EFFICTIVE AS OF TODAY!!! INAUGURATION SERVICE

[wmata employee]

   
                 window.google_render_ad();      Metro outlines Inauguration Day service plans  For immediate release: January 16, 2009 Metrorail to open at 4 a.m., close at 2 a.m. on Inauguration night
Metrobus to operate 23 "Presidential" rapid corridor bus lines to the National Mall   Metro will operate trains for 22 consecutive hours (4 a.m. to 2 a.m.), run 17 straight hours of rush hour service (4 a.m. to 9 p.m.), operate 23 special "Presidential" rapid bus corridors, provide parking for nearly 60,000 automobiles and will be one of the most important transportation alternatives for people who are planning to attend the Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday, January, 20, 2009.

"America's subway system will provide vital transportation services to and from all Inaugural activities on January 20," said Metro General Manager John Catoe. "We expect the crowds to be huge with hundreds of thousands of people expected to be in the nation's capital for Inauguration Day."

Metro officials expect extremely crowded conditions on Inauguration Day. "We expect that our stations, trains and buses will be packed as people head to the Inauguration, and we expect to see even more crowded conditions afterward," Catoe said. "People should plan to wait in long lines to get back into Metro stations after the Inauguration, at least for an hour or more. People should consider staying downtown for lunch, for a movie, or to visit museums after the Inauguration and the parade."

Metro's commemorative One-Day Pass featuring Barack Obama is currently being sold for $10 online or $7.80 at Metro sales offices and fare vending machines. The cost of the passes will increase to $10 at all sales locations on Jan. 20. In addition, Metro's colorful commemorative Barack Obama SmarTrip cards are available for sale at Metro's sales offices at Metro Center, the Pentagon and Metro's headquarters at 600 5th St., NW. The commemorative SmarTrip cards can be purchased for $10 each without fare value, or for $20, which includes $10 fare value loaded onto the card.

Metro encourages everyone to visit its special Inauguration Web page, (www.wmata.com/inauguration) dedicated to providing information and updates leading up to Inauguration Day. People can also sign up for special e-alerts, dedicated to the Inauguration. E-alerts will be issued when Metro has news relating to service for the Inauguration, and when there are service disruptions on Inauguration Day.

More than 300 administrative employees and other volunteers will serve as Metro Ambassadors on Inauguration Day, assisting riders navigate the Metrorail system.

Here is information that visitors will need to know about Metro's Inauguration Day service plans.

Metrorail Service

Metrorail will be open from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. Metrorail will operate continuous rush hour service from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., on Inauguration Day, with extra personnel to assist patrons. Metro will operate a combination of six-and eight-car trains and charge rush hour fares from 4 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Every other Red Line train will turn back at the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Silver Spring Metrorail stations from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., all Red Line trains will operate to the Shady Grove and Glenmont Metrorail stations.

All Yellow Line trains will operate between the Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station from 4 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. From 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., all Yellow Line trains will terminate at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metrorail station. After 9 p.m., all Yellow Line trains will operate to the Fort Totten Metrorail station.

After midnight, all Red Line trains will operate every 15 minutes and all Blue, Orange, Yellow and Green line trains will operate every 20 minutes.

Due to security precautions related to the Inauguration and the parade, the Archives-Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter (Green/Yellow line) and the Smithsonian (Blue/Orange Line) Metrorail stations will be closed from 4 a.m. until the conclusion of the parade:

To accommodate security precautions related the Inaugural balls on the evening of the Inauguration, the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station (Yellow and Green lines) will close at 7:30 a.m., and the Judiciary Square Metrorail station (Red Line) will close at 4 p.m. Customers are advised to use the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metrorail station in lieu of these two closed stations.

Several downtown Metrorail station entrances will be designated as exit-only or entry-only, to move as many people as possible into and out of the Metrorail system on Inauguration Day.

From 4 to 10:30 a.m., the Federal Triangle, Federal Center SW, Farragut West, Capitol South and McPherson Square Metrorail stations will be exit-only. These stations are within a 10-minute walk of another Metro station that will be open for entry.

