I actually was thinking about the “We Are One” Inaugural concert kickoff but I previously made plans for lunch out in Tyson’s Corner.

Driving out to Tyson’s from Arlington was surprisingly quiet, I didn’t expect traffic leaving but I thought maybe with all the road closures that there would be traffic heading into the city. But everything looked smooth as Barack Obama.

I arrived at Coastal Flats only to hear that my original plans had fallen through. Well I decided to take the opportunity to enjoy lunch anyways (this time at Gordon Biersch) and walk around the suburbia that is the Tyson’s Corner Mall.

After an excellent burger and garlic fries I was ready to walk off the food coma and make out with girls. The later probably wouldn’t be wise to do after eating some of those delicious fries.

Walking through the mall I passed by a Verizon FiOS kiosk, where several

TV were playing CNN. All of a sudden Denzel Washington came on and I realized the concert had already started. When Obama and Biden walked down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial a crowd quickly formed. It was cool to see how the Inauguration still manages to catch the attention of those busy with their own lives.

After the walk around the mall I headed back to my place to watch the rest of the concert on HBO. While I’m not surprised that a number of celebrities that showed up to speak, I was shocked to see how big the names were. The PIC has a live blog up that pretty much walks through the entire program.

"We Are One" courtesy of the Presidential Inaugural Committee

One comment I do want to make is on the Bald Eagles that were brought out- it was kind of a weird pause if you ask me. I respect and admire the animals but they were brought out then silence, and then when they tried to fly they were tied down so it looked like they were attacking their owners more than flying. For a minute I thought they were going to let them go or something but it just turned out to be an odd display of our national bird.

After the concert I met up with my friend Mike and we enjoyed the Ravens/Steelers game at Bailey’s then it was on to downtown to check out the nightlife scene.

The scene was rather quiet despite the extended hours, then I remembered that Metro was only running til Midnight which could explain the lack of crowds around the area. I did meet a group of “Obama Mamas” on the Orange line. They were from Seattle and attended the  Washington State Society reception over at Sam & Harry’s. The mamas traveled all the way from the West Coast and were surprised with how nice the people have been everywhere they went. From the Inaugural concert to downtown. What can I say, we aren’t New Yorkers here.

That also means that I won’t be remaining quiet this weekend, in fact I’ve already declared my weekend a “Weekend of Destruction.” That means every day til Wednesday will probably be a day I will rock out- leading to a destruction of my health, morals, and what little social life I had to begin with. It only makes sense I declare this a Weekend of Destruction- after all DC is technically in a state of emergency.

So let me share with you my nightlife last night.

While DC has been pretty satisfied with the extended bar hours, the crowds are only starting to come out. On my way to Dupont Circle the metro was packed from the Caps game that just ended however I did see a lot more suitcases than usual in my crowded car. I also noticed that there were a whole lot of tour buses dropping folks off when I got to Dupont.

The Big Hunt was terribly crowded but I was out pretty early at the point- the crowds grew as the hour approached midnight- luckily there was still a whole lot more nightlife to go.

I met up with some friends at Columbia Heights house party which was ok but the keg was kicked soon after my arrival and my crew and I were soon walking over to The Wonderland Ballroom which would of been cool since I’ve never been there but when we arrived we found out they were one of the unlucky ones that decided not to go for the late night license.

That reminds me, make sure you check out the Washington Post’s list of bars open late so you don’t make the same mistake we did.

We ended up grabbing a taxi over to U-Street where Local 16 was finishing up a priviate Inaugural party on their deck (it looked really nice all tented and heated.)

It was great being able to stay out til 4 AM last night- what I didn’t like was trying to get a taxi to get myself back into Virginia. It appears that a few cabs that we stopped didn’t want to leave The District. Concerns over security? Did anyone else encounter this?

Well today should be a little more chill- unlike Anthony I won’t be heading out to the concert but I will be enjoying the Ravens/Steelers game tonight and maybe try out another neighborhood.

Well a scene I’ll always remember from that film is the part where crazy Bruce Willis 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 have the latest on which places will be open late this weekend- and also why Adams Morgan will not be as open as it should. 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 fan but I’ll cheer for them- to help shut up the obnoxious Steelers 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, looking at the security perimeter, 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 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.