SOTU: Street Closures, Bar Guide and Drinking Games

image uploaded by Rukasu1 on Flickr

While the rest of the country simply tunes in for the State of the Union from their homes, we get to navigate street closures and crowds of Hill staffers all while listening to helicopters circle overhead.  It’s part of the fun of living in the neighborhood that sits in the shadow of the Capitol.  So in the event you need to get around by car tonight, or if you’re the type who prefers watching the big event from a local bar surrounded by political junkies and hill staffers, we’ve got a quick guide for you.

If you’re watching at home, tune into C-Span, where our very own Lauren Torlone works.  If you’d rather watch at a bar, the following picks are sure to have at least a few TV’s tuned to SOTU tonight.  Want to make it a little more interesting?  Why not mix in a little drinking game?  This would be a perfect time for a drinking game of Sh*t Hill Staffers Say, but I guess the series hasn’t jumped the shark quite enough for that yet.

• Union Pub
• Lounge 201
• Capitol Lounge
• Bullfeather’s
• Pour House
• 18^th Amendment
• Molly Malone’s
• Ugly Mug
• Tunnicliff’s

Next, the street closures, which are all right around the Capitol, so most of us should be just fine.  The following streets will be closed around 7pm and will reopen once the event has concluded:

• D Street, NE between 2nd Street, NE and Louisiana Avenue, NW
• C Street, NE between 2nd Street, NE and Louisiana Avenue, NW
• Constitution Avenue between 2nd Street, NE and Louisiana Avenue, NW
• Delaware Avenue between Columbus Circle and Constitution Avenue, NE
• New Jersey Avenue, NE between Louisiana Avenue, and D Street, NE
• Pennsylvania Avenue between 1st Street, and 3rd Street, NW
• East Capitol Street between 2nd Street, and 1st Street, NE/SE
• 1st Street between Columbus Circle, NE and C Street, SE
• 1st Street between Louisiana Avenue, NW and Washington Avenue, SW

So where will you be during the SOTU tonight?  Home, out, or not watching at all?