Commuting to the Obama inauguration
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: burtonsville, md
Posts: 190
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Commuting to the Obama inauguration
Anyone up for it? You wont be able to get there by car. Just metro and tits going to be full. The bicycles will get there quick.
Post here if you are interested.
Post here if you are interested.
#2
Spelling Snob
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Plano, Texas
Posts: 2,862
Bikes: Panasonic DX4000, Bianchi Pista
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
1 Post
I would not be surprised if the secret service made trouble about you locking the bikes up near
the crowd for fear of pipe bombs. Remember- this event will probably have the highest security
ever for a presidential appearance.
the crowd for fear of pipe bombs. Remember- this event will probably have the highest security
ever for a presidential appearance.
__________________
The first rule of flats is You don't talk about flats!
The first rule of flats is You don't talk about flats!
#5
Pedaling fool
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 767
Bikes: 07 Schwinn Voyageur GSD, Next Avalon, 2007 Dahon Yeah
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
From VA, I think the bike/ped lanes on the bridges will be difficult when the event is over. They will be overloaded with walkers. Unless you want to kamikaze it on the actual bridges, which should be a slow crawl w/cars.
#6
Carpe Diem
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: MABRA
Posts: 13,149
Bikes: 2007 CAAD9; 2014 CAADX; PedalForce CG1
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I will be watching from my office window.
__________________
"When you are chewing the bars at the business end of a 90 mile road race you really dont care what gear you have hanging from your bike so long as it works."
ΛΧΑ ΔΞ179 - 15% off your first Hammer Nutrition order!
"When you are chewing the bars at the business end of a 90 mile road race you really dont care what gear you have hanging from your bike so long as it works."
ΛΧΑ ΔΞ179 - 15% off your first Hammer Nutrition order!
#8
beatz down lo|seatz up hi
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Missouri, USA
Posts: 1,062
Bikes: A 2007 Trek 4300. 22.5", 1981 Trek 610 24" (61cm)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
What exactly constitutes full tits? C< ?
#9
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
I'll walk the three blocks to get down there if I decide to go watch.
#11
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
It should be on the west steps of the Capitol, where it faces the Mall. Walk as close as you can get and you can see him if you bring a telescope.
Oh yeah -- here in DC, not down in Tallahassee..
Oh yeah -- here in DC, not down in Tallahassee..
#13
Sophomoric Member
I rode to an Obama rally in East Lansing and parked my bike about 25 feet from the gate. There were 20,000 people there and probably more than 1000 bikes. The security was less intrusive than at a Clinton rally in the same location in 1992.
__________________
"Think Outside the Cage"
#15
52-week commuter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,929
Bikes: Redline Conquest, Cannonday, Specialized, RANS
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Generally bike is the best way to get to any kind of big event downtown. It may still be for the inaugural, although this will be an event unlike any before. The current talk is 4 million people, which would be at least three times bigger than any event in the city's history. If that's the case, you probably won't be able to get within a mile of the Capitol on a bike. Be prepared to walk. There is virtually no bike parking on the Mall, so I would bring a cable so you can lock to something non-traditional.
That said, I think every other mode of transportation is going to be far worse. They're urging people to take the subway, but the all-time one-day ridership record for the subway is about 850,000. They're not going to allow parking anywhere near the Mall.
I'll be biking down there, wouldn't miss it for the world.
That said, I think every other mode of transportation is going to be far worse. They're urging people to take the subway, but the all-time one-day ridership record for the subway is about 850,000. They're not going to allow parking anywhere near the Mall.
I'll be biking down there, wouldn't miss it for the world.
__________________
The United States of America is the only democratic nation in the world to deny citizens living in the nation's capital representation in the national legislature. District residents have no vote in either the U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives. www.dcvote.org
The United States of America is the only democratic nation in the world to deny citizens living in the nation's capital representation in the national legislature. District residents have no vote in either the U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives. www.dcvote.org
#16
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
The current talk is 4 million people, which would be at least three times bigger than any event in the city's history. ..... They're urging people to take the subway, but the all-time one-day ridership record for the subway is about 850,000. They're not going to allow parking anywhere near the Mall.
