At noon on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, Barack H. Obama will be sworn in on the steps of the Capitol as the 56th President of the United States of America. The City of Alexandria is expecting a record number of
visitors, and preparations are underway for our guests and friends.
Jumbotron in Market Square
At the heart of Old Town is Market Square. Market Square is at the City Hall building, 301 King St. It is a brick courtyard and gathering point for city residents. The Presidential swearing-in ceremony and
parade will be on Jumbotron (a giant TV) live on Inauguration Day at Market Square from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Area Road Closures and Bridge Restrictions
The City of Alexandria states: "Road and bridge closures and security restrictions around the U.S. Capitol and the Inauguration parade route will make traveling by car directly from Northern Virginia to Washington, DC impossible beginning at 2 a.m. on January 20. The City urges residents---whether attending the Inauguration, going to work, or staying in Alexandria---to make plans and stay informed."
So far, the road closures and bridge restrictions generally begin at 2 AM on Tuesday January 20th (early on Inauguration Day). At around that time, personal vehicles will not be allowed to enter Washington
from Northern Virginia. Residents and visitors in Northern Virginia are urged to take public transit to the Inauguration activities. If you insist on driving, drivers will only be able to enter Washington by
driving in from designated Maryland routes. Road closures and detours:
- Traffic on I-395 traffic heading toward Washington will be diverted at the Springfield interchange (exits 170B and 170C) onto 1-495 North (Inner Loop) or I-495/95 East (Outer Loop). Southbound 395
remain open to traffic.
- The 14th Street Bridge, Roosevelt Bridge, and Key Bridge will be closed to general traffic. Only authorized vehicles will be allowed to cross these bridges. The Memorial Bridge and the Chain Bridge will be
open to pedestrians only.
- North Washington Street at Montgomery Street to Reagan National Airport will be closed.
- The George Washington Memorial Parkway will be closed in both directions from I-495 to the 14th Street Bridge.
I-95/395 HOV Schedule
HOV on I-95/395 will begin at 3 AM, after 5 AM only buses and authorized vehicles will be permitted to use the I-95/395 HOV lanes from Route 234/Dumfries to Washington. The HOV lanes will reverse at 8
PM with restrictions lasting until 9 pm or later.
Metro and VRE on Inauguration
As federal, state and local agencies continue to develop plans for the Inauguration, information on road closures may change. Please check this page for updates.
Alexandria VA and Washington DC are expecting record turnouts for the 46th Presidential Inauguration. The public is urged to use public transportation and to arrive early. The best way into Washington DC from Northern Virginia and Alexandria on Inauguration Day will be
Metrorail and
Virginia Railway Express.
Metro claims they will have public parking spaces available at all Northern Virginia Metro stations. It will be interesting to see how this is accomplished at some stations. For travel around the area on Inauguration Day, Metro is probably a good choice. To plan your trip via the Metrobus or Metrorail, use Metro’s Trip Planner; for bus travel within Alexandria, visit the
Alexandria Transit Company (DASH) system, or ride the
Free King Street Trolley, which runs from the Metrorail King Street Station to the City’s Waterfront.
For more detailed information please check the Secret Service Announces Security Information for the 2009 Presidential Inaugural (PDF)
For more travel options to, and within Washington, D.C., and other important information, please check out
CarlyleDistrict.com.
Walking
Persons walking from to the Inauguration from Alexandria have a number of options, including the
Mount Vernon Trail.
A less hearty walk would start at Arlington National Cemetary. You may wish to Metro to Arlington National Cemetary and walk the Memorial Bridge into DC. WMATA has produced and provided a commemorative walking guide and map.
Bicycling
The Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA) will be operating two free bicycle valet parking areas on January 20, including one at the Jefferson Memorial. Visit WABA for more information including maps, bike rental information and valet tips. The City of Alexandria's
Online Bike Map can prove useful as can the
Regional Bike Path Route-Finder.
Bicycles will not be allowed on Metrorail all weekend long, beginning Saturday, January 17th. Bicycles
will be allowed on MetroBus throughout the Inaugural weekend.
