My DC - Disruptive Edition

Over the past year I've really enjoyed presenting My DC every Friday. It was fun to share my perspective on a city I love and it was incredibly gratifying to hear from so many of you who really enjoyed it. You are what drove me to take long, meandering, walks in search of cool stuff to share and my health is all the better for it. Thank you.

That said, in 2009 My DC will alternate randomly with Eye Candy Fridays depending on what I see around me. Of course whenever there is something exciting going on here I'll do my best to share whatever insight I can. Today is just such a day.

I'm sure that you are all hearing about the preparations for the Inauguration and how President-Elect Obama has moved to DC. The hotel where they are staying, the Hay-Adams, is very close to my office and the disruption caused is something I face every day. That hotel was one of the local landmarks that I considered sharing as part of My DC but I chose to share the church across the street instead.


Talk about disruption, imagine being one of the folks with reservations at the hotel. Instead of arriving in style and pulling up under the porte cochere to have the bellman unload your bags, you are met at a barricade a block aaway. Can you say classy?


As you stroll down the block to the entrance this is what you see. A maze of barricades under the watchful eye of police and secret service. There are news crews too and you're lucky if you're not accosted by them. You can barely see it but there is another white tent on the far side of the porte cochere in H Street. That's how the new first family arrives without being seen by paparazzi.


What's their view from the hotel? Here it is. Beyond the barriers is Lafayette Park and if you go through the park you'll see the grandstand which is obstructing the White House from sight. You can just barely see it's roof over the grandstand. I suspect that the Obamas can see it better from their room.


Just down the street from the White House there is a new store full of Inauguration souvenirs. I have already been there once and I suspect I'll go again. My girls got commemerative coin keychains and Bruce and I got "Yes We Did" bumper stickers. It was quite crowded and I suspect it'll only be more so in the coming week.