Yes, we can: Start planning to hit inauguration

At long last, we have the end to a campaign that feels as if it began sometime just after the last time the Cubs won the Series.
And now it's party time.
Federal government officials are preparing for what could be record-breaking crowds on the Jan. 20 inaugural. Whisper estimates run from 500,000 to 1 million. The port-a-potty bill alone may croke the organizing committee.
While the Obama folks haven't yet made public any plans you can be sure Hollywood's stars, who've not been shy about their support for the Democrat, will be aligned. Besides the normal cast of characters, caravans of young folks and minority folks likely will pour in. Rock the Vote. The Great Schlep. It'll be huge.
Oprah has said that, with the help of Michelle Obama, Caroline Kennedy, and Maria Shriver (and something called a "vision board'' with Barack's picture on it), she has already picked out a frock out for the festivities.
Speculation has arisen that Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, and P. Diddy will be on Obama's invite list, and P. Diddy has volunteered to DJ the event gratis.
Obama Girl, Amber Lee Ettinger, who has declared her love and shed most of her clothes on the Internet in service to the campaign, is just hoping inaugural organizers will show her a little love and put her on the list.
But I digress. What about you? Are you going? If so you'd better make plans.

A quick spin on kayak.com this morning, showed that Airtran can get you into Baltimore-Washington for $75 on the day before the festivities, and JetBlue will transport you to Dulles for $124. Amtrak does them both one better by promising fares as low as $87.
What about a place to crash?
If price is no object, the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue is offering a "Build Your Own Ball" deaI. For a cool $1 million, one lucky group will get to take over the hotel’s 7,300 sq. ft. 12th floor terrace with premo views of Pennsylvania Avenue and the Inaugural procession for their own three-night bash. The hotel will set up a heated tent to protect the tookas of you and yours. You also get $200,000 in food and beverages, two presidential suites, two VP suites, and 300 guest rooms.
Amid the Global Economic Crisis, many of us are tightening belts. And the Ritz wants to help. The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown has a package that includes Gucci luggage, first-class airfare to DC (complete with Flight TerraPasses to offset carbon emissions), two tickets to the inaugural ball and seating at the parade. And so you can gear down slowly after the festivities, a four-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, including round trip first-class airline transfers from D.C. to the big island. All this for $99,000.
Here's a link to some other fairly high-tone deals.
And Expedia has put together a page that will let you search for more economically viable alternatives on the Metro line: for instance, the Hilton in Arlington, Va., with rooms starting at $82/night, or Crowne Plaza in Rockville, Md., starting at $85, or Jurys Normandy Inn at Dupont Circle in the District, starting at $119. Bear in mind that many hotels in the area will require a stay of two to five nights, but, hey, it'll take a day or four to, ahem, come down from all the excitement anyway.
The Washington tourism folks also have some pretty good info and tips on their website.
Tickets for the parade (you don't actually need tickets if you want to stand) and the balls (In 2005 there were 9 sanctioned affairs, and you should expect no fewer this time) aren't out yet and will probably not be readily available to hoi polloi (that's us) but will show up online and will cost hundreds of dollars. Tickets for seats for the swearing-in (again, anyone can stand and watch, but there might be other folks there too) will be given to members of Congress and it's up to them to decide how they distribute them. So ask.