It is a really strange time to live in Reston, VA. Usually, one of the things that we love about Reston, and Northern Virginia in general, is the proximity to Washington D.C. without the city traffic. We enjoy going to the theater, to events, to museums, going to see the National Christmas Tree, and using the train station.
So here we are just outside the city...and usually we can get down there pretty easily. However, next week during the inauguration, we might as well be living in Chicago. You see, all of the bridges from Virginia will be closed to car traffic starting on Monday afternoon. The plans are that everyone coming from Virginia is supposed to walk over the bridges. That might work for people just outside the city, or even people near a metro station, but we don't have one of those yet (a topic for another day). I toyed with the idea of getting up super early and trying to figure out the bus schedule from Reston to a metro station, but was not able to get too far with that before I heard about the next problem.
And the next problem, and really the show stopper, is the possible shortage of 'port-a-potties.' If I am getting up early and getting my kids on a bus, you better believe I am going to need some coffee...and we all know what the next need following coffee is!
Now every day I hear more and more reasons why I should not go downtown. It is practically a media campaign to discourage us! In fact I heard a news story on the radio yesterday questioning whether officials were actually trying to keep the public from coming (not being a conspiracy theorist, I don't think so, but I do think they are trying to keep the expectations in check).
Last night I talked to the only girlfriend I know who is planning to go. She is going in to the city on Monday and spending the night with friends who live in the District. That is a great plan, but I don't have friends who live in D.C.
Well, you know what? I give up! I will sit in my family room with my big screen television and watch the festivities like (almost) everyone else. So, yes, I might as well be in Chicago, or LA or Seattle. I can enjoy myself, stay warm, sip coffee and not have to worry about bus schedules. Am I a little disappointed? Yes, but not as disappointed as I would be if I got up at 4 a.m. and still missed seeing the whole thing because I was waiting in line for a port-a-pottie!
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