Customers should be prepared to use exits at certain stations they may not normally exit. The following stations (Stadium-Armory, Metro Center, Farragut North, Gallery Place-Chinatown, L'Enfant Plaza and Union Station) will be open, however these stations will have one entryway used for people entering and exiting, and other entrances designated for exit-only in the morning or for entry-only in the evening.

Parking at Metrorail Stations

Metrorail parking facilities and nearly 60,000 parking spaces will open at 3:30 a.m. on Inauguration Day. People can park all day for $4 cash upon entry. The Minnesota Ave Metrorail station parking lot will be closed on Inauguration Day as it is reserved for Metro employees who have to work that day.

Metrobus Service

Metrobus will operate on a modified Saturday schedule. Metro is running 23 "Presidential" rapid bus corridors to carry thousands of people heading to the National Mall on Inauguration Day.

Metro will extend its rush-hour bus service from 4 a.m. until 9 p.m. via the 23 "Presidential" corridors on Inauguration Day. The buses will arrive at regularly marked stops every 10 minutes or less throughout the day to and from the National Mall. Twenty-two regular bus routes are being detoured by the Inauguration due to street closures and to accommodate incoming crowds. Riders also can take a special cross town connector bus shuttle from North Capitol Street to Washington Circle that will get them around the Inauguration events on Jan. 20.

Metro also is running a special free shuttle service from RFK Stadium to L'Enfant Plaza. The District of Columbia will reimburse Metro to shuttle charter bus passengers for free to and from the stadium. Metro will also add bus service to and from the Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and Dulles International Airport.

Metrobuses will be able to cross most bridges closed to other traffic, will be permitted on roads closed to automobiles and will run on bus-only lanes through Georgetown from Wisconsin Avenue to Washington Circle, bypassing regular traffic.

A special one-day Inauguration $5 bus pass is available for purchase on buses, good for riding all day or Metrobus riders can pay the fare of $1.35 cash or $1.25 with a SmarTrip card. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, all Virginia bus routes will be free on Inauguration Day including the special rapid bus corridor lines.

Below is a description of the 23 Metrobus corridors for Inauguration Day.

1. Wisconsin Avenue
Metrobus Route 31 will begin at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station and end at Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and 24th Street, NW. Buses will service stops along Wisconsin Avenue, M Street, NW, and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

2. Massachusetts Avenue
Metrobus Route N4 will begin at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station and end at Rhode Island Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Western Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, 17th Street, Rhode Island Avenue, 18th Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

3. Connecticut Avenue
Metrobus Route L4 will begin at Chevy Chase Circle and end at Connecticut Avenue between N and M Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Connecticut Avenue, NW (underpass), M Street, NW, 18th Street, NW, and Connecticut Avenue.

4. 16th Street, NW
Metrobus Route S2 and S4 will begin at the Silver Spring Metrorail station and end at L Street NW between 16th and 15th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Colesville Road, 16th Street, L Street, 15th Street, M Street, and 16th Street, NW.

5. 14th Street, NW
Metrobus Route 52 and 54 will begin at Colorado Avenue, NW, and end at 14th Street, NW, between L Street, NW, and Thomas Circle. Buses will service stops along 14th Street, Thomas Circle, Vermont Avenue, L Street and 14th Street, NW.

6. Georgia Avenue/7th Street, NW
Metrobus Route 70 will begin at the Silver Spring Metrorail station and end at H Street, NW, between 7th and 6th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Georgia Avenue/7th Street, H Street, 6th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW.

7. North Capitol Street
Metrobus Route 80 will begin at the Fort Totten and Brookland/CUA Metrorail stations and end at H Street, NW, between 9th and 11th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along South Dakota Avenue, 12th Street, NE, Michigan Avenue, North Capitol Street, H Street, NW, 11th Street, NW, New York Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, H Street, NW, and North Capitol Street.

8. Rhode Island Avenue
Metrobus Route 82 Special (82S) will begin at the Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metrorail station and Mount Rainier Bus Station and end at K Street, NW, between 11th and 13th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Rhode Island Avenue, 11th Street, NW, K Street, NW, 13th Street, NW, and Rhode Island Avenue.

