* Forget MARC. It's sold out.
* MTA commuter buses will depart Kent Island, Annapolis, Columbia, Scaggsville-Burtonsville, Frederick, Upper Marlboro and three Southern Maryland locations this morning and connect with the Washington Metrorail system. Tickets can be purchased onboard. Reservations are not required. Round-trip tickets are $10. Exact change is required. Schedules and other information at www.mtamaryland.com.
* One of the most economical ways to go from Baltimore is to take the light rail to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport ($1.60, one way) and catch the B30 Metrobus ($3.10, one way) to the Greenbelt Metro station. Oversize buses will run at roughly 20-minute intervals, and extra buses will be on hand to meet unexpected demand. The first bus leaves BWI at 6:58 a.m. Don't stay late. The last bus leaves Greenbelt at 10 p.m.
* Parking at Washington Metro subway lots will be $4, cash only, on Inauguration Day. Lots open at 3:30 a.m. and are expected to fill quickly.
* Plan carefully which Metro stops to use based on where you expect to be. For the parade route, use such stations as Union Station, Judiciary Square, Gallery Place and Metro Center. For the Mall, access may be easier from L'Enfant Plaza, Farragut North or Farragut West. Smithsonian and Archives-Navy Memorial stations will be closed. The Mt Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center station closes at 7:30 a.m. The Judiciary Square station closes at 4 p.m.
Certain downtown stations may be designated "exit-only" between 4 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
* If using the Metro, expect to encounter multiple lines - to buy tickets, to pass turnstiles and to be admitted to the platforms. The cost of a day pass is $7.80.
* Washington officials advise that it will not be possible for visitors to attend both the swearing-in and the parade because of limited mobility.
* People expecting to arrive aboard charter, church or school buses should make sure the operators have registered their vehicles with District of Columbia officials to ensure a place to discharge passengers and park.
* Visitors who decide to park their cars and take a Metrobus into Washington can plot out their trips by going to the WMATA Web site and using its trip planner. The buses will be operating on a modified Saturday schedule, so most routes to outer suburbs such as Bowie and Odenton will not be running. When using the trip planner be sure to set the date for Jan. 20, 2009.
