Witnessing History, Whatever the Price
Cost
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Sarah Gantz
Boston University Washington News Service
Jan. 19, 2009
WASHINGTON — Carrie and Caitlin Howland, of Shrewsbury didn’t think they would be able to attend the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama but on Friday they got a call from Rep. James McGovern’s office informing them that there were two tickets available. Luckily, they had made a hotel reservation in Baltimore the day after the election.
The Howlands, like hundreds of others, had put their names into a lottery for tickets and were informed in December that they were being put on a waiting list. But they turned out to be some of the lucky few who managed to score tickets to the nation’s biggest event.
Americans from across the country have flocked to the nation’s capital to witness Obama being sworn-in as the first black president. If they weren’t able to get tickets like the Howlands, they can watch the ceremony from the National Mall with binoculars. Both options are free, but to get here, people have negotiated difficult to find and expensive hotel reservations, long restaurant waits, deadlocked traffic, and suffocating crowds. However, many people say, the financially and emotionally taxing logistics are all worthwhile to see history in the making.
Ms. Howland and 10-year-old Caitlin stood in line outside the Cannon House Office Building Monday for more than an hour, waiting to pick up their tickets from Rep. McGovern’s office. They were still hundreds deep in line at noon, but the door was in sight and they showed no sign of discomfort, aside from their red noses, exposed to the 36 degree air.
“It was a 95 percent chance that we would not get the tickets,” said Caitlin, nodding her head, nearly immobilized by her puffy jacket and ski cap, to emphasize the unlikelihood. With odds like that, a long wait in near-freezing temperatures is a small price to pay. Besides, Ms. Howland said, they got a great deal on their hotel in Baltimore, 40 miles away, by booking in advance.
As of Sunday night, 10 of the 15 Holiday Inn hotels within 10 miles of Washington, D.C. were completely booked, according to the company’s online Reservation Desk. Among those that still had vacancies, the Holiday Inn Rosslyn at Key Bridge in Arlington, V.A., seven minutes from the inaugural festivities, offered a standard room for about $590 online. On January 21, the room is available for $168.
Rather than shell out hundreds of dollars for a hotel room, many people set on attending the inauguration said they are staying with relatives and friends living in the area, even if they will have to travel further to get to the ceremony Tuesday.
Eric DeMeulenaere, his wife and two daughters decided to stay with a friend who lives in Silver Spring, Md., about 10 miles outside Washington. “We’re somewhat concerned, but we’re figuring it out,” Mr. DeMeulenaere, an assistant professor at Clark University, said about the predicted sardine-can crowds forecasted at the National Mall, where the public can watch the inauguration without a ticket.
But for some, the price is worth being in the middle of the city. “So we’re shelling out $800 on the hotel,” said Richard Lesavoy, of Merrimac, who reserved two nights at a Doubletree Hotel for himself and his wife, Liz. “We’ll be eating on the cheap.”
Restaurants will undoubtedly be packed, once the millions of people crowded on the National Mall become hungry after standing for hours, but restaurateurs are prepared, according to Lynn Breaux, president of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. Overstocking supplies, increased security, extending hours, and asking staff to spend the night are among the preparatory measures restaurant owners are taking, Ms. Breaux said, adding that “a lot of air mattresses have been purchased.”
Chris Jarvis, 50, and his wife Linda Gross reserved tickets for the train into Washington Tuesday from a relative’s home in Baltimore, said Jarvis, of Leyden, a professor at Hampshire College who is formerly of Worcester. Typically, Mr. Jarvis avoids crowds, he said, but is willing to brave them Tuesday. “This is too big a historic event to miss,” he said.
Ms. Howland said she and Caitlin planned to leave their Baltimore hotel at 4 a.m. in order to catch the Metro into the city this morning before it gets crowded and to fit in as much sight-seeing as possible after the inauguration, Ms. Howland said.
“My mom and I believe this is a once in a lifetime experience,” said Caitlin. “I’m going to tell my grandchildren’s grandchildren about it.”
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