9. Florida Avenue
Metrobus Route 90 will begin at the Anacostia Metrorail station and end at Calvert Street, NW, at Duke Ellington Bridge. Buses will service stops along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, W Street, SE, 13th Street, SE, 12th Street, SE, M Street, SE, 8th Street, NE, Florida Avenue, U Street, NW, 18th Street, NW, and Calvert Street.

10. Metrobus Downtown East-West Route
This route will begin at H Street, NW, at North Capitol Street and end at Washington Circle and 23rd Street, NW. Buses will service stops along H Street, NW, Massachusetts Avenue, Thomas Circle, M Street, NW, 23rd Street, NW, Washington Circle, New Hampshire Avenue, NW, L Street, NW, Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol Street.
11. H Street NE/NW - Benning Road
Metrobus Route X2 will begin at the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail station and end at H Street, NW, between 9th and 11th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Minnesota Avenue, NE, Benning Road, H Street, NE/NW, 11th Street, NW, and H Street, NW.

12. East Capitol Street
Metrobus Route 97 Special (97S) will begin at the Capitol Heights Metrorail station and end at D Street, SW, between 6th and 7th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along East Capitol Street between Capitol Heights and the Anacostia River.

13. RFK Stadium Shuttle
Metrobus Route D6 Special (D6S) will begin at the RFK Stadium north parking lot and end at D Street, SW, between 6th and 7th Streets, SW. Buses will operate non-stop, express service to the D Street, SW, Terminal.

14. Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Metrobus Routes 32, 34 and 36 will begin at the Southern Ave and Naylor Road Metrorail stations and end at Eastern Market Metrorail station on Pennsylvania Avenue. Buses will service stops as follows:
Route 32: Southern Avenue, 22nd Street, Savannah, 23rd Street, Alabama Avenue, Naylor Road, 23rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Route 34: Naylor Road, Southern Avenue, 30th Street, Naylor Road, 23rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Route 36: Naylor Road, 30th Street, SE, Erie Street, 33rd Street, SE, Camden Street, Branch Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue.

15. Congress Heights
Metrobus Route 92 Special (92S) and 93 Special (93S) will begin at the Congress Heights Metrorail station and end at D Street, SW, between 4th and 3rd Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along Alabama Avenue, Naylor Road, Good Hope Road, M Street, SE/SW, 3rd Street, SW, I Street, SW, and 6th Street, SW.

16. M Street, SE/SW
Metrobus Route V8 Special (V8S) will begin at the Potomac Ave Metrorail station and end at G and 7th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along Potomac Avenue, I Street, SE, K Street, SE, 11th Street, SE, M Street, SE/SW, Maine Avenue, SW, 9th Street, SW, G Street, SW, and 7th Street, SW.

17. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE
Metrobus Routes A42, A46 and A48 will begin at the Southern Ave Metrorail station and Livingston Terrace and end at I and 6th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along the following streets:
A42: Southern Avenue, SE, Wheeler Road, Barnaby Street Atlantic Street, Mississippi Avenue, 6th Street, Savannah Street, 4th Street, SE, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, W Street, SE, 13th Street, SE, 12th Street, SE, M Street, SE/SW, 3rd Street, SW, I Street, SW, 6th Street, SW.
A46: 6th Street, Chesapeake Street, Livingston Terrace, South Capitol Street, Southern Avenue,
Wheeler Road, Alabama Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, W Street, SE, 13th Street, SE, 12th Street, SE, M Street, SE/SW, 3rd Street, SW, I Street, SW, 6th Street, SW.
A48: 6th Street, Chesapeake Street, Livingston Terrace, South Capitol Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, W Street, SE, 13th Street, SE, 12th Street, SE, M Street, SE/SW, 3rd Street, SW, I Street, SW, 6th Street, SW.

18. Indian Head Highway
Metrobus Route P19 Special (P19S) will begin at Fort Washington Park and Ride and Metrobus Route W19 Special (W19S) will begin at Bryans Road Park and Ride. Both routes will end at G and 7th Streets, SW.

