Inauguration Week is less than 2 weeks away.  For people who supported Barack Obama, January 20th will bring exhiliration, excitement and optimism.  For those who voted for McCain/Palin, this month's Inauguration will likely bring about different feelings. 

For anyone who lives in the D.C. area, one thing is for certain, Inauguration Week will bring frustration, confusion, and traffic jams!

Top and center, today's Washington Times reported that for security measures, the Secret Service made the unprecedented announcement that they will shut down all bridges crossing from Virginia into the District of Columbia and establish a "security perimeter that closes or limits vehicular access on 100 city streets."

In addition, on Inauguration Day, "only authorized vehicles will be permitted to travel north on Interstate 395 and east on Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway."

With the expectations of millions of people coming to town for the celebrations, this will make everyday life, travel, and commuting difficult.  For those of us who sell real estate within the Capital Beltway (that's me) this will be impossible.

So, what's the solution?  Personally, I'm skipping town.  This is the perfect time for a vacation to somewhere warm.  So I'm heading down for a week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico -- away from the cold and away from the traffic.

Don't worry.  Before I leave next Friday and after I return on the 23rd of January, I'll be around to help you with all of your real estate needs in Northern Virginia or D.C.

If you want to skip town too, check out LastMinute.com and see if you can find any travel deals.