^[1]Remember that movie The Siege ^[2]? The one with Danzel Washington ^[3] and that guy ^[4] from Monk?

Well a scene I’ll always remember from that film is the part where crazy Bruce Willis ^[5] seals off NYC and puts troops on the bridge. Well right now I feel like one of the New Jersey people looking in. Hey at least I’m not one of the crazy people caught up in the mess just past that bridge.

Well as I write this a week from Inauguration I realized I’ve been writing about the big event however I have still not yet thought through my own plans for the weekend, which is only a few days away!

Ok well allow me to think out loud as I fill you in on the latest news.

So let’s approach Inauguration from a weekend standpoint. It’s going to be a crazy long weekend from Friday – Tuesday. Unfortunately I have a hot date with a play I’m helping to stage manage on Friday and Saturday morning, so my weekend starts that night.

Now the way it stands right now, bars will be open til 3 AM Friday – Monday. On Tuesday they will be open til 4 AM if they applied for the special licence. The Going Out Gurus ^[6] have the latest on which places will be open late this weekend ^[7]- and also why Adams Morgan will not be as open as it should ^[8]. As I wrote earlier, it the once enticing news that bars would stay open extra late got watered down as time went on.

So the way I see it, Saturday night I’m going out. Sunday I’ll probably wake up late, and veg while I watch the NFC and AFC championship games. I’m not usually a Ravens ^[9] fan but I’ll cheer for them- to help shut up the obnoxious Steelers ^[10] fans in my office.

Monday is still up in the air for me- but let’s talk Tuesday. There’s a big decision I gotta make.

Am I going to watch the Inauguration? Oh hell ya. But am I going to see it in person?

Sure history will be made and some people are going to reason that it’s something that we need to see in person, especially since we are so political in this area. However a lot of us are, especially the ones from Virginia (like me) are looking at the bridge closures ^[11], looking at the security perimeter ^[12], and saying- hell no.

On the other hand maybe the hype about all these people coming is just hype. Those looking to rent out their homes ^[13] are seeing how much hype it really was. I’m not saying nobody is coming into town- but maybe it’s more manageable that we think.

Right now I’m going to say I’d rather get up late, walk to my TV or go to a watch party, and enjoy the ceremony. To me it looks like a hassle to even try and get into town.

What I will do however is get a group of friends together and enjoy a night on the town afterwards- no fancy, expensive bars for me. All I need is to be able to escape Virginia to do that.