P19S buses will operate from the Fort Washington Park and Ride and serve stops on East Swan Creek Road, Gable Lane, Fort Washington Road, Livingston Road and Oxon Hill Road, and will express to the G Street, SW, Terminal.

W19S buses will service stops along Indian Head Highway and the Accokeek Village Park and Ride and travel express along South Capitol Street to the G Street, SW, Terminal.

19. Oxon Hill/Indian Head Highway/South Capitol Street
Metrobus Route A9 Special (A9S) will begin at Oxon Hill Park and Ride and end at G and 7th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops at Oxon Hill Park and Ride and along Indian Highway, South Capitol Street, M Street, SW, 9th Street, SW, G Street, SW, and 7th Street, SW.

20. Landmark/Shirley Highway/14th Street SW
Metrobus Route 7 Special (7S) and 28 Special (28S) will begin at Landmark Shopping Center and Skyline Center and end at C Street, SW, between 14th and 12th Streets, SW. 7S buses will service stops at Landmark Shopping Center and along Duke Street, Lincolnia Road and Beauregard Street, and use Shirley Highway (I-395) to cross the river to C Street, SW, 12th Street, SW, and Maine Avenue. 28S buses will operate on George Mason Drive, Seminary Road and Leesburg Pike.

21. Columbia Pike/Pentagon
Metrobus Route 16 Special (16S) will begin at Leesburg Pike/Columbia Pike and end at C Street, SW, between 14th and 12th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along Leesburg Pike, Columbia Pike, South Rotary Road, the Pentagon Transit Center, C Street, 12th Street and Maine Avenue.

22. Wilson and Clarendon Boulevard to Potomac Park
Metrobus Route 38 Special (38S) will begin at Ballston Metrorail station and end at 23rd Street, NW, at Constitution Avenue, NW. Buses will service stops at Ballston Metrorail station and along North Fairfax Drive, Clarendon Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard.

23. Lee Highway to Potomac Park
Metrobus Route 3 Special (3S) will begin at the East Falls Church and West Falls Church Metrorail stations and end at 23rd Street, NW, at Constitution Avenue, NW. Buses will service stops at the West Falls Church Metrorail Station, Broad Street, Washington Street, East Falls Church Metrorail station and along North Sycamore Street and Lee Highway.

Metrobus Routes to Airports (5A and 30B)
Metro is doubling the number of passengers it can carry on its buses that serve the Washington region's major international airports for Inauguration Weekend.
Metro will run additional buses from Friday, January 16 through Wednesday, January 21 on the B30 Route, which runs from the Greenbelt Metrorail station on the Green Line to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and on the 5A Route, which will run a special express service from Rosslyn Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines to Washington Dulles International Airport. The expansion is to meet an influx of air travelers heading to Washington for the Inauguration.

The 5A normally stops at L'Enfant Plaza and Rosslyn Metrorail stations, but on Tuesday, January 20, buses will not service L'Enfant Plaza due to traffic restrictions and congestion. Buses on the 5A route will service the Tysons-Westpark Transit Station and the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride Lot on a Saturday schedule for Inauguration Day.


Metro Transit Police Security Initiatives

More than 18 transit police departments along with the Transportation Security Administration, (TSA) and FBI are providing about 200 extra police officers to assist Metro Transit Police. Officers will be at all Metrorail stations.

"We are taking precautionary measures to assure our customers that we are doing everything we can to ensure they can use our system without incident," said Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn. "Our customers are likely to see members of our special response teams carrying additional weaponry with a canine accompanying them, and they are likely to see uniformed TSA officers with their canine teams on patrol as well."

The Metro Transit Police strongly recommend that customers bring as little as possible with them when traveling through the Metrorail system to cut down on the possibility that items are left behind, resulting in the need for officers to respond to reports of unattended items.

On Inauguration Day, all Metrorail station restrooms will be closed for security reasons. However, 150 portable restrooms will be placed outside of suburban Metrorail stations.

Customers are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior, unusual activity or unattended items to a uniformed Metro employee, police officer, or by calling the Metro Transit Police at 202-962-2121.

[Perry]

Nice proofreading by whoever did this for their website: 30B??? Oh well.

