Photo by dbb on bikearlingtonforum.

Obama inaugurated

President Obama gave an inspiring speech about working together, though Marion Barry was disappointed he didn’t mention DC voting rights. Attendees generally had fun. Obama drove along the cycletrack. A disabled Orange Line train snarled Metro, and tickets directed too many people to Federal Center SW. (WBJ, Post, DCist)  

VA GOP tries a coup

While one Virginia Senate Democrat and civil rights leader was at the inauguration, the Republicans rushed through a redistricting plan that will likely help them win one more seat this fall. (Examiner)  

Georgetown waterfront isn’t NPS?

The owner of Jack’s Boathouse thinks the National Park Service might not even own the land the boathouse sits on. If his legal interpretation holds, then DC would also get back control of the Georgetown Waterfront Park, which it transferred to the federal government in 1985. (City Paper)  

Will Arlington shrink?

Arlington disputes a state contractor’s forecast that the county will lose population by 2040. The contractor may be basing its algorithm on the 1970s, before Metro and the county’s high-density areas. (Post)  

Hot for ToT

The Titan of Trinidad blog, which started out as satire, has now broken and doggedly followed 2 big stories, about Vincent Orange personally intervening to stop health officials from shutting down a rodent-infested food wholesaler, and Kathy Henderson allegedly breaking electioneering laws on Election Day.  

No more booze for 14th and U?

Some residents around 14th and U Streets NW formally propose a liquor license moratorium for a circular area from 15th to 8th, R to Clifton. There are 5 moratoria in DC today. (Borderstan)  

LEED flaws

The US Green Building Council bestowed its highest rating of LEED Platinum on a large house in the desert far from transit. That means any environmental gains in construction will be negated by its location and size. (Atlantic Cities)  

Why people give up on transit

Researchers found that transit riders value consistency more than average travel time. More than half of riders who abandoned transit did so because of reliability problems. (Governing, jnb)  (Tip: jnb)  

And…

Think your place is small? Check out this 17 sq. ft. Paris apartment, rented out for $442 a month. (NPR, Steve S.) … One Seattle website wants users to redesign the light rail map. Sound familiar? (Crosscut) … One Michigan group has (jokingly) found the answer to all the state’s ills: more parking. (Streetsblog)