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What? You're not going to any galas this year? Did your invitation get lost in the mail? What a pity. Well, you have two options. You can either take a lesson from White House Party Crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi and just show up to the dang thing anyway, or you can cele ate the inauguration of Barack Obama by attending one of the many other events happening this weekend.
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Honestly, we recommend the latter. Only because you know how the Party Crashers' story ended…it wasn't good.
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SATURDAY
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Both First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will be on hand for the Kids' Inaugural Concert, which ings in performers Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, fun, Usher, John Legend, and Stevie Wonder. The concert takes place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
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SUNDAY
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The Kennedy Center and Georgetown University present “Let Freedom Ring!” featuring Smokey Robinson. The concert is a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., and is free to the public. Get there early and dress warmly, though. The line for tickets will be outside.
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MONDAY
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The morning worship service takes place at 10:30 a.m. at Washington National Cathedral. The event is by invitation only, but spectators will see the President, Vice President, and other dignitaries. The service will be webcast live, though, so feel free to watch from your warm home at www.nationalcathedral.org.
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Obama will be sworn in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at 11:30 a.m. While the event is ticketed, if you arrive on the National Mall you can watch the swearing in and address via large television screens.
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Beyonce will be singing the National Anthem at this year's inauguration. For all the emotional moments that are sure to come out of such a significant ceremony, we're perhaps most looking forward to this one.
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NOTE: Senators are given a certain amount of tickets to distribute to friends, family, and donors. If you find a website offering tickets for sale, be wary as no website or ticket outlet actually has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell.
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The 2013 Inaugural Parade happens on Monday. Don't even consider driving into DC for this—the motorcade can destroy traffic on days that don't involve a swearing in ceremony. Check out the route here and plan to leave your car at one of the many MARC train stations.
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While you're bustling about town, check out the Willard Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave. Known as the “Hotel of Presidents,” Abe Lincoln famously stayed there before his first inauguration. He ran up a $775 tab with dishes like mock turtle soup, corned beef and cabbage, and blackberry pie (none of which appear on the modern day menu)., but you can warm up with a hot toddy in the bar, which served the likes of Mark Twain and Walt Whitman.
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For history buffs out there, you might take a moment to check out the inaugural addresses of past presidents. George Washington was sworn in on the second floor balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, and then went to address Congress with the first inaugural address in our nation's history. Our bet is that President Obama’s speech will be significantly longer.
