have tickets. The bus is going just to be part of it. Possibly will get tickets. Should I go to support him even though I know it will be exhausting and not much fun for me. Hubby won't go because he can't stand the cold.
 
If I was you, I would go for my son. How great is it to have your son interested in politics? And, this is sort of a momentus occasion in the history of our country. :whoopie: It's probably something that he will cherish for the rest of his life. Go for it, and have a great time. I've lit Barack Obama many times on stage over the past two years (I'm a stage Lighting Designer) and although I was working, I didn't get through one of his events without tearing up during his speech. Not really beacuse of what he was saying, but because I was so damn proud of my country for letting him get so far! He is a good speaker too! ;) I've had idle chat conversations with him a few times over the years while he's been waiting to go on stage and can tell you he seems like a darn good guy in person.

NOTE: I think I have kept this post as apolitical as possible...
 
I agree with jbart74; it's great to have a teen interested, and I would certainly support that by going, exhausted and cold or not. It might be a nightmare for you, but it'd be exciting for him.

However, I would be hesitant to go unless there are clear arrangements. Are you sure you can get tickets? Where is the bus dropping people off? Where do you go to watch, and how do you get there? How and when do they get back to the bus? What arrangements are there for food and drink?
 
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pjrose said:
I agree with jbart74; it's great to have a teen interested, and I would certainly support that by going, exhausted and cold or not. It might be a nightmare for you, but it'd be exciting for him.

However, I would be hesitant to go unless there are clear arrangements. Are you sure you can get tickets? Where is the bus dropping people off? Where do you go to watch, and how do you get there? How and when do they get back to the bus? What arrangements are there for food and drink?
Click to expand...

Just an addition to my post above: You do not NEED tickets to attend the inauguration. There are only a small (fractional) amount of actual tickets being printed. These will get you closer to the stage, but 90% of the people or more in attendance will not have tickets. Everyone is welcome to attend. They just announced today that they will be opening the entire Mall to the public. (A first in recent history) I imagine they will provide sound reinforcement to the entire Mall as well. They are expecting upwards of 1 to 2 million people. It will be HUGE. Bring your own food for the day in a backpack, lots of water (even though it will be cold it's still important!) and try to find a spot close (but not TOO close) to the 5000 port-a-johns! And do know where your bus will be and when it will be leaving. Plan to walk a long distance from the bus and back to the bus. And have FUN! I wish I could go, but unfortunately I'll be in Grand Cayman... Shucks! :rofl:

Most of the above info came from a news story I heard on All Things Considered on NPR this afternoon, FYI.
 
I so wish I could go, but unfortunately, I'm teaching 5th graders and don't have the option of taking days off like that. I think it will be a very exciting and memorable event and will feel like a big party with people from all over. Just dress warmly and bring a warm scarf, mittens, an umbrella etc., but you already know that because you live where it is cold.
Please tell us all about it!
Liz
 
Back in the mid-70s, I was in the Navy, stationed in Washington DC. I drove a car in Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Parade. It was crazy-crowded, with lots of people around, and a real lesson in the pomp and circumstance of how our President's are sworn into office. Now, more than 30 years later, the memories of that day are still vivid in my mind, and the novelty of the event has stayed with me.

Considering how much more novel this Inauguration will be, you need to go, if you can. That your son wants to go is even better. Make it a family memory that will last a lifetime. History will be made that day.

Enjoy the day!

Dave
 
My daughter and granddaughter are going. It's been a bit crazy making the arrangements. She does not have tickets yet but most places say they won't dole them out until a week before.

I was able to use Hilton points for a hotel but anything remotely close is sold out or way over priced. She bought airline tickets before the election so got a good price there.

I would NOT send my teenage son alone or even part of a tour group. The place is going to be packed and he needs someone with him for this trip. Bring your warmest clothes and prepare to be outside standing on the mall watching a big TV. Regardless, it will be a historic moment.

Luckily, I will be in Hawaii. ;)

Deb
 
I'm going! :banana: Already have airline tix and lodging. And having lived in metro DC I know my way around. I'd report back to TUGgers on the experience, but I wouldn't know how to keep my posting apolitical. :rofl:
 
Jbart74 said:
If I was you, I would go for my son. How great is it to have your son interested in politics? And, this is sort of a momentus occasion in the history of our country. :whoopie: It's probably something that he will cherish for the rest of his life. Go for it, and have a great time. I've lit Barack Obama many times on stage over the past two years (I'm a stage Lighting Designer) and although I was working, I didn't get through one of his events without tearing up during his speech. Not really beacuse of what he was saying, but because I was so damn proud of my country for letting him get so far! He is a good speaker too! ;) I've had idle chat conversations with him a few times over the years while he's been waiting to go on stage and can tell you he seems like a darn good guy in person.

NOTE: I think I have kept this post as apolitical as possible...
Click to expand...

