A luncheon for foreign dignitaries at the home of Vice President Biden — not announced until Sunday — caught many drivers off guard Monday afternoon.
“Cops are pushing people over, I didn’t expect this,” said Lorraine White, 29, whose car was stuck behind a long line of vehicles outside the vice president’s house just after noon.
Biden’s lunch dates traveled several routes to and from the vice president’s residence, causing traffic delays along the Rock Creek Parkway, Massachusetts Avenue and other major Northwest arteries.
Traffic backups were especially problematic outside the vice president’s home at the Naval Observatory, where motorcade overflows caused police to block off one of Massachusetts Avenue’s southbound lanes.
“It’s been extremely hectic,” said Omari Battles, 23, who was working as a valet at the Finnish Embassy, near the vice president’s house, where sirens could be heard for much of the early afternoon.
“It was congested on both sides [of Massachusetts Avenue] for a while,” Battles said.
The lunch at Biden’s residence, located just north of the Rock Creek Parkway, was the largest gathering of foreign dignitaries at the Naval Observatory in history.
