The skies, roads and rails will soon be full of more than a million descending upon D.C., which is exactly why many Washington-area residents are setting their sights as far from the capital as possible.
“Even if I can walk on the sidewalks, I have this vision in my head of an anthill and people running around everywhere,” said Ashley Garber, a Georgetown lawyer soon to be skiing in Breckenridge, Colo. “I just wouldn’t be able to enjoy the city the way I normally do.”
Garber is not alone among D.C.-ites who enjoy relative quiet. And recent news of closed bridges, an overwhelmed Metro, and the city’s designation as a federal emergency zone have only reaffirmed her decision.
Martha Hollingsworth, who usually adores her Dupont Circle neighborhood, is more than happy to leave it to tourists next week as she relaxes on the beaches of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
“Everything will be closed except for the bars in my neighborhood, which will be open 24 hours,” Hollingsworth said. “So I wouldn’t even get any sleep.”
“Friends are using my place,” she said. “I’m happy to let them have it — I hope they have a great time.”
Annoyance more than politics drove Garber and Hollingsworth away, but some still-sore Republicans are hoping a vacation takes their minds off of Obamamania.
Alexandria real estate broker Brian Block and his wife aim to avoid all mention of the inauguration in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. After posting his travel plans on his blog, a reader invited him to meet up in Mexico to watch the ceremonies.
“Thanks for the invite, but no,” Block responded.
Closer to home, residents craving quiet have snatched up cabins and resorts out of earshot of the city.
A two-nights-for-one inauguration package at the upscale Inn at Little Washington, about 70 miles outside of the city, has only a couple of rooms remaining, and a spokeswoman said nearly all of the guests are planning to stay put.
Karl Baldwin, of Mountain-lodging.com, said all of his more than 400 cabins within about 90 miles of D.C. are sold out through next week. Nearly all are open for the rest of the month, though, for people in need of inaugural recovery.