[WMAveteran]

Thank you very much for publishing the information.

[wmata employee]

Read it and you will find .out this came out on yesterday on the website and to all supervisors.

[WES]

The only thing about this, is maybe the 97S should have been extended to Addison Road, especially since there are a lot of connecting bus routes there and extending it there would eliminate the F14 connection with a possibility of crowding, or taking a short trip on metrorail to get to it, for those who wanted to forgo the possible sardine-like scenario on metrorail.

[btconet]

According to the media here, about 200 people had been waiting over an hour at BWI as of 6:00am for a B30 to get them to Greenbelt.

I'd have hoped the need for earlier service on this line would have been anticipated.

[79MetroExtraMD]

I ran into a crowd of people at BWI heading down to Greenbelt. They had at least 5 extras put on the B30 to handle the crowds from the aiport. I was on 6142. I saw 5410, 6050, 6042, and a couple of other hybrids on the B30 alongside 4392 and 4393.

Greenbelt Station: There were huge crowds of people trying to get even into the station and on the platform and more were coming off of buses. I detoured to College Park station. Same sight. That station had to be the most crowded I have ever seen.

I just can't wait to see the ridership totals after the day is done. I'm pretty sure the ridership will probably top the 1 million mark.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

They had just under 401000 riders as of 9 AM.  I don't have a more updated number.  WMATA isn't releasing the numbers hourly on their website the way they do on July 4.

However, the number to beat in terms of ridership was set yesterday:

Metrorail sets new record for highest ridership day of all time
For immediate release: January 20, 2009

866,681 riders used Metrorail on Monday, January 19

Hundreds of thousands of people in town for the Inauguration of Barack Obama helped Metro set a new record for the transit agency's highest ridership on Monday, January 19. Riders took 866,681trips on Monday, which also was the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2008, Metrorail provided 257,913 trips. An influx of people attending Inaugural and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events contributed to yesterday's record ridership.

Thirteen of Metrorail's top 20 highest weekday ridership days have occurred in the summer of 2008. Combined with Metrobus ridership, Metro provides more than 1.2 million trips on an average weekday.

Metrorail's Top 20 Weekday Ridership Days
Date Ridership Event
1 01-19-09 866,681 Obama inaugural events
2 07-11-08 854,638 Baseball/Women of Faith Conference
3 06-09-04 850,636 Reagan State Funeral
4 06-25-08 846,388 Smithsonian Folklife Festival/Baseball
5 07-10-08 844,530 Baseball
6 07-08-08 835,072 Baseball/Basketball
7 07-02-08 834,956 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
8 04-03-07 831,508 Cherry Blossoms/Baseball
9 06-24-08 831,464 Baseball/Basketball
10 06-20-08 829,998 Baseball/Basketball
11 04-24-08 828,973 Baseball/Basketball
12 04-17-08 828,418 Pope Visit/Soccer
13 04-11-08 828,132 Baseball/Cherry Blossoms
14 06-27-08 825,862 Smithsonian Folklife Festival/Baseball
15 06-18-08 823,516 No Event
16 07-01-08 822,931 No Event
17 04-10-06 821,283 Immigrant Rights Rally
18 06-19-08 819,979 No Event
19 06-26-08 819,722 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
20 06-05-08 819,687 Baseball

[WMATAGMOAGH]

From WTOP Radio's twitter feed, here are reports pertaining to how fast the WMATA Parking facilities filled up.  There are other posts of interest also pertaining to Metro announcements and other experiences.

FROM kryan1035 : Now that Shady Grove is at capacity for parking, I hit the platform and head to Union Station...synchronize watches about 4 hours ago from web in reply to kryan1035


FROM kryan1035 : Shady Grove garage now full about 4 hours ago from web in reply to kryan1035

FROM kryan1035 : 7:17 Metro still taking cars at Shady Grove Red Line station about 6 hours ago from web in reply to kryan1035

FROM ColleenKelleher : From Patricia Guadalupe: Takoma Metro station parking lot is full. There's no line to get on the train. about 6 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher

FROM cdorobek : Father-in-law reported no problems at Shady Grove Metro parking about a half-hour ago #inaug09