Alexandria Events
Here's a list of other Alexandria Inauguration events.
Units from the Fairfax County and Alexandria City Fire and Rescue Departments responded to a call yesterday from Belle View condominiums in New Alexandria VA. New Alexandria has an Alexandria postal address, but is actually part of Fairfax County.
Fire and rescue units from Fairfax County's nearby Sherwood Hall station arrived before units from the City of Alexandria. Fairfax County officials responded with fire trucks, an ambulance and police cruisers. Police blocked off westbound Belle View Boulevard in front of the Belle View Shopping Center to give rescuers room to work. By the time Alexandria responders arrived it appeared that Fairfax County had the problem well in hand.
By the time these pictures were taken the fire was under control and/or extinguished, but smoke and burnt plastic could still be smelled in the streets. Residents and witnesses said they believed the fire was from a second story unit and may have been a kitchen fire. At least 1 person was taken to the hospital for further examination, but there were no apparent injuries other than smoke inhalation.
The Incident Commander wrapped up with an after-action report and life soon returned to normal in Belle View.
The marina has plenty of sailboats, canoes and kayaks for rent. They also offer lessons. Check out the spelling on the sign.
We had a great time on the Potomac. The winds were steady and fairly strong.
We were on the river until nearly sundown.
The oldest school building in Arlington County houses the Arlington Historical Museum. The Arlington Historical Museum is owned and operated by the Arlington Historical Society, a group of concerned local citizens that conduct research and to preserve and disseminate knowledge relating to the history, archaeology, material culture, and geographical and socio-economic development of Arlington County, Virginia.
I recently stopped by the Arlington Historical Museum and took a quick tour of the exhibits therein. The museum is located at 1805 South Arlington Ridge Road. The location is relatively close to the Pentagon City and Crystal City metrorail stations but sits up on the ridge overlooking Crystal City. The setting is very pleasant and the views here toward Crystal City are very pleasant.
The building itself was the Hume School, named for Frank Hume who gave some of the property for the school. The museum features a working classroom as it might have appeared when the building was used as a school. The building is designated a Virginia State Historical Landmark and is also on the National Register of Historic Sites.
The museum is open to the public only on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 - 4 p.m. If you enjoy local history this is a worthwhile stop. The society's phone number is 703-892-4204.
I didn't take any pictures inside the building ... for a reason. I wanted to tempt you to come in and take a look around. As I was about to leave one of the members of the historical society invited me to ring the school bell before I left! I can proudly say that I have rang the bell at the Hume School.
Huntley Meadows is a 4500 acre park in Fairfax County, but today the park service only maintains about 30 acres of meadows. The remainder of the park is following the natural life cycle of the land.
In the days before Columbus, Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley were mostly a sprawling meadow, and even here on the East Coast we had bison herds. The meadows are not the natural state here though, and they were maintained by natives who burned and cut the forest from time to time to leave room for the big herding animals. Left on its own, the land here will slowly revert to a hardwood forest. In Huntley Meadows, visitors can explore this forest by way of many trails and paths.
The change to forest happens over time. When the meadows first fall fallow, weeds rush in. In a few years brambles and honeysuckle mix in with fast growing trees like locusts or cedars. Eventually the tree canopy grows so thick that the vines and undergrowth begin to die off. In dry months, this undergrowth becomes brittle and fires are easy to start. Left unchecked, nature will start its own fire to clear the undergrowth and to replenish the hardwoods as they grow.
The forests of Huntley Meadows are young. This is evidenced not only by the diameter of the trunks and by the types of trees that are tallest. It's also evidenced by the duff, or undergrowth, that is heavy in parts of the forest. The park's management recently ignited a number of controlled burns to clear up the duff and to help keep the forest healthy.
You'll see signs of the fire along many paths in the park.
Huntley Meadows is also popular with birdwatchers. I found these feathers scattered along the trail. Perhaps a fox found a meal here? I am curious what type of bird this might have been.