Since we were long time contributors to the campaigns of both Presidents Bush and President Reagan we not only gained status as a Life Members of the Republican National Committee but also got to attend both inaugurations of George W. Bush and the related inaugural events including the gala inaugural balls.
Here's the deal on the inauguration: though the official swearing-in* is open to the public, you won't really get close to much of what's happening (or see very much, for that matter) unless you're willing to shovel over Really Big Bucks. Inaugural weekend and its events are strictly and relentlessly pay-to- play. And this has been true for both Democrat and Republican inaugurations.
In 2000 and 2004 we scored official seated tickets to the inauguration and our wonderful congressman at the time (Jim Saxton) also invited us to a private breakfast at the Capitol Hill Club. From the breakfast we had to make our way through a long, meandering line down to the front of the Capitol and through many various security checkpoints. Of course, the security was tightened post 9/11 in 2004 and that made things even more complicated. We can only imagine what it's like today.
It's usually bitterly cold on inauguration day and when you get to your seats (narrow folding chairs arranged in long rows on soggy turf) you're looking way up to the inaugural platform which seems almost suspended in the sky. Translation: best to watch the proceedings on a nearby Jumbotron screen.
In 2004 we attended the popular Black Tie and Boots Ball sponsored by the Texas State Society and that was a mob scene in the cavernous old Marriott Wardman Park but rubbing elbows with rowdy Texans celebrating one of their own was fun. The traditional Texas swing group Asleep At The Wheel provided the music.We also dined at a well-known Chinese restaurant that was a Bush family favorite. We figured since George H. W. Bush had been Ambassador to China this would be a good pick. It was!
On the night of the inaugurations we attended the official inaugural balls in 2000 and 2004. On 2004 we gained entry to the most sought-after event, the Texas Wyoming Inaugural Ball. The balls are scattered at various venues around the city and the President and First Lady travel from one to another, dance a bit on stage and then leave. People mostly stand around and wait for the President to arrive, though there is entertainment and dancing but not a lot of room on the dance floor.
At both inaugural balls it was fun to see President and Mrs. George W. Bush dance to Waltz Across Texas. As for food, forget about it. You'd best eat before or after the ball and you can expect a cash bar on site. Inaugural Ball tickets run anywhere from several hundred dollars (that was then) into the thousands (more likely now) and they are scooped up quickly by donors.
There are many, many social events in Washington scattered over the inaugural weekend and most are pricey as they are used as fund raisers for various groups or, if they are "free" they are actually exclusively for the best customers and clients of big law firms, banks, corporations, interest groups, etc. Everything is highly stratified and the criteria is money, pure and simple.
Hotel rooms within DC proper are ridiculously priced; taxis and Ubers are impossible to find; pricey limos and ride services must be booked far in advance and the metro is jammed.
On top of all this you can expect massive detours and street closures, crushing crowds in and out of events and possible protests and demonstrations. Unless you have friends in DC who are willing to put you up for the weekend, or you know influential people who are willing to foot the bill, you should plan on spending mightily these days to participate in all the inauguration has to offer. But it remains a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list event for many and the quadrennial spell that it casts has endured.
*This year's swearing-in of Donald J. Trump as our 47th President is not open to the general public as it has been moved indoors due to the extreme cold. President Trump is welcoming his supporters to a free rally this evening at the Cap Center Arena in Washington.
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