As many as 4 million people will descend on the National Mall on January 20, but only 240,000 will have tickets to the swearing-in ceremony. How can you be among the lucky six percent? Try an unlikely resource: Craigslist’s personal ads.

Over the past few days, ads searching for inauguration dates have been cropping up on the free classifieds site. One poster, a Hill staffer who says he’s been guaranteed a pair of tickets, is looking for a lucky lady with whom he can share the day.

“I have been offered a lot of money for the tickets, but I would much prefer being there to taking the cash,” he writes. “That said, I’d really like to enjoy the day with a fun date.”

The 30-year-old describes himself as 5’11”, in good shape (“I go to the gym 5 days a week”), and down-to-earth. If the swearing-in ceremony goes well, he might take his date to an inaugural ball afterwards. E-mail the poster here if you’re interested; he asks that you include a photo.

If you go this route, remember: Tickets for the inauguration have not yet been distributed, so anyone claiming to have tickets in hand should be viewed with suspicion. The Washingtonian is not affiliated with and has not vetted the above or any other Craigslist users; we’re just telling you about their ads. Approach any date you set up through Craigslist as you would any other blind date—with caution and common sense.

>>All Washingtonian.com Inauguration 2009 coverage 

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Leave your guesses in the comments. The full photo and location will be revealed with next Tuesday’s puzzle. The winner gets bragging rights.

If you’re able to drop more than $200,000 on lodging for the inauguration, the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Southwest DC is offering a luxe Presidential Privilege package that includes four nights in the hotel’s swanky presidential suite. The 3,500-square-foot unit, on the ninth floor, has floor-to-ceiling windows, two balconies, and a telescope to take in panoramic views of the city. The suite’s 14 rooms include three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and dining and media rooms. A grand piano, a chess table, and a 60-inch flat-screen television are among the extra touches.

As part of the inaugural package, you’ll enjoy breakfast in bed every day, a private dinner for eight at the hotel’s restaurant, CityZen, and 24-hour butler service. Daily treatments at the hotel’s spa are also included, as are outfits by Ralph Lauren to be worn to the inaugural balls (tickets to an unnamed “inaugural event” are included). You’ll be driven around town in a chauffeured Maserati Quattroporte, which features a back seat stocked with snacks and Champagne, and you’ll enjoy Champagne and caviar in your suite each evening.

Officials are planning on a crowd of up to 4 million on National Mall on January 20 trying to catch a glimpse of the swearing in. If the number holds, it'll be the largest crowd ever to assemble on the Mall. Planners are adding more Jumbo Trons on the Mall and along the parade route to help give faraway onlookers a view of the goings-on.

We've reported here and here just what lengths out-of-towners might go to to book lodging for the inauguration. Well, here's a new twist: Hotels in Pennsylvania, 90 miles from Washington, are booking up for the inauguration.

Hope for inauguration ticket-seekers: the New York Times reports that the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is working with Capitol architects to see if they can squeeze in extra seats for the inauguration.

The Philadelphia Daily News is running a heartfelt letter from a reader pleading his case to Pennsylvania senators for why he should be given a ticket to the inauguration. It reads like a grade-school essay; the pub titled the letter, "What an inauguration ticket would mean to me."

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Photo by Flickr user NCinDC

Four million on the Mall for inauguration? Holy smokes. That's what the Post is reporting this morning. If the number is accurate, it would be three or four times larger than big events held downtown previously. Trying to stay up-to-date on the inauguration? Make sure to check out our comprehensive coverage. 

Is it so? The Guardian claims that Hillary Clinton has officially accepted the position of Secretary of State under Obama. 

Car lots, posing a threat to DC? Seems that it's so. Mayor Fenty is planning on shutting down 23 used car dealerships throughout the city, saying that many vehicles purchased by drug dealers at out-of-state auctions are being stored at the lots. 

Prince of Petworth has photos of the Nehemiah Shopping Center in Columbia Heights being razed. 

Check out this neat photo of Senate pages eating dinner—in 1916. 

Check back later today for...Sidewalk Style; a new Listen Up playlist; Diary of a Fixer-Upper; and lots more. 

Editor’s Note: In an effort to protect the privacy of our diarists’ dates, our updates are on a slight time delay.

When we left off, our intrepid band of daters was: wondering if love, or at least like, could strike across political aisles, about to embark on a weekend-long date in Florida, and in the midst of a dating marathon. A few faced dating inertia and may just need a dating challenge to get over that hump.

Will chemistry overcome political differences? They don’t match up on paper, but Kate Searby, a Democrat, found she had chemistry with Republican guy and invited him to an event for one of the final presidential debates. “I just texted him, not thinking he’d come,” says Searby. “He came, and he looked really cute.”

There wasn’t much talking during the debate, but later, at a bar, there was some political ribbing. “We went to Gin and Tonic with a bunch of my friends and he held his own,” says Searby. “We’re so opposite on these really important issues, but I can really be myself and laugh. He has such a good sense of humor. It’s a good reminder that I’m not looking for the one, but just someone I have fun with. I’m not worried about where this is going or where this isn’t going. I enjoy spending time with him.”