Trying to find accurate information about inaugural weekend seemed at times more difficult than pulling teeth with a blunt object. Many sites were reporting that all the trains in and out of DC were completely full, that it would be impossible to find any way to get into the city and four million people were going to be on the mall Tuesday, January 20th. While there were sold out trains, commuter trains run by MARC and Amtrak for the morning of the 20th. However the Metro itself added a bunch more routes all weekend so it was somewhat crowded on Monday and Tuesday, but nothing terribly ridiculous, but I was not using my wheelchair on the Metro, and that would have been more difficult than usual, but nothing that adding some time and planning would not have solved. Getting there was only difficult as it seemed that every flight between Maine (where I live) and the DC area was either sold out or selling for double the normal fare.
As would be the case for the entire trip, fate seemed to step in and work some magic. After spending the better part of 5 hours researching airfare, at 11:30 on Friday night (1/16), I found a really great fare down to Baltimore for the next afternoon, and I got bumped up to first class for free. I had friends in DC willing to meet me near the airport, and there is a reliable bus from the Baltimore airport to the Metro, that costs a couple dollars. Better still, the friends I was staying with decided to meet me at The Greenbelt Metro stop, so me, my wheelchair and my luggage did not have to fight the Metro system. The Metro is actually relatively accessible, but my friends were wonderful, so hey, if it's one less thing I needed to worry about, I was not going to refuse a free ride. The flight was fine, it took less than three hours to fly from Portland, ME to Baltimore, grab the Bus to the Metro, meet my friends and drive into DC.
The need to be in DC proper could not be overstated. Bridges were closing Sunday to cars from Virginia, and the MARC system was sold out of trains on Inauguration day. It was also kind of interesting as I had been quoted in an article on access and the inaugural, which was carried by the Associated Press. I saw the article made all sorts of papers nationally and internationally. My local paper dedicated a full page to it, which was awesome. Being in DC and having friends who were more than willing to drive me around the city made accessiblity much easier for me. I had planned to go to the Opening Concert with U2 and Springsteen, but decided to stay in, chill out and relax, as I was going to the Disability Pride and Power Ball that night. I knew I'd be exhausted and I really needed to manage my energy levels, or else I would just be much more tired, and the trip would have drained my energy. I used my wheelchair for energy management, and I realize it was the only way I could have handled my schedule without being completely exhausted.
