Travel tips for the inauguration

Here is some advice if you are hoping to go to the inauguration:

HOTELS: Most downtown hotels are already filled, but there are still some rooms available in outlying areas of the city and the suburbs. Many hotels are requiring three- and four-night minimums. Travelers can check Web sites such as Expedia and Orbitz for deals as well as http://www.washington.org. “You really want to get at it right now,” advises William Hanbury with Destination DC, the city’s tourism bureau. Groups requiring 10 or more rooms can call Destination DC at 1-800-422-8644.

OTHER OPTIONS: Hanbury says people are coming up with innovative approaches such as sleeping in church basements, school cafeterias or on friends’ couches. Some D.C. residents have posted ads on Web sites such as Craigslist offering to rent out their homes.

TRANSPORTATION: Many streets downtown and around the National Mall will be closed on Inauguration Day, so plan to use public transportation whenever possible. Your best options include Metrorail and Metrobus and the DC Circulator bus. You can avoid waiting in line in Metro stations by pre-purchasing all-day Metro passes online — http://www.wmata.com/onlinestore/default.cfm?nocache. Be aware that security is heightened. For example, your bags might be checked on Metro and Amtrak trains.

TICKETS: Tickets to the inauguration ceremony are free — but sure to be scarce — and will be distributed through members of Congress in January. Contact your senator or representative to request a ticket. Congressional offices will get the tickets about a week before the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony; in-person pickup is required. Be wary of any Web site or broker claiming to sell tickets; Congress is the only way to go.
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Information from Destination DC and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies