Day: January 8, 2009

Inauguration Musings- Blocked Streets in Shaw?

I’m looking at the press release put out by the inaugural people (PDF) and on page 8 it says that 13th St NW from K to Logan Circle and 6th Street from K to P Streets NW will be pedestrian-only for the parade. But I don’t see any time stamp for parade only stuff. So…. how long will cross streets, and I’m going to guess that the 600 to 1200 blocks of O, N, M and L Streets are going to be blocked? Because if those North-South routes are going to be pedestrian only per the press release, what of the East-West Streets that intersect them? Also those pedestrian only routes don’t show up on any of the maps I’ve been looking at.
-UPDATE-
From the DC.GOV inauguaration site I noticed:

The following roadways will be closed to traffic from Tuesday, January 20th, 12:01am through Wednesday, January 21st, 12:01am, to implement and remove the Charter Bus Parking zones. The Road Closure areas will be limited to charter buses, metro buses, taxis, postal vehicles, law enforcement vehicles, emergency vehicles and residents with government issued identification or vehicle registration showing residency inside the restricted area.

I’ve picked out the ones of interest to Shaw residents:
I-395/3rd Street Tunnel from SE/SW Freeway to New York Avenue
13th Street, NW from K Street, NW to Logan Circle, NW
6th Street, NW from K Street, NW to P Street, NW
13th Street, NW from Logan Circle to K Street, NW
14th Street, NW from R Street to K Street, NW
15th Street, NW from K Street, NW to Rhode Island Avenue, NW
New Jersey Avenue, NW from K Street, NW to Florida Avenue, NW

I’ve bolded the streets of great interest to me. It looks like a bit of the Logan Circle area is going to get caught up in this. Why aren’t these northern parts being shown on maps?

Inauguration Musings- Getting to work

If I was still working at the Holocaust Museum and scheduled to work Tuesday, I’d be so screwed.
Yes, January 20th is a Federal holiday, however, holiday or no, some people have to get to work. Think about all the places that will be open or have to be open Tuesday. Closer to the action are the museums, and the Holocaust Museum is only closed on two days, Yom Kippur & Christmas. I take it that the Smithsonian Institutions’ museums are the same, minus Yom Kippur. So there are the security, janitorial and exhibit area personnel who have to show up. Then you’ve got restaurants, coffee shops, hotels with waiters, managers, and other staff who need to get in. And silly question, will the Gallery Place Bed, Bath and Beyond be open? The movie theater?
Getting to work in the core inauguration area is an obvious bear. What of the other parts of DC that depend on workers who commute from Virginia? Hopefully getting from MoCo, or Ward 9 (aka PG Co) won’t be that bad…. with VA traffic diverted to Maryland…. Metro overloaded. It will be interesting to hear, with the bridge closures and the predictions of heavily trafficked roads, what the impact of the day will be for parts of the city far from the downtown area.
But right now, I’m so thankful that I’m no longer a Visitor Services Representative at the Holocaust Museum. I remember trying to get home after the Million Man March. The entry to the Smithsonian station (Ag Building side) was so blocked with people, a blockage that wasn’t moving, I turned around and walked across the 14th Street Bridge. I wouldn’t have that option, the 14th Street Bridge will be closed to pedestrians and cyclists from 2am to 7pm on the 20th, according to the Washington Post.

Sympathies

‘Cause apparently what little I heard from the DC cop wasn’t sounding all that sympathetic.
To the owners of the vehicles parked on the 400 block of R Street, next to the Africare lot, you have my sympathies. But living in the burbs won’t make you immune to knuckleheads smashing your windows. And to counter what I heard, just because we live in the city doesn’t mean we’re supposed to accept being victims of vandalism. My cousin who lives in the far reaches of Fairfax Co. told me that a whole block of tires were slashed in his subdivision. So the whiff of suggesting that moving to VA or MD is not a crime prevention suggestion.