Wonder how many people will be wandering around my neighborhood; I'm a block from the Hart building.
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Germantown MD
Posts: 279
Bikes: Trek Y-5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I live about 15 miles away and will avoid the city like the plague on that day.
jan DC? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
jan DC? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
#18
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: burtonsville, md
Posts: 190
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Should be a great time, im bringing a camera just to take pics of the people. I wont get close to obama, but it should be awesome to see that many people in one place. We will see.
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Reston, VA
Posts: 2,369
Bikes: 2003 Giant OCR2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'm planning on staying the hell away from DC/Arlington the entire month of January. Maybe it's just me, but crowds of 4 million people are things I generally try to avoid, not seek out.
#20
Didn't make it
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Weymouth, Mass.
Posts: 931
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
A week ago NBC did a piece on how all the hotels/motels are allready booked up.
You could probably ask for gold in exchange for renting out your house
You could probably ask for gold in exchange for renting out your house
#21
multimodal commuter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,808
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times
in
339 Posts
Go for it. Ride as close as you can, then park the bike in the best place you can find. This is going to be a unique event, and you cannot predict or plan how it's going to go; so wing it.
I used to live in DC. I was 15 when, one inauguration day, my father said, hey, why don't we go down there? It was a warm day, and the ceremony had already begun, but we figured, what the hey? Drove down and parked somewhere on North Capital, near the GPO, and walked from there. Found ourselves a spot to stand on Constitution Avenue, and just a few minutes later Jimmy Carter came by, on foot, waving and smiling. Definitely the proudest day of my life until that point!
I used to live in DC. I was 15 when, one inauguration day, my father said, hey, why don't we go down there? It was a warm day, and the ceremony had already begun, but we figured, what the hey? Drove down and parked somewhere on North Capital, near the GPO, and walked from there. Found ourselves a spot to stand on Constitution Avenue, and just a few minutes later Jimmy Carter came by, on foot, waving and smiling. Definitely the proudest day of my life until that point!
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 58
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My wife and I are considering leaving over the inauguration period. First, I don't do the mall when major events are on. Its just pointless. And if there are four million on the mall, roughly half will be tourists. That being the case, there is simply no point being in the metro area. My enthusiasm for the Obama presidency simply does not rise to the level that justifies that sort of inconvenience and hassle.
My wife suggested that we rent out our posh Old Town townhouse to some of the revelers. But the thought of returning home to a looted house heavy with pot smoke and littered with prophylactics just doesn't appeal to me.
-Old Army
My wife suggested that we rent out our posh Old Town townhouse to some of the revelers. But the thought of returning home to a looted house heavy with pot smoke and littered with prophylactics just doesn't appeal to me.
-Old Army
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Vienna VA (DC metro)
Posts: 180
Bikes: 2014 pinnarello FP Due, 1990 Pinarrello Triveso, 2007 Fuji Cross Comp, 1984 Trek 520
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
no way in H.E. double hockey sticks or on God's green earth am I going to the city on that day. The Custis and Mount Vernon is going to be packed with walkers not paying attention.
People are going to be like sardines walking around.
I always bike to the river for the 4th and bike back because on big event days that is the best but this is just going to be too much for me. I think I will go to whole foods that day and get some salmon to do the winter grilling...
People are going to be like sardines walking around.
I always bike to the river for the 4th and bike back because on big event days that is the best but this is just going to be too much for me. I think I will go to whole foods that day and get some salmon to do the winter grilling...
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Reston, VA
Posts: 2,369
Bikes: 2003 Giant OCR2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I've heard of townhouses renting for $10K for the week, so it's got to be tempting. Folks with that kind of scratch might have grown out of the worst of those sorts of shenanigans.