President-elect Barack Obama plans to kick off his inaugural celebration by taking the train to Washington, D.C., the weekend before his swearing-in.

Obama and his family will start their daylong journey with an event in Philadelphia before boarding the train. They'll pick up Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family in Wilmington, Del. The president-elect and his group then will make a stop in Baltimore before making their way to Washington.

Aides say Philadelphia and Baltimore were chosen because of the roles they played at pivotal moments in U.S. history and because they fit in with the inauguration's theme, "Renewing America's Promise."

Obama will take office Jan. 20 as the 44th President of the United States.