Coming to D.C. to Pay Tribute to President Reagan? Check in Here

June 7, 2004 | Kristinn

[rudy45]

Thanks for this information.

When I drive to Washington from Baltimore (south on I-95), I hit the Beltway, then go east (clockwise, on the inner loop). About five minutes of driving, I see signs for a Metro station. Is this station Greenbelt?

In any case, I always have been puzzled by a sign for this exit, which says "No return access." What is the meaning of this sign? Thanks.

[rabidralph]

Yes, that's Greenbelt Metro. I don't know what the sign means, except that it has something to do with being able to access only one part of I-95 and not the other. Here is the subway map.

[Heatseeker]

OK, got it - I-295 then cut across the Anacostia River on the Whitney Young Bridge - right? My ADC map doesn't show the name of that road that is the bridge - is it East Capitol?

[leadpenny]

East Capitol. Yes.

Kenilworth is also 295 but I don't believe it is I-295. It becomes I-295 further south. Confused? I think it is how we defeated the Russians. The way streets and roads are named in the area, the Ruskies could never have found downtown.

[Heatseeker]

LOL. Having gotten lost in Washington more times than I care to rmember, I don't doubt it.

Actually, once inside the district I'm usually OK. What drives me nuts is naming half of I-495 "I-95". And then just when I've gotten used to the exit numbers, they change them. ;)

[Heatseeker]

OK, here's a question I just thought of. Will they allow parking at the Stadium/Armory Metrorail station before the shuttlebusses start up late tonight?

[rabidralph]

That would be the logical way to do things--open up the stadium from this morning. I heard from a friend at work that folks are lining up at the Capitol area now.

[Heatseeker]

To be honest, I'm still debating whether to drive in this afternoon - or wait and hook up with Freeper Renfield and his southern Maryland contingent at 6 AM tomorrow morning at the New Carrollton Metro station.

[Guna]

I am located right on Constitution, between 2nd and 3rd streets - within close sight of the Capitol and directly on the procession route.

I just came back from the open top floor of my building and can say that there are no crowds yet (it is still early - 8:15AM). No one is looking like they are trying to stake out a good spot yet. There are many extra flags out on the light poles, and the barricades are up. It is very hot, humid and hazy already. I hope that when evening comes, there is some sort of security for buildings like mine to prevent some nut from coming up and "making a statement"! The only security we have is to flash our passes when we enter the bldg. and our bags are scanned.

I will go upstairs and see how things are shaping up in a few hours.

[rabidralph]

Well, you know there is going to be a crush of people tonight so early Thursday morning might be a better time. The viewing will be going 24 hours a day from tonight till Friday morning. His casket will leave The Capitol around 10:30, Friday morning.

[rabidralph]

Thanks for the update! I hope the nuts stay out of your building. I hope you brought a bat to work, at least. Keep those reports coming. You can listen live to frequent updates as the day wears on, from WTOP.com. I believe they will be carrying the service live on Friday, too.

[rabidralph]

Yikes. The guys at WTOP.com--leftists, all--are grilling the Metro spokesman about why the trains aren't running 24hrs to handle all the people for the viewing. He's hemming and hawing about "maintenance and getting ready for morning rush hour." He said Metro officials spoke with other area officials and they decided that the shuttle buses would be sufficient.

[E Rocc]

Yikes. The guys at WTOP.com--leftists, all--are grilling the Metro spokesman about why the trains aren't running 24hrs to handle all the people for the viewing. He's hemming and hawing about "maintenance and getting ready for morning rush hour."

Has it occurred to any of them that the only "Rush Hour" on Friday will be people going to the funeral parade??

-Eric

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

You're too late to be first in line. At 8:30 there were five people on line. It's going to be a hot day so everyone make sure to hydrate well before you come out.

[rabidralph]

I don't know who's doing the after-action report. I was down at 3rd and Constitution at 3pm. I was on the inside part of Constitution (the grassy area, as opposed to the outer side of Constitution). I didn't have a great spot as there were several people lining the barricade and I would have a tough time seeing over them. The sun beat down on my baseball hat...Anyway, it was very hot. At 4:30 I walked up to First Street, in front of the Capitol, to see if I could cross the street to a more sparse viewing area. Suddenly, all the cops yelled at us to evacuate the front of the Capitol. We ran away from the Capitol and turned up Third Street. Hundreds of people ran up Third. By the time I got there, the police gave the all clear. An aircraft had strayed into the DC airspace. Now, the streets were clear and it was a free-for-all to get a prime spot. I stayed on the outward side of 3rd and Constitution, standing in front of a hotdog vendor's cart.

The people around me got cellphone updates from loved ones, saying that the casket had arrived safely at Andrews, the casket was on Constitution. We waited patiently. Air Force and Coast Guard members lined both sides of the street at spaced intervals. An Air Force and two Coasties fell out from the heat. An occasional breeze would come along and that was nice.

Finally, around 6:30, motorcycle cops and cruisers came up the street, as well as unmarked, black Crown Vics. It was an impressive sight, but not as exciting as what followed.

The Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army and Coast Guard had various factions march by: Midshipmen, Cadets, honor guards, ceremonial guards and marching bands. It was a beautiful sight. I took pictures of as many as I could but I needed to save my film for the president.

The caisson arrived and I snapped away. It was difficult shooting between the military members and the Secret Service. I honestly don't remember much of the experience. I just shot as many images as I could. Sgt. York was impressive and sleek. He walked with authority, as if he knew why he was there. As he passed, the first set of fighter jets roared over my head. I couldn't count how many went over, I just took pictures. The last formation had one jet do a vertical climb. I lost it at that point and someone near me handed me a tissue. It was the most beautiful, most awesome tribute of the day.

I hope you all saw the program on TV. I'm so glad I went. I'm hopping into the shower now. God bless, Ronald Reagan.

[Spirited]

Thank you for your graphic post. I deeply appreciated it.

[rabidralph]

You're quite welcome. I'm so glad I could get downtown to see it.

[tioga]

you've probably had a dozen answers, but his funeral was in California I believe.