I was stressing a little about the fact that RFD was not taking reservations… so I called the place directly next-door, Fado Irish Pub, to see if they took reservations, just in case we can’t get in at RFD.
Fado does not take reservations, but they said that at 4pm they would probably have plenty of space…
So I am thinking that if we cannot get tables at RFD, we could move to Fado, and we could leave a sign on the door, or with the hostess, at RFD to alert any latecomers to the new location.
Sadly, the fam and I will not be able to make it. We were unable to afford the trip to D.C. and with considerable regret, we’ll be watching the rally on the internet.
Couldn’t say. The only scrutiny I got was a swab of my hands that was then analyzed, which I’ve heard about prior to today. Told them there was antibiotic on the bandage on my hand, so when it flagged as Explosives he just waved me on. :eek:
Well, it looks like I’ll have to work late tonight so I’m afraid I’m not gonna make it to the Dopefest after all. Hope you guys have fun and I’ll catch you next time.
I am here in DC going to the rally with my son, tenebras. I experienced no extra security yesterday at the airport. If we have time we will try to stop by and say “Hi Opal”
We’re leaving now to make it to the post-rally Dopefest at RFD. We may be late depending on how mobbed the Metro is. Hopefully we will be able to get in at RFD! If we can’t find you guys, I will be holding up a sign that says “Cecil Adams?”
Wow. Totally underestimated this thing. 2+ hour wait at Greenbelt station just to get on the metro, and traffic into the city was ridiculous. We’d have gotten there after it was over, so we decided to turn around and go home so we could at least enjoy it on TV. Hope you all had a blast!
I am SO sorry about all the problems that have cropped up.
This morning I completely blew my schedule by oversleeping to about 830, and I felt like a bent pretzel anyway, after a 16 hour drive yesterday. I had to stand in line for nearly a half hour just to buy a Metro ticket. On the train where we were crammed in like sardines, I started to feel both nauseous and faint, and I knew I couldn’t stand any longer, so I got off at Medical Center just to sit for awhile and wait for a train that had seats available.
So I didn’t get to the fountain until nearly 1100, and I didn’t see any familiar faces. I got no answers from some sell phone calls, and I saw that no one had yet tried to call me. Except a bunch of people around were complaining about sell phone problems, so I have no idea if that’s correct.
THEN the Stewart/Colbert naz… volunteers, told be I would have to go back to 7th Street to enter, and honestly I didn’t have the energy. I felt the need to sit down and rest ecery couple hundred feet it seemed.
I still feel like crap, which is why I headed back home rather than RFD. Thank you nyctea, for coming up with a backup plan. I hope you folks hook up, I got a couple of phone calls from people who were there but not finding each other. I gave out a couple of your phone numbers.
It’s just as well. The ENTIRE rally descended on Chinatown and the surrounding neighborhood. There were lines outside the RFD and every restaurant within a square mile. It was utter insanity. I bought a $5 hot dog and started the trek back to the hotel. I hurt so much.
About ten of us made it in. RFD was definitely not Celtling friendly though, so we only stayed a few minutes. It took forever to get out of DC by car!
They were having a great chat when I left; I hope it’s still going on. If any of you are still in line, go to the front and tell the guy you’re with the Cecil Adams group. They’re sitting on the back patio.
We got to the Smithsonian Metro station about 10 - not going to bore everyone with why we were running late. It was apparent pretty quickly that our movement would be severely restricted, so there was no way we could make it to the meeting place. Plus phones didn’t work - I’m guessing the cells were overloaded.
My daughter and I wound up between the 2nd and 3rd set of screens standing along one of the temporary fences. We could see the top of the structure, but no one on stage, except on the screens. We still had a great time.
What amazed me were the number of grey-haired folks. I expected it to be a young crowd, but there were lots of people older than I!! I got a little sunburned and my feet are killing me, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Anyone seen a semi-official body count yet?
We were going to try to get something to eat, but it wasn’t going to happen anywhere within walking distance of the mall, so we managed to snag a place on the green line heading back to Branch avenue, and we were in our car shortly before 5. My husband met us enroute for dinner, and we just got home half an hour ago. I am exhausted, but I really enjoyed it. I’m so sorry it was less than great for others of you.
