Preparation
The Inaguration Chronicles 2009
I bounced around the house after I was emailed a "non-transferable link - do not forward" by the Presidential Inaugural Committee inviting me to purchase up to 6 tickets to an Inaugural Ball of my choice. The offer was "first-come, first-serve", so I bought two ($500 per), still not quite knowing who would attend with me. A level of $1000 per was greyed-out - that price had been the premium for being able to select which Ball, but the option to select was still being offered, and thank goodness I was able to pick the West Ball. I later found out at the Ball that the next level down was $150 per, so I guess my Change dotgov Profile set me at mid-level in the donation targeting. I must say right now that I am so very fortunate to have been able to afford such a wonderful adventure, as this was.
At first I imposed upon DC people to see if there was a couch or floor to sleep on for good pay. My pal neighbor who moved with her family from DC a few years ago, graciously emailed her pals but a few days later I retracted my request once Mike (my son's fraternity brother from Howard) informed me that all of his numerous contacts in DC related the same thing: there was no more room, since all their respective friends and relatives had come to town for The Day.
I continued with my trip planning, for I was willing to sleep in a tree, the Secret Service notwithstanding. Mike offered flight criteria of "No US Airways" (proclivity for problems) and "No Chicago connection" (because it gets snowed-in -- can you imagine banging your head over being stuck en route to the Event?) I scanned all three airports (Reagan DC; Baltimore/Maryland; and Dulles VA). I had to pass-up less expensive round-trip costs ($400 or so) to instead select the cheapest I could get with a southern connection ($700), but the only - and I mean only - ones left all had an initial return-leg utilizing US Airways to leave the DC the following morning. I figured I'd trade the potential for poor service for certitude in arriving on time, and purchased a 1-stop To, with a 2-stop From. And, by the way, as I rotated among all the pages I had open, I would see flights drop-off the listing, so my sense of urgency was increasingly keen.
It was silly of me not to try the hotels immediately, but I figured there would be no room. A bit more pragmatic about it, a few days later Mike urged me to try, and Priceline et al. basically had two options: expensive ($780/night), four-star, and close to the Capitol; or, moderate ($280/night), three-star, and way the heck down in Virginia. I figured that if there were to be any issue with travel to the event, the distance from DC would increase the chance exponentially. In this manner I rationalized spending on the four-star, which happened to be the Westin in Arlington VA, right across the Potomac and about 5 Metro subway stops from the action. Mike suggested I select a hotel for proximity to the Metro line, and this hotel is two blocks from the local Metro station, so that was fortuitous. While still deciding, I noted there were several four-stars that required a week-minimum - yikes, what a worst-case scenario! While considering my $780 v $280 price decision, I was refreshing the Priceline web-page, and before my eyes the other two remaining four-stars allowing nightly reservations and close DC dropped off the list, so I became a bit frantic to get a room at the remaining one. I have a Starwood Preferred Cust Card (from using the W in Westwood for a f-locked freakydeaky gay voyeur thanglittle party) so I called the hotel directly, but for this Special Occasion there was no discount on the premium charge listed online. No AAA discount, either - oh, well, no harm in trying :0)
With my son not attending with me, I offered my girl friend Kim to come, but she'd have to pay for her flight. She was ecstatic and is paying me back over a few months due to her comparable round-trip cost rising to $1350, in just the couple of days' time since my own ticket purchase.
Kim was telling me how she was calling everyone and saying, "Guess where I'm going? Guess! Guess!", and she said nobody thought of an Inaugural Ball. She rolled her eyes at one friend who was trying to guess and she gave the hint "It's someplace very special", and the dude came up with, "The zoo" ahahahahah.
~~~~~
-stayed tuned for daily updates to follow- :0)
I bounced around the house after I was emailed a "non-transferable link - do not forward" by the Presidential Inaugural Committee inviting me to purchase up to 6 tickets to an Inaugural Ball of my choice. The offer was "first-come, first-serve", so I bought two ($500 per), still not quite knowing who would attend with me. A level of $1000 per was greyed-out - that price had been the premium for being able to select which Ball, but the option to select was still being offered, and thank goodness I was able to pick the West Ball. I later found out at the Ball that the next level down was $150 per, so I guess my Change dotgov Profile set me at mid-level in the donation targeting. I must say right now that I am so very fortunate to have been able to afford such a wonderful adventure, as this was.
At first I imposed upon DC people to see if there was a couch or floor to sleep on for good pay. My pal neighbor who moved with her family from DC a few years ago, graciously emailed her pals but a few days later I retracted my request once Mike (my son's fraternity brother from Howard) informed me that all of his numerous contacts in DC related the same thing: there was no more room, since all their respective friends and relatives had come to town for The Day.
I continued with my trip planning, for I was willing to sleep in a tree, the Secret Service notwithstanding. Mike offered flight criteria of "No US Airways" (proclivity for problems) and "No Chicago connection" (because it gets snowed-in -- can you imagine banging your head over being stuck en route to the Event?) I scanned all three airports (Reagan DC; Baltimore/Maryland; and Dulles VA). I had to pass-up less expensive round-trip costs ($400 or so) to instead select the cheapest I could get with a southern connection ($700), but the only - and I mean only - ones left all had an initial return-leg utilizing US Airways to leave the DC the following morning. I figured I'd trade the potential for poor service for certitude in arriving on time, and purchased a 1-stop To, with a 2-stop From. And, by the way, as I rotated among all the pages I had open, I would see flights drop-off the listing, so my sense of urgency was increasingly keen.
It was silly of me not to try the hotels immediately, but I figured there would be no room. A bit more pragmatic about it, a few days later Mike urged me to try, and Priceline et al. basically had two options: expensive ($780/night), four-star, and close to the Capitol; or, moderate ($280/night), three-star, and way the heck down in Virginia. I figured that if there were to be any issue with travel to the event, the distance from DC would increase the chance exponentially. In this manner I rationalized spending on the four-star, which happened to be the Westin in Arlington VA, right across the Potomac and about 5 Metro subway stops from the action. Mike suggested I select a hotel for proximity to the Metro line, and this hotel is two blocks from the local Metro station, so that was fortuitous. While still deciding, I noted there were several four-stars that required a week-minimum - yikes, what a worst-case scenario! While considering my $780 v $280 price decision, I was refreshing the Priceline web-page, and before my eyes the other two remaining four-stars allowing nightly reservations and close DC dropped off the list, so I became a bit frantic to get a room at the remaining one. I have a Starwood Preferred Cust Card (from using the W in Westwood for a f-locked freakydeaky gay voyeur thanglittle party) so I called the hotel directly, but for this Special Occasion there was no discount on the premium charge listed online. No AAA discount, either - oh, well, no harm in trying :0)
With my son not attending with me, I offered my girl friend Kim to come, but she'd have to pay for her flight. She was ecstatic and is paying me back over a few months due to her comparable round-trip cost rising to $1350, in just the couple of days' time since my own ticket purchase.
Kim was telling me how she was calling everyone and saying, "Guess where I'm going? Guess! Guess!", and she said nobody thought of an Inaugural Ball. She rolled her eyes at one friend who was trying to guess and she gave the hint "It's someplace very special", and the dude came up with, "The zoo" ahahahahah.
~~~~~
-stayed tuned for daily updates to follow- :0)