MARC Commuter Rail service still has tickets available for Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009. MARC is operating reserved trains that day and selling special, commemorative round trip tickets for $25. Regular MARC tickets and passes will not be honored.
For anyone who can get to a MARC station and is willing and able to do some walking, this looks to me like the best way to get to the National Mall to witness Barak Obama's inauguration. The reserved trains and special tickets are to assure that the trains will not be overbooked or overcrowded. The MARC train will drop you off and pick you up at Union Station, less than a mile from the Mall, so you won't have to deal with Metrorail, which is likely to be packed.
To purchase tickets, go to www.CommuterDirect.com. For more information about MARC service, go to www.mtamaryland.com.
Joe Chapline is Web Manager for Arlington County Commuter Services
Anyone traveling to DC for the inauguration might be interested in this guide: "Where to Pee in DC: An Insider's Guide for the Inauguration" Sounds goofy, but there's a shortage of available bathrooms on and around the National Mall where the inauguration takes place. This 7-page downloadable guide highlights a bunch of lesser known bathrooms, plus it gives good tips and tactics for accessing them. Available on ebay for $3.75 (item # 120351046988).
Posted by: Jennifer | December 30, 2008 at 03:24 PM