Advice for folks arriving on Friday for the March?

[Rbts Stn]

I've got family members with Metro experience going down to DC on Friday (Amtrak), changing at Union Station, heading to Logan Circle area. Looks like the Metro is "enhancing" service on Saturday: https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Womens ... ervice.cfm which should help with the crowds.

I've instructed them to get Metro cards upon arrival Friday afternoon at Union Station, but the question is how much to put on. Do regulars here think there's a point in trying to take the train on Saturday morning to get to the mall (it's about a 2 mile walk, otherwise, to the meeting point), or is it just going to be overwhelmed and they shouldn't plan to take the subway on Saturday to/from the event?

Thanks!

[STrRedWolf]

I'd assume the worst, and just throw $25 on the card.

[Chris Brown]

The Metro (Subway) is the only train that goes to the mall. Not sure what other train you are talking about.

You can either take Amtrak, Marc, or VRE to DC and try to walk to the mall from there or you can get off at Union Station and switch to the Metro (Subway) and go directly to the mall.

[Rbts Stn]

Yes. Amtrak from Boston to Union Station, Metro from Union Station to Logan Circle and then weekend activities (protest, dinner, etc). By "train" the second time I meant subway/metro, not anything else.

The question is, will the Metro be up to handling the crowds or should they just plan on walking everywhere?

[smallfire85]

I know that Metro is planning on providing some additional service on Saturday in prep for the march, but I'm not sure as to the specific level of service. Metro should be OK, do expect crowded conditions.

Be mindful that Friday is definitely a day to worry about also. My Vernon Sq station on the Green and Yellow will be closed, and Union Station might have some funky stuff going on since there will be an Innauguration-related dinner at Union Station.

[STrRedWolf]

I know that Metro is planning on providing some additional service on Saturday in prep for the march, but I'm not sure as to the specific level of service. Metro should be OK, do expect crowded conditions.

Be mindful that Friday is definitely a day to worry about also. My Vernon Sq station on the Green and Yellow will be closed, and Union Station might have some funky stuff going on since there will be an Innauguration-related dinner at Union Station.

MARC and VRE train schedules will be messy as well, and I haven't heard if Amtrak adjusted. MARC is doing rush hour, rush direction, limited train numbers only for that day (I gotta take Light Rail tomorrow...).

[SemperFidelis]

It would be best to budget a goodly amount of extra time for your journey.

I went to President George W. Bush's inauguration and, despite the crowd being less than huge for such an event, there were delays involved.

Without getting political, take into account as well that the good behavior expected of people in early 2000, as well as the decorum associated with such important events, has gone right out the window in the past several years. We were told to expect huge delays from protests in 2000, but all of the protesters I met we rather nice and there were no incidents I saw. Do not be surprised if some sort of incident occurs this year. People have long since forgotten how to take a friggin chill pill, how to be good losers, and how to be gracious winners...so everyone's blood pressure is running a little high. Here's to hoping nothing bad happens and no ill words are spoken or ill actions taken, but I just don't trust anyone to act like adults anymore.

So long story short, be careful and budget a little extra time for your journey.

[Chris Brown]

It would be best to budget a goodly amount of extra time for your journey.

I went to President George W. Bush's inauguration and, despite the crowd being less than huge for such an event, there were delays involved.

Without getting political, take into account as well that the good behavior expected of people in early 2000, as well as the decorum associated with such important events, has gone right out the window in the past several years. We were told to expect huge delays from protests in 2000, but all of the protesters I met we rather nice and there were no incidents I saw. Do not be surprised if some sort of incident occurs this year. People have long since forgotten how to take a friggin chill pill, how to be good losers, and how to be gracious winners...so everyone's blood pressure is running a little high. Here's to hoping nothing bad happens and no ill words are spoken or ill actions taken, but I just don't trust anyone to act like adults anymore.

So long story short, be careful and budget a little extra time for your journey.

This was not a normal election so why would you expect people to have normal reactions?

I don't get why some people are so shocked that people are acting different about Trump than past presidents. Is it really that hard to understand?

[SemperFidelis]

I was hoping the whole "not to get political" phrase was worth adding, but...

I expect adult behavior from others because I am the most liberal person I know, and I live in a heavily Democratic city, one with a few colleges in town and a strong history in the labor movement, and I manage to act "normal". I was taught and trained that there is a way every American is supposed to act, respecting the process and the office, not necessarily the person who is involved with said process or who holds said office.

America is far too strong an idea and system to be upset by one moment in her political history. Remember all of those "America will end and our guns will be confiscated if the socialist Kenyan is elected?". They were wrong. Most likely, the gloom and doomers expecting the demise of all freedom because of a rich guy with an ego issue are wrong as well.

If I am wrong, however, feel free to come up and take part in the most politically diverse survivalist bunker in the world. We have ditto-heads (most of my family) and communists alike.

[SemperFidelis]

By the by, I didn't mean for that post to sound as confrontational as it reads, I am just amazed how well it proves my point that something as clearly non partisan as my post can cause people to become upset.

I love history and read on politcal history all the time. I know for a fact people we saying the exact same things (word for word in some cases) about our future when President FDR was elected and also when President Reagen was elected.

Somehow we survived both a crippled socialist who was going to turn the country over to the lefties and a former Democratic Party member turned bad actor who was not responislbe enough to be trusted with our nuclear weapons. Funny how those two things sound familiar.

[Chris Brown]

I hear you.

But expecting adults to always act in a predictable, mature, cookie cutter way is not realistic. We don't live in a utopia. People are emotional and a lot of people have mental health issues. So you cannot just "assume" everyone will always act the way you believe they should. That is all I'm saying. Change is hard for MOST people.

[farecard]

Having blown through many records yesterday, I wonder how smoothly things went?

For the Obama inaugural, WMATA had weeks/months to prepare; yesterday, a few days... but a real GM.
So how did it go?

[JackRussell]

Having blown through many records yesterday, I wonder how smoothly things went?

For the Obama inaugural, WMATA had weeks/months to prepare; yesterday, a few days... but a real GM.
So how did it go?

The accounts that I heard were that traffic Saturday was very heavy, but Metro apparently stepped up and added some more trains to try and alleviate the pressure. Someone I spoke to said the line to actually get into McPherson Square station and onto a platform was over an hour (part of the challenge was that by the time the trains got there, they were pretty full already).

For a while, I heard of trains bypassing the L'Enfant Plaza station due to platform overcrowding.

[dcmike]

The Metro (Subway) is the only train that goes to the mall. Not sure what other train you are talking about.

Arguable... several NE Corridor Amtrak trains service L'Enfant Plaza, which is steps away from the mall.

[mtuandrew]

Federal Triangle was closed Saturday - the proximity to the Old Post Office probably the reason - but otherwise Metro shouldered its share of the load. Somewhat jerky, and lots of "STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS or else WE ARE TAKING THE TRAIN OUT OF COMMISSION", but considering they were crush loaded from Franconia-Springfield (I hear from Shady Grove too), Metro only had a few disabled trains and did very well considering the 1.3 million rides yesterday we even had transit police on every car(!) forcibly barring people from entering packed cars. From what I saw, even the few Trump supporters still using the Metro yesterday weren't harassed.