The General Public at the Inauguration

Click map to enlarge (i.e. see at Washington Post online). Notice those orange spaces for "General Public"? Here is what they look like up close:

So, most of that orange space is actually "Closed for Turf Restoration" (also note that some gang has tagged the little white sticker that someone put on the sign for fun or litter). That leaves just the walkways between the the turf for viewing. Not that you can actually see anything happening on the Capitol steps, not even as dots. (This picture was taken from the Middle of the Mall, between the Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian Castle, a little more than halfway back in the General Public section).

After I took this picture, I asked the lone, wet park ranger if anyone was going to enforce that "Closed for Turf Restoration." He looked at me blankly.

"I have no idea," he said. "I'm too far down the chain of command to know."

What a circus it will be. I think I might watch it all from the back of the Captiol, where the Lame Duck will be leaving, just to make sure that he actually does go. Of course, the Secret Service may wrestle me to the ground for making lewd gestures. You can watch it on YouTube if that happens. My parents will be so proud!