An Amazing Event Not to Be Here For
As Crowds Plan to Pour In for Inauguration, Many in Area Seek a Way Out

By Michael E. Ruane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Inauguration Day: Millions of people, thousands of buses, mobs on the Metro, winter weather, epic potty lines. And maybe, from afar, a glimpse of history.

Who needs it?

Amid dire predictions of vast crowds in the District and the less-than-enjoyable happenings that could go with such a throng, some area residents have decided they would rather be elsewhere Jan. 20. Perhaps Florida. Or New York. Or . . . "anywhere but here," as a Fairfax county woman put it.

Some tourism officials have taken notice. A ski resort in West Virginia is offering a low-cost "escape inauguration" promotion. And several hotels on Florida's Amelia Island are offering discounts to residents of the District, Maryland and Virginia for that week.

Richard Goldman, chief marketing officer for Amelia Island Plantation, said they heard reports of people wanting to be out of the area for the inauguration and thought: "Let's help those folks get out of Dodge."

The 1,300-acre resort is offering a 20 percent "DC Escape" discount for District area residents from Jan. 18 through Jan. 22. "We've had quite a few calls and a number of takers," he said.

One family in Fairfax Station decided to leave the area only after thinking about the crowds and security. "Initially, we said, 'Absolutely, we want to be here,' " said Dawn Smith, 40, who has four children, ages 10 months to 13 years. "This is amazing. This is historic. This is something we really want to be part of. Then reality set in."

Smith said her family "totally" supported President-elect Barack Obama, but when it came time to ponder attending his inauguration, she recalled being a teenager in Los Angeles during the 1984 Summer Olympics and the chaos that can come with a huge event. Most of all, she said, she is concerned about security.

"I'm a parent now and feel like we can be part of the excitement and part of the spirit from a distance," she said. "We don't actually have to be there. . . . I just don't want to be in town at this point."

At the same time, she said the family is not looking to make money on the inauguration. "We decided: 'Let's just swap with somebody who really wants to be in D.C,' " Smith said.

They posted an ad for a house swap on a Web site. They've had a few offers, but one place was too small -- two bedrooms -- and another came with cats (her husband is allergic). As of this week, they still lacked a good match. No matter: "We are leaving town anyway, even if we can't make a swap," Smith e-mailed.

A 39-year-old Northern Virginia resident seeking an Atlantic City swap for the inauguration said she was motivated by fear.

She had heard crowd estimates of 6 million. The worst-case forecast actually had been about 4 million, and authorities now think it could be half that. Still, the woman cited the story in November of an employee who was crushed by a mob of shoppers at a Wal-Mart in Long Island, N.Y.

"I think it's going to be something like that," she said, identifying herself only as Sam. "It's going to be very, very scary. I'm not going to risk my life for it."

She said she voted for Obama but is content to watch his inauguration on television. She, too, was seeking a getaway swap via the Internet.

In Florida, Gil Langley, president of the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, said: "Anytime you're talking about bringing 10,000 motor coaches to one place, there are going to be people who don't want to deal with that. This is of a scale that I don't think [the District] has seen in a while, if ever."

Whenever you have a "mega event," he said, "you always have a group of people who live in the community that want to be elsewhere."

Inauguration officials said there is little reason to be fearful. The U.S. Secret Service said it has seen no evidence that crowds will be even 4 million.

"I don't think there's any reason to be afraid," said Special Agent Malcolm D. Wiley Sr., an agency spokesman. "We try our best to lessen the impact on the community, understanding that most of the events will take place in a pretty localized area."

In addition, audiences at such events, including past Obama events, have been joyous and peaceful "because the crowds are generally celebratory in nature," he said.

Kevin Griffis, a spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, noted that the District is accustomed to hosting large public events. "Most folks are used to having people from around the country pretty much year-round," he said.

"People are coming together to be a part of history and share a common experience," he added. "I think a spirit of community is going to prevail here."

William A. Hanbury, president of Destination DC, the city's tourism corporation, said: "I don't want people to be afraid to come. The whole Obama campaign was about . . . 'let's be as inclusive as possible.' "

Still, Garrett Whitmore, 29, a management consultant who lives in Penn Quarter, is looking to go skiing. He, too, would like a house swap.

"It's not that I'm not interested," he said. "I've been here for two inaugurations in the past. Even for the two [recent] Bush inaugurations, there were too many people in town. I'm a realist. It's just going to cripple the city. I'd rather not be here for that."

As for history, "maybe you'll see Obama for all of 30 seconds," he said. "I don't know how historic it will be to stand on a corner behind thousands of people."

Sharon Foster, 38, an employee of the Justice Department, is seeking to get her family to a place such as Florida for the inauguration in exchange for their four-bedroom home in Waldorf.

"Our first preference is for somewhere nice and warm and toasty," she said. "We're even willing to go to Vegas and have some fun."

A native of the D.C. area, she said she, too, had attended past inaugurations. This time, she said, "we can watch it on TV just the same and get a better view and be warm."