Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome

Reuters reports:

Police sealed off a 100-block area in central Washington for President Bush's inauguration on Thursday, turning much of the usually bustling center of the U.S. capital into a ghost town of deserted streets and barricades….

Few businesses or stores were open, and office workers trickling into the restricted area were asking one another where to find coffee or open stores.

"It's like a deserted island. But it's good because they're trying to keep us safe," said Deborah Stewart, a security officer at the Inter-American Development Bank.