FROM kryan1035 : Metro reports Largo Town Center parking lot is full as of 6:20am about 7 hours ago from web in reply to kryan1035
FROM kryan1035 : Metro still taking cars in at Shady Grove, but space becoming limited at Garage @ Parking Lot 1 on Shady Grove side about 7 hours ago from web in reply to kryan1035

FROM atuss : Spots still available at vienna about 7 hours ago from web in reply to atuss

FROM ColleenKelleher : From Metro: Branch Ave., New Carrollton and Greenbelt parking lots now full as of 5:44 a.m. about 7 hours ago from web in

FROM kryan1035 : If you can get to the Redland Road/355 entrance at Shady Grove you may find a faster entrance, but lots are filling qui ... about 8 hours ago from web in reply to kryan1035

FROM kryan1035 : Parked in Lot 1 at Shady Grove Metro...filling fast at 5:15am about 8 hours ago from web in reply to kryan1035

FROM ColleenKelleher : From Montgomery Co. Police spokesman Paul Starks: I-370 is backed up past Shady Grove overpass. about 8 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher

FROM ColleenKelleher : Dave Buck: I-95 backed up with people going to Greenbelt Metro. Recommendation: Go to College Park Metro. about 8 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher

FROM atuss : Parking still available at vienna metro station about 9 hours ago from web in reply to atuss

FROM ColleenKelleher : From Kate Ryan: Lots of parking available still at Shady Grove Metro. about 9 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher

FROM ColleenKelleher : From David Burd: Traffic is backed up all the way onto the Beltway to get to the Greenbelt station. about 9 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher

FROM atuss : Vienna metro lot packed at 4a about 9 hours ago from web in reply to atuss

FROM ColleenKelleher : Metro says try Branch Ave. or College Park. parking lots. about 9 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher


FROM ColleenKelleher : From Adam Tuss: Metro Greenbelt parking lot fills in less than 30 min. about 9 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher


FROM ColleenKelleher : Mike Moss: From I-66 at exit 243 -- exit for Vienna Metro -- is backed up. about 10 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher

FROM ColleenKelleher : From Lisa Baden: People already waiting in line for Metro parking at Greenbelt. about 10 hours ago from web in reply to ColleenKelleher

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Federal Center SW closed as of 1:28 PM

[LandoverDivision]

Today the ridership numbers from 4am-6am were 104,751.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

WMATA posted a video of conditions on board Metro today (Inauguration Day) on their website, you can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t98MvwNkD-k. 

[WMATAGMOAGH]

The latest ridership number: About 734,000 as of now according to WTOP Radio

[WayneNYC]

We went down to take part in today's inauguration ceremonies.  We attempted to park at Shady Grove around 7:30 AM only to be turned away as the lot was full.  Not wanting to bother with local buses, I decided to drive up to the Germantown Town Center.  Caught one of Ride On's special shuttles to Shady Grove station.  Train was packed by time we reached Bethesda.  We decided to try for L'Enfant Plaza, but that station had closed and we rode over to the Pentagon.  At the Pentagon WMATA was providing free shuttles to 14th Street near the Mall.  They used Four Mile Run buses on this shuttle.  It was cold has heck, but I couldn't be here in the DC area and miss such an important historical event.  The Mall was packed with people like Metrorail, but the crowds on the train as well as the Mall were very orderly.  I'd even go as far as saying people were generally polite and in very good spirit.  After President Obama's speech we made our way back to the shuttle bus to the Pentagon for the train ride back home.  It was an exhausting, cold day, but I'm grateful to have been able to take part, but happy to finally be back home.

[Scrabbleship]

This might be a dumb question, but how did they handle Yellow Line service today? With Mt. Vernon Square closed, did they empty out at Gallery Place and turn around there in lieu of signs saying Mt. Vernon Square?
I saw a makeshift lot of charter buses (Peter Pan from MA and Kelly from CT) set up at the corner of Marinelli Rd & Nebel St) in Rockville, right down the hill from White Flint and Montgomery Division. Leaving work around 5:15, the crowds heading towards them were surreal.