Your lighting work is apparently very good and used to great effect. Thanks for your contribution to a history-making candidacy. :clap:

P.S. As apolitical as I can be... :wave:
 
Lots & Lots Of People Are Going.

Click here for a brief TUG-BBS item about how local people are offering Inauguration week accommodations to people who are discovering that all the hotels from Richmond to Baltimore are booked solid.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
Been there Done that

We live in the DC metro area and the first inauguration after we moved here, GHW Bush, we got tickets. Even with tickets, I would never go again. It was standing room only and wall-to-wall people. You could not move. We could see a little, but not really enough to say we saw anything. I never thought I was claustophobic, but that day almost did it for us. We had an 80 year old with us and DH stayed back some with her to keep her from getting trampled to death.

If you like big big crowds, then go. If not, stay home and watch it on TV.

JMHO
Nancy
 
I lived in the area in 1997 and thus was there for Clinton's second inauguration - it was great to see it once but I wouldn't go out of my way a second time. Watching the parade was fun - though if I recall it was pretty balmy that January. But everyone should go once if they have the chance!
 
Nancy said:
We live in the DC metro area .... I would never go again .... I never thought I was claustophobic, but that day almost did it for us.
Click to expand...

AwayWeGo said:
Click here for a brief TUG-BBS item about how local people are offering Inauguration week accommodations to people who are discovering that all the hotels from Richmond to Baltimore are booked solid.
Click to expand...

Nancy, sounds like you should rent out your place and head out of town. For the money you could get, you could have a nice vacation and avoid the crowds!
 
Weather Variables.

One year the January weather was so blasted cold that Pres. Reagan called off the inaugural parade.

Instead of trooping down Pennsylvania Avenue, all the bands & marching units filed past a crowd next day inside the DC National Guard Armory.

That wasn't the same as marching in the real Inaugural Parade, but it was better than facing the disappointment of doing all that preparation & traveling all that distance for nothing.

I agree that people at home watching on TV will have a better view than the people who take the trouble to come witness the proceedings in person.

Not only that, I also suspect that before long the whole thing will be available on DVD & high-def Blu-Ray via Amazon Dot Com & other fine retailers.

One more thing for people traveling to the Nation's Capital for the 1st time. Washington DC is famously a city of Southern Efficiency & Northern Charm.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
We had decided to go, and I got some reasonably-priced hotel ressies for 4 nights, Sat-Tues nights, thinking to make a long weekend out of the trip - but we're now rethinking it. Reasons: the br-r-r-r temperatures likely, and traffic: I've heard crowds could be 3-5 million! That could be both fun ... and not fun. Other friends who had decided to go have also changed their minds, and instead are planning celebrations in front of a big TV screen in a warm living room. I haven't cancelled yet, but we're about 75% leaning towards staying home.

The problem with planning a bus trip in - how the heck can all those buses get thru traffic like that? Parking at a metro station will be impossible. I even wondered how we'd get from our Fairfax hotel, to the metro station which is 6-8 miles away from it - cab? How much of a traffic jam will there be on all nearby thoroughfares?

So I think unless you're walking distance to a metro, you run the risk of being unable to even get to the mall in time. Metros will be jammed but I guess they can run more trains more often.

I have til Jan 14 to keep or cancel my reservations - it's tempting, but I'm not sure we won't see more on TV anyway.
 
You couldn't pay me to go.
 
I live in the Metropoliton area - about 30 min drive and 40min train ride to DC, and although I would love to go, I know how crowded and congested it gets. So I invited friends over to watch the big screen with hot cocoa and champagne...

So my vote is...YES...if and only if MY SON really wanted me to go, otherwise, it would be NO.
 
Laurie said:
The problem with planning a bus trip in - how the heck can all those buses get thru traffic like that? Parking at a metro station will be impossible. I even wondered how we'd get from our Fairfax hotel, to the metro station which is 6-8 miles away from it - cab? How much of a traffic jam will there be on all nearby thoroughfares?
.
Click to expand...

I went on one of a group of busses to a huge event in Washington a number of years ago. The bus parked at a metro station quite a ways out, and then we took the metro in. The closer we got the more crowded it got. This will be MUCH bigger than that was. My advice is to go into town on the Metro WAY early - like 3 or 4AM early - and bring blankets. That may help with the crowds and getting a decent vantage point.
 
If my son wanted to go, I would go with him. You can bet it will be very crowded. I understand they will not be allowing people to camp out (how they will stop it I don't know). They will be closing off portions of the route a few days in advance. I will be watching the event on TV. It will be an adventure, both of you will remember.

donna
 
Wow! What a response from everyone. I have to talk to the trip planner and make sure of all the preparations are in order. Like someone posted we might not be able to get in with all the traffic.
I'm still thinking about it. My son is an absolute political junkie and he's been like this since he 's been about 10. His dream is to be one of those pundits that over analize everything political. I had a chance to go to Woodstock and I didn't go and I have always regretted it. There's something about being part of History. Notice the difference in the generation gap. When I was his age I was protesting everything poltical!
 
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