As another DC resident, one thing I think worth adding is that if you are on the Mall, the foot traffic of big events tends to overwhelm/destroy the grass. If there has been any rain in the few days prior to the 20th, some combination of mud and sludge is a possibility. Wear a shoe with some tread - not necessarily a big tread, but avoid slick soles.
Additionally, DC has this annoying weather trend of ridiculous swings in the temperatures from day to day in the winter. 35 one day, 72 the next, that kind of thing. Layers can't be emphasized too much. David ________________________________ From: "Pollak, Melissa F." <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 9, 2009 9:44:37 AM Subject: [TV orNotTV] Re: Way OT: California Question I've lived in DC most of my life now, so I have a considerable amount of expertise on the subject of weather, inaugurations, etc. If you don't have tickets to stand on the Capitol (not the Mall) grounds, I'm not sure why it wouldn't be best for you to watch the show on TV (which is what I -- and every other "native" will be doing). I've been to exactly one inauguration -- Jimmy Carter's -- and, in those days I worked on Capitol Hill and had a ticket to stand on the East Front of the Capitol grounds -- and still couldn't see a thing. It was freezing cold on that day, but I was young, and still feel the experience was worth it. I'm sure you've heard of global warming? Well, I feel we're certainly experiencing it here in DC. I'm not so old that I don't remember how cold the winters used to be when I first moved here. As you probably recall, Reagan's second inaugural was held during the coldest spell we've ever had here. I think that year and that January the temperature never rose above freezing. But those days are long gone. Now, we have far fewer really cold, intolerable days. They are now quite rare. Actually, dress here similarly to the way I dress when I go to California -- in layers -- albeit heavier layers here. So, forget the long underwear. If it's a warm day -- and it might be -- you will be uncomfortable and not be able to do anything about it. Instead, I would plan on wearing three layers and one of them should be something that keeps you warm. I am a big fan of fleece which really keeps you warm, especially if it's on top of something else. The sneakers are fine, but bring plenty of socks. If it does happen to be cold, you might want to wear two pairs. Definitely have a pair of gloves or mittens -- warm ones with insulation. They can easily be removed if you don't need them. And, finally (if it really is cold), you MUST have something to cover your head. Maybe you remember from your days in Michigan that you lose 50%(?) of your body heat through the top of your head? Any kind of hat will do. But, actually, I've given up wearing hats -- I find that the earphones I wear for my Zune do the trick. But having your head covered is the most important thing you can do to stay warm. Me? As I said, I plan to watch the inauguration from the comfort of home. On my first HD TV! Yes, I finally bought one! Except right now I'm still negotiating with Best Buy on its delivery, but I won't bore anyone with that story. BTW, here's an email I got yesterday: -----Original Message----- From: Arlington Alert [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 3:22 PM To: Arlington Alert Subscribers Subject: Inauguration Alert from Arlington County Arlington is proud to be an important part of the Presidential Inauguration and celebrations. Arlington is expecting record crowds during the entire inaugural weekend January 17-20. Crowds and events during this weekend will affect all residents. To prepare for this event, pretend a hurricane is coming during that weekend and expect large crowds, congestion, traffic and many delays. Getting around will be difficult at best so a common sense approach will be important. Be informed, make a plan, be prepared. For tips on preparing for this historic event, road closures, and other information about the inauguration activities, visit www.arlingtonva.us search for 'inauguration".dlp/oem Sent by Arlington County OEM to All users (e-mail) through Arlington Alert -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of PGage Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 3:05 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [TV orNotTV] Way OT: California Question I'm sure this is a dumb question. In my defense, while I was born in Ann Arbor, I have lived almost all of my life in California. My wife is from Hawaii. I am taking my family to DC for the inauguration. We don't have tickets, so we will be standing in the mall with a million other people, probably for many hours. We have been told to wear long underwear and gloves. I mean, we have been told: "Seriously, I'm not kidding. You must wear long underwear and gloves". OK. We have worn those before, on the 5 or 6 times we took the kids skiing in Tahoe. I think I know what long underwear is. But do they really mean gloves like what we used to go skiing? The ones I had were kind of bulky, and I don't look forward to having to use them all day (and I don't want to look like an idiot, dressed for the arctic unnecessarily). On amazon I see 5 or 10 different kinds of gloves. I kind of like these classy looking leather driving ones - but maybe they are not really meant for cold/rain? I don't see anything that says "perfect for cold ass winter weather in an urban environment". While I am at it - what kind of shoes should we wear? I almost always wear sneakers. When we go skiing I wear big old clodhoppers - but I find those rather uncomfortable. Would it be stupid to walk around in the cold or snow in sneakers, or will those work fine if I have heavy socks? One more thing: How does intelligent human life manage to survive in climates where it gets so cold that you actually have to think twice about the kind of clothes you are going to wear? People are telling me that if we make the wrong clothing choices we could die; I think that is God's way of suggesting that people don't belong there. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Like TV only smarter. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
