What to do in DC (sans tickets) to experience the inauguration?

January 8, 2009 5:27 PM

Inauguration-filter. I'll be in DC from Saturday to Wednesday. I'll be staying in walking distance of the inauguration ceremony and parade (my husband happens to live in DC right now). I don't have--and, short of a miracle, won't have-- tickets for anything. What should I do to experience the event?

Are there certain bars or restaurants or vantage points I should try? Should I make an effort to see the parade? I'm trying to avoid the experience of simply wandering DC's streets for hours, trying to find something to do or somewhere to be. I don't really have the option of staying in and watching the whole affair on tv anyway...we don't have a tv. On that note, does anyone know where inaugural events can be watched online (if it comes to that?). Many thanks, wise MetaFilter readers.

posted by sarahalisonmiller to sports, hobbies, & recreation (9 comments total)

There is a meetup planned on the 19th.
posted by exogenous at 5:57 PM on January 8

Go to the free concert on Sunday. Participate in the National Day of service on Monday.

If you're looking for a place to hang out on Inauguration Day, U St between 18th and 11th NW is a good bet. There are a ton of great bars and coffeeshops there are the neighborhood is definitely Obamaland. Busboys and Poets near 14th and U is especially great.
posted by lunasol at 6:12 PM on January 8

We're taking the MARC train from Frederick to Union Station, then walking to the mall to hang out with the teeming un-ticketed millions. There will be big screens set up on the mall where the ceremonies will be televised. Some (but not all) of the museums around the mall will be open (yay, heat! yay, bathrooms!). I suspect most people who want to see the parade will be staking out a spot very early and waiting for it to begin (they aren't letting people claim parade spots until 7AM). washingtonpost.com has a good inauguration section.
posted by ersatzkat at 6:13 PM on January 8

We live in DC, about 2 miles from the inauguration site. Our plan is to walk down to the Mall with blankets and food and a thermos and chairs and such early, but skip the parade. To see the parade, you'll have to go through serious security, wait in a long line, and not have a thermos and chairs and such. To get on the Mall, we'll just need to walk down. Easy choice for us.

I've seen an inauguration parade before--it's a parade; you know, if you like parades, you'll like it, but it's a parade. We think if we hit the Mall early, we'll get a good spot, and see the business, and be happy. That's our plan, at least.

And I am definitely hitting the meetup on the 19th. You should, too.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:14 PM on January 8

Often there will be people who do have tickets who bail on the event (too cold, too-whatever and they didn't realize what they were in for), and then they hold their tickets out for any takers. You could try hanging around the ticketed areas for that.

If you are staying within walking distance of the ceremony and parade, it would be nuts try to leave your 'hood for U Street (much as I like it) or other fun venues. Save that for Monday. YMMV.

As I've posted before, the parade is great to see. There are always fireworks and the viewing for them should be fab, since tons of people will not be coming to the Mall for that, as on the 4th of July.

Lunasol has great suggestions.
posted by jgirl at 8:30 AM on January 9

Tickets for parade seating (as opposed to parade standing room, which is free) go on sale at 1:00 today on Ticketmaster. Not sure of the exact location of the grandstands--I'm wondering if the inauguration could be viewed from there.

I'm also not sure of the logistics of viewing the inauguration from the Mall, then shifting over to the parade route. How's that going to work?
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:55 AM on January 9

MrMoonPie, you walk or take Metrorail or bus from ceremony to parade. There's plenty of time.
posted by jgirl at 9:39 AM on January 9

Grandstands are along Pennsylvania Avenue. You could not view the ceremony that way.
posted by jgirl at 9:41 AM on January 9

Oh, it's not the time or distance I'd be worried about--it's the approximately 1 million people trying to do the same thing. Not sure it will be feasible to try to do both.

And as a followup--grandstand tickets sold out in less than a minute, apparently, so that option's a moot point now, at least.
posted by MrMoonPie at 10:22 AM on January 9