I'd like to go to the inauguration but the toddler electorate is likely going to commit acts of violence and vandalism.
Do it. I went to his first one and it was pretty great and memorable. For anyone who's planning on going, here's some tips on what to do based on my experience last time:
-If you're willing to bite the bullet and pay price gougers, rent an airbnb in the DC area; this includes the district itself, Arlington, Bethesda, Alexandria, you get the idea
-If you're not willing to pay price gougers (understandable, obviously) then you should get a hotel near one of the main rail/metro lines that lead into DC.
-If you're travelling from the midwest, west, or somewhere else that 100% requires a flight then your best bet is to either get a hotel room near Dulles, or fly to another airport (JFK, BWI, LaGuardia, Philly Intl') 2-3 days before the ceremony, then do my previous suggestion
-It's going to be a long day. A
very long day. You're going to have to get up early. Like, really
really early
I can almost guarantee that if you aren't out the door and on your way to the National Mall by 2-3 AM then you aren't getting a spot anywhere near the Capitol; you'll be back by the Washington Monument. Trump was popular last time and the crowds/lines to get in were big, but this time? Yeah, its going to be a madhouse. Traffic and congestion up the ass.
-Eat a full breakfast and make sure you go to the bathroom before you leave, because you're not going to get a chance to use a toilet until you get to either the Mall's perimeter or the restroom right next to the Washington Monument; all the buildings surrounding the Mall will be closed so you won't be able to go in and use their restrooms. So stay hydrated, but not so hydrated you need to take a piss.
-You'll have to take some initiative in moving forward through the crowds. When I went last time I'd look down the street for gaps and if I didn't see any obvious roadblock or feds/soldiers blocking the way, I went for it. It's probably the only reason I managed to not be stuck out in the perimeter with thousands of others. Don't believe those old "haha look how empty his ceremony was" bullshit images that faggot lefties were coping with, the streets around the mall were wall to wall packed with people waiting to get in; don't be one of them.
-You're going to be doing a lot of walking and a lot of standing around. If you're not in shape or your cardio isn't so good, you need to be getting on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes every day for the next 2 and a half months. I'm quite serious.
-Dress appropriately for the weather. D.C. in January can be
fucking cold. Last time it was actually pretty mild despite the light rain that fell, but don't bank on warm weather. Last time I wore a big heavy coat that kept me warm, but it was just heavy enough that by the time I got to the mall my shoulders were starting to bother me; I had to sit down for a while even when Donald was giving his speech. So assuming it'll be cold, dress warm, but dress light if that makes any sense.
-If you're one of the people who contacted your congressman/senator and actually got a ticket to the very front row then congratulations you lucky son of a bitch, you'll be able to just walk in and sit down.
All of that comes from my experience last time, so story time for how it went:
Last time I went I got into DC around 6 AM after taking one of the metro lines into the city. I actually got off at the metro station that's right next to the Capitol. Like literally, walk up out of the metro, look right, and there's the Capitol building right there down the block. But since I didn't have tickets or anything, I had to walk 3 miles through the streets to get to the mall; 3 miles to get to my final spot which ended up being less than one mile from where I started. I didn't stay for Donald's walk down the avenue to the White House but I wasn't planning to anyway. If you're planning on going from the main ceremony to him walking down the street, you'll have to haul ass there.
but the toddler electorate is likely going to commit acts of violence and vandalism.
One last funny anecdote to put your mind at ease: When I was leaving the mall to get back to the train station I passed some dumb faggot protestors with a sign chanting some dumb faggot slogans. So anyway I walk past them and turn the corner, and right there in front of me are like 7 fully decked out metro cops with a K-9 all side-eyeing the dumb faggot protestors. It's always nice when you walk past these protestor types and look at them because you realize "I could legitimately beat the shit out of all of them with one hand if they get uppity." Even my geriatric pa could've laid them out. There will be so many cops, soldiers, horseback cops, and plainclothes glowies watching for anyone to start shit, you can breathe just a bit easy. Yeah you should keep your head on a swivel and eyes front, but still.