D.C. Locals Plan Their Inaugural Weekend

By Dustin Wlodkowski 1-18-2013

WEBN staff photo

For many Washington D.C. area residents, it’s a three day weekend.

Even when Inauguration Day does not fall on Martin Luther King Day, most federal government employees are given the day off to ease the massive crowds descending upon the nation’s capital.

While some locals stay away from the city, others take part in numerous events, which this year include the National Day of Service, numerous concerts and dozens of Inaugural balls.

“I was torn on whether I should stick around this year but decided it was probably better to get out of town this time,” said District resident Jenny Ottenhoff. “I like it. I was going to come back for it, but ultimately it’s not worth a five hour drive to get in the crowds.”

In the downtown area, hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors alike will gather for the public swearing-in ceremony and the Inaugural Parade. Many locals will be among the attendees in both the ticketed and non-ticketed areas.

“It’s a joyful time that we massage in different ways,” said D.C. resident Ned Jaros. “Some people go for the ticket thing, I don’t like having my bottom plopped on a cold plank.”

Washington Post Local News Editor and Root D.C. columnist, Clinton Yates, plans to spend the day a different way.

“I am going to be doing a bar crawl and chronicling it as I go along,” he said. “It’s a big activity, not just to go to the Inauguration but to just hang out and drink because people get a day off, especially federal workers.”

He plans move around the city making stops near Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue as well as neighborhoods farther away from the Inauguration like Adams-Morgan, just north of downtown Washington.

“I’m looking to catch the vibe of the city for those that are looking to have some more fun than just clapping and cheering at the swearing in.”