"This is not like throwing the family in the van and heading down for a visit to the Air and Space Museum," O'Malley said. "You need to have a plan."
The same goes for Saturday's events. The city's transportation department said yesterday that it will soon announce a series of street closures associated with the Obama appearance, and Maryland Stadium Authority spokeswoman Jan Hardesty said drivers will be encouraged to park at the stadium complex south of downtown and take shuttle buses to War Memorial Plaza.
She said shuttles will begin running at 11 a.m. in advance of an event that is expected to take place in the late afternoon, tentatively 4 p.m.
Harford County officials are organizing groups to wave at the president-elect and his family as the train passes through the region. Harford Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti will join Obama supporters behind Havre de Grace Middle School, and other groups plan to meet at the MARC stations in Aberdeen and Edgewood, where Councilman Dion F. Guthrie plans a celebration.
As for the inauguration itself, O'Malley joked that his transportation plans are to "come here with police." The governor referred to the "huge logistical challenges" of witnessing Inaugural Day events, which are expected to draw more than one million people. Critics of the unprecedented road and bridge closures for the inauguration are predicting that security measures will deter many of those who initially planned to attend.
Kaine, whose state's residents have been particularly inconvenienced by plans to close bridges between Northern Virginia and Washington, suggested that those who were eager to come could plan to drive into the District just before the bridges are blocked at 3 a.m. on Tuesday.
Fenty, the Washington mayor, announced a new logistical hurdle for those attending the inauguration. He said yesterday that it would be impossible for spectators to witness the swearing-in and then attend the parade.
"You will not be able to go to both," Fenty said, explaining that the parade route down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House would fill up by 10 a.m.
The swearing-in ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m. The parade, expected to attract a crowd of about 300,000-350,000 people, starts at 2:30 p.m.
Sun reporters Justin Fenton, Mary Gail Hare,Liz F. Kay and Annie Linskey contributed to this article.
IN BRIEF
* Details of President-elect Barack Obama's Saturday visit to Baltimore have not been finalized, but local officials are planning for an afternoon event at War Memorial Plaza.
* The Maryland Stadium Authority is planning shuttle service from the Camden Yards complex to the event near City Hall.
* Transportation and security for that event and Tuesday's inaugural are expected to cost Maryland $11 million or more.
* Officials in Maryland, Virginia and Washington are seeking reimbursement from the federal government.
