D.C. Day One: Port-a-Potties

Sven Sundgaard's creepiest fan ever? Video of the day

Michele Bachmann, citing Glenn Beck, would end Social Security

Minneapolis is 80th drunkest U.S. city; St. Paul is No. 87

By Emily Kaiser in Obama's Inauguration

Sun., Jan. 18 2009 @ 10:00AM

Washington, D.C. still seemed a little sleepy Saturday afternoon as the masses continued to trickle in. I decided to adventure down to the Capitol and the National Mall to see what was going on. I lucked out with a place to stay just a 10-minute walk from the Capitol, so I won't have to deal with the extreme crowds on the Metro subway system come inauguration day.

So what is there to see on the National Mall three days before the event? A whole lot of port-a-potties. Yeah, Barack Obama is making history, but so are these outdoor toilets.

According to Fox News in Washington, D.C., the inauguration will be the largest temporary restroom event in the history of the United States. The National Mall currently has 5,000 port-a-potties set up for the event, many of them still locked for the special day.

More from Fox News:

The big question: will they be able to handle the call -- er, nature's call -- of the up to 2 million people?

"We think we've reached an appropriate number and can accommodate the crowds," said Kevin Griffis, a spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, a privately funded organization that is picking up the cost.

Bill Line, a spokesman for the National Park Service, said they recommend that organizers provide one port-a-potty for every 300 people, but stressed that it was up to the Presidential Inaugural Committee to decide whether to follow that. At that ratio, 5,000 port-a-potties would handle 1.5 million people.

In other words, just peeing at the inauguration will be historic. What could be better?