Navigating Inauguration Town, DC
By Sebastien Tobler of Colliding Continents
For those of you who do not know DC very well, it is important to note that there are going to be a significant amount of road closures in the city. In fact all the major bridges coming in from Virginia will be closed inauguration day. Authorities are only allowing taxis and public transportation access on these bridges. That being said, here is a map of the Metro Rail system in Washington. It is very simple and you will get the hang of it after a couple of rides. Below is a copy of the Metro Rail Map.
Washington D.C. Metro Map
The Metro system will be very crowded, I used it this morning and police were already in place on the major stops controlling traffic. Please be mindful of this as it would impact your travel time. If you are lucky enough to be staying south of Dupont Circle I highly recommend you walk to the Capitol.
Taxi cabs are a great option but traffic is no doubt going to be especially congested within the Beltway (That is DC talk for Interstate 495 which circles the District). You should be happy to note, however, that DC cabs just recently switched from zone fare to metered fares (this is a great conversation starter amongst DC folks by the way as it was a heated issue). This is great because it is now cheaper to get around DC and you don’t feel like you are getting ‘taken for a ride’ – sorry, I had to.
Remember that the way the mall is structured, splitting DC’s North and South, and considering the sheer volume of people that are expected, try to stay on the side of the National Mall which you intend to exit from. Why? Well, simply because as soon as the inauguration is over there are going to be thousands of people exiting the area as fast as they can. If you are staying in the northern part of the city or need to drive back north towards Maryland try to stay on the north half of the mall (left of the Capitol when looking at the Capitol) and if you are headed back towards Virginia try to stay on the south/left side of the mall.
Please take a look at this Press Release detailing all the details regarding the bridge and street restrictions /closures.
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Nishi – Thank you for your very kind words. It is my fondest wish that I will some day live in Maine again! I was very fortunate to have been brought up there