Inauguration Travel: Three Hot-Spots To Visit On January 20th

Whether you’ll be cheering, weeping or pounding your fist on the ground while wailing “why!?,” January 20th is going to be a momentous day for all of us. Barack Obama will be sworn in as president of the United States of America, marking the end of eight years of the controversial Bush administration and the beginning of the unknown. The current political and economic crises are so severe, and the feverish hopes surrounding Obama are so many that the inauguration will undoubtedly be an event full of excitement and feelings of catharsis. So where will you be on January 20th? Hint: One of the options involves Tikki Torches.

The obvious answer is Washington, D.C., if you can find a place to crash. D.C., where the swearing-in ceremony will take place, will be the focus of the entire country’s scrutiny and is sure to be hyper-charged with energy and excitement. If you’re gung-ho enough to brave the crowds, the White House and the Mall are the place to be. What’s a couple elbows to the face, in the grand scheme of things? The official ceremony happens at noon on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building, and if you didn’t sell your body/soul/children to get official seating, there will be huge screens set up all along the National Mall. After the ceremony, he’ll go on a parade down Pennsylvania avenue so you can scream and throw confetti and generally get rowdy. For night-time activities you can choose to join the revelry in the streets or else come two days early and try to crash the Latino Inaugural Ball on the 18th. Say Guanabee sent you.

Chicago, Obama’s hometown, will also be the site of many parties as Chicagoans cheer for their resident President. Further away from the mayhem and intense crowding of D.C., Chicago will offer a more spacious but still buzzing party scene for the momentous occasion. Plus, everything’s an hour behind the east coast so you get to start the party earlier (drinking before noon, woo!) One place to get your inauguration-buzz on is Carnivale, which will be offering $10 “Margaritas del Presidente” all day. For fancier options, try the South Loop hotel which has a $400 two-day package, including a party on the big day, or the convention center McCormick Place, which is offering a huge party that night with tickets at $275.

The island of Oahu in Hawaii is a hell of a trek, but you only get to see Obama’s first inauguration once. Honolulu, Obama’s city of birth, has the distinct advantage of being a beach town so you can laugh heartily at all the shivering fools in D.C. and Chicago. Of course, you’ll have to wake up 5 hours earlier than everyone else but who cares when you’re frolicking in the gentle morning waves like a happy, patriotic manatee. Check out the swanky Inaugural ball for $250 a head (dress is “island elegant” which we figure means naked with a pearl necklace) or just lie on the beach and watch the ceremonies on a crappy portable t.v. to honor Obama’s frugal upbringing. As he once said (at least according to Hawaiian travel websites) “What’s best in me, and what’s best in my message, is consistent with the tradition of Hawai’i.” We can only imagine by that he means Mai Tais and enjoying the beauty of nature.

Runner Up: Obama, Japan. “Obama,” meaning “Little Beach” in Japanese, is the name of a small fishing village in Japan that has recently come into the media spotlight for obvious reasons. The inhabitants of Obama are said to be huge fans of the soon-to-be American President, and will likely hold celebrations for the inauguration like they did for his nomination. But really the only reason to spend the inauguration there is if A. You live there or B. You’re the type of jerk that lives to post pictures of themselves giving thumbs up in front of ironic street-signs. Don’t be that person.

Enjoy the inauguration and if you’re one of those lucky bastards who’ll be at the ceremonies or Latino Inaugural Ball, bring us back a souvenir! We’ll accept leftover hors d’oeuvres, Malia + Sasha key chains and anything Marc Anthony may have touched (except JLo).