If you’re not already downtown, you may as well stay home:
At the blurry line between late night and early morning, it was hard to tell whether the crowds were left over from the evening before, fresh from a long nap, or newly arrived from out of town and praying for a place to park.
Probably a little of each.
But as inauguration morning approached, with sunrise still a mug of coffee away, the gathering had begun — with thousands huddling in blankets and sleeping bags on the Mall, and jamming local roads and Metro stations on their way into the city.
People hoping to get a jumpstart on the celebration — and a prime spot from which to see President-elect Barack Obama take the oath of office — began queuing outside Metro stations even before the trains began to run at 4 a.m.
By 4:30, Red Line trains downtown had the feel of rush hour, while the parking lots at suburban stations such as Shady Grove were a stew of brake lights and headlights as folks jockeyed for parking in advance of their trip downtown.
And, at this point in the morning many Metro lots are already full, or close to being there.
This is easily going to be the biggest crowd D.C. has ever seen.
