Politics on the Hudson

The Saturday before the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, he will be holding events in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del.

For New Yorkers who may be wary about the expected gridlock when up to 4 million converge on D.C. for the inauguration, the events planned for Saturday, Jan. 17 at the other end of the New Jersey Turnpike may be a better option.

According to the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee, Obama and his family will board a train in Philly after an event there.

They will then stop in Wilmington, the home of Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family.

A third stop is planned for Baltimore.

The families will end their day in D.C.

“As part of the most open and accessible Inauguration in history, we hope to include as many Americans as possible who wish to participate, but can’t be in Washington,” Emmett Beliveau, executive director of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committees stated in a press release. “These events will allow us to do that while honoring the rich history and tradition of previous inaugural journeys.”