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Senator Bob Casey Says "Keep Pennsylvania In Mind"

Though the inauguration of Barack Obama won't happen for another 63 days, hotels in DC are already filling up, sending tourists farther afield to look for accommodations in Maryland and Virginia. But Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania wants people to know that his state isn't really that far from DC. In a letter to senate colleagues he writes:

Many Pennsylvania counties along the southern border of the state still have hotel rooms available for the week of the inauguration. Some of these counties are just a 90-minute drive from Capitol Hill, while other communities in southeastern Pennsylvania provide easy access by Amtrak lines.

Should your constituents decide to stay in Pennsylvania, they may also want to consider visiting the Commonwealth’s many historic sights, including Gettysburg National Military Park in Adams County; key locations in Lancaster and York, which both served briefly as capitals of the colonies and meeting sites for the Second Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War; and numerous sites in and around the City of Philadelphia, including Valley Forge National Historic Park, Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center.

You can't fault the guy for hyping his own state, but before booking a room in PA for the inauguration festivities, remember that a 90-minute drive is actually a three-hour round trip--not including insane day-of-the-swearing-in traffic.

Related Stories:
· Casey: Don't Forget about PA for Inauguration [Official Site]
· Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies [Official Site]
· How To Get To Inauguration 2009 [Jaunted]
· How Do I Get Inauguration Tickets? [Jaunted]

[Photo: Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies]

Inauguration Travel / Inauguration 2009 / Barack Obama / Joe Biden / History / → All Tags

How To Get To Inauguration 2009

We've told you how to get inauguration tickets, but we didn't yet mention how you should get to Washington, DC to see the swearing in of America's new president on January 20. There are plenty of choices, so let's break down the pros and cons of each:

more ›

Inauguration Travel / Inauguration 2009 / Actual President Travel / Barack Obama / Political Travel / → All Tags

How Do I Get Inauguration Tickets?

Now that the years-long election extravaganza is finally over, DC is already setting up for the biggest political party of them all: Inauguration Day, set for January 20.

Anyone can attend the parade through Washington, but tickets to the ceremony itself are notoriously hard to come by. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies spells out your chances:

Tickets to the 56th Inaugural Ceremonies will be provided free of charge and distributed through Members of the 111th Congress. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies does not provide tickets to the public. Members of the public interested in attending the Inaugural Ceremonies should contact their Member of Congress or US Senators to request tickets.

Call Your Congressman or -woman:
Jaunted just called our Brooklyn congressman and were told we are 600-and-something on the waiting list, and the office expects to get a single-digit number of tickets. We're taking that as a "No."

Scour Craigslist:
Craigslist DC is already filling up with desperate "I've already booked my flight" pleas. Some are offering to pay up to $500 a ticket, although there's no one actually selling yet, since the tickets haven't been distributed.

Just Give Up:
If you haven't done any favors for a senator lately and can't score tickets the old fashioned capitalist way, anyone can go see the parade, as we mentioned above.

Have a tip we've left out? Drop it in the comments!

Related Stories:
· Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies [Official Site]
· Inauguration Tickets [Craigslist DC]
· Barack Obama coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies]