Your guide to the region's top events, mixed with some commentary about life, media, gossip and politics in Washington, DC.
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A Night Out: Illinois Inaugural Gala
By
Erin Delmore
Ball attendees make their own chili at one of the several themed-rooms.
What: The Illinois Inaugural Gala, hosted by the Illinois State Society.
Where: Renaissance Hotel.
When: Monday, January 19.
Ticket price: $500 for the dinner and ball, $300 for the Gala Ball only. Tickets sold out by November 29, 2008 after going on sale to the public in September.
Who: Prominent Illinoisans, politicians, corporate sponsors, and anyone who figured that the new President's home state would pull out all the stops to usher in its favorite son as Commander-in-Chief. Government officials dominated the crowd of nearly 7,000, with honorees including the state's 20 members of the 111th Congress. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr attended the dinner with wife, Sandi, and told Washingtonian, "This is the party of the century! No, it's the party of four centuries!" Roland Burris, the newly appointed successor to Obama's vacant Senate seat, sat at the table next to Jackson's and told us that he was very much enjoying himself as he shook hands and posed for photos with guests. Also spotted: actor Bill Murray on the dance floor in a pale pastel madras bow tie; former NBA star Cliff Robinson sporting a top hat on his 6'9" frame; and actor Keith David, who starred in a film about a barbershop in Chicago's south side. Government types included Senator Dick Durbin; Congressman Aaron Shock, State Senator and former colleague of Obama's, Kirk Dillard.
Rumored to be in attendance: Retired Chicago Cub Ernie Banks, comedian and former Daily Show pundit Mo Rocca, and musician George Clinton, minus the Funkadelics.
See more photos of inaugural balls.
Missing: The Man of the Hour. Attendees managed to keep whispers of President Obama's impending attendance alive, but should have known better when lax security allowed many of their tickets to go unchecked at the door. And rumor has it that Rham Emanuel was slated to attend, but backed out at the last minute.
Scene: With three floors, two ballrooms, and 18 themed rooms to explore, there was simply no way to see everything in one sweep. The sea of tuxedos and gowns included Scottish kilts, African headdresses, and Indian saris, while iconic Obama accessories peppered even the most traditional wardrobes. Native Chicagoans attested to the accuracy of recreated scenes of the Magnificent Mile and Hyde Park. For the many transplanted Illinoisians in attendance, it was a healthy dose of home.
Dinner: Eighteen-hundred guests enjoyed a sit-down meal honoring the inauguration of Barack Obama and the 200th anniversary of Illinois native Abraham Lincoln's birth. A madrigal alumni choir from West Springfield sang the Illinois State song while guests finished off their meals with colorful plates of American-style cheesecake. Recorded slideshows of President Lincoln and video of President Obama's past speeches covered the sound of 5,000 guests making their way into the lobby one floor above.
The Illinois State Fair paid homage to the Heartland with visual touches such as patriotic plastic flags, bales of hay, and fat, blue first-place ribbons. Food hearkened back to childhood delights such as cotton candy, corn dogs, and the understocked balls of cheesecake on a stick. Ace of Cakes' Caterpillar Bulldozer Cake proved a dead ringer for its real-life counterpart parked only a few feet away. Drinks such as lemon shake-ups flowed easily, though bar-lined walls made for narrow, crowded passageways.
Country Saloon
The Saloon's dance floor served a higher purpose as a passageway to cut from the State Fair to more hopping grounds, such as the Irish Pub. Not for lack of a decent country-western band, only three to four couples seemed to cut a rug at a time—that is, aside for the sporadic line dance favored by a dozen or so more dancers. A classic whiskey bar (announced pointedly by a nearly human-size cutout of a bottle of Maker's Mark) outside the main area drew long lines instead.
Irish Pub
As a Motown cover band lured people in from saloon, plenty of cold bottles of Guinness, endless bangers and chips, hot soft pretzels and plenty of mustard kept people in the Irish pub all night. Green and gold balloons, shamrocks, and cutouts of pots of gold and rainbows didn't seem inauthentic against life-size cutouts of castles, and standards such as "Celebration" and "Ladies' Night" kept everyone in a good mood, whether dancing, waiting for drinks, or playfully jousting in the pretend kingdom.
Steppenwolf Theatre and Theatre Row
It took no more than a stack of hot cheeseburger sliders and chili to relieve guests of the gridlock they fought through to make their way to the theater. Clips of Illinois-based movies such as "The Breakfast Club" were long enough to kick off the shoes and rest the feet between bouts of dancing.
Sports Bar
If there's one thing you can have any night of the year, it's sports and beer. Guests pegged the Sports Trivia as largely missable, with its lack of music and unnotable food and drink, and quickly moved along.
Heartland Diner
Like a scene born out of Grease's Rydell High, the Heartland Diner rang of poodle skirts, roller blades, records and rock. A DJ played tunes such as "Surfin' USA" and "The Twist," and people danced with root beer floats in hand among cardboard cutouts of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis.
Chicago Pizzeria
Obama himself might not have drawn such a crowd. Lines wound out the door and around the hall to enter the one room with no music, no dancing, no games, no alcohol and no favors. Acquiring a plate of Uno's deep dish pizza in two varieties (sausage/chunky tomato/mozzarella or pepperoni/sausage/mushroom/onion/pepper) became more coveted than a picture with Bill Murray. When the pizza ran out at five after midnight, crowds thinned for good.
"Controlled Chaos"
Guests who wandered up to the hotel lobby expecting more theme rooms and goodies unknowingly traded their spot downstairs for a place on the (sometimes hour-long!) line to get down there in the first place. Temporary shortages of glasses, plates, and water put a damper on the mood, but staff kept crowds happy: After prolonged rummaging underneath the bar to fill a drink order, a bartender emerged clutching a tall bottle of Vox vodka and hoisted it in the air and shouted, "Yes we can!"
Ok to bring:
• Kids. From the cotton candy to the deep-dish pizza, lively Motown and sing-along '50s rock outlets, kids clearly felt not only welcome, but catered to.
• Your single friends. Random chatter among well-dressed twenty- and thirty-somethings coupled with a singles meet and greet at 10 PM under the Marshall Field's clock (Chicago's version of mistletoe?) made this pick-up locale a safer bet than Georgetown's Social Safeway.
What not to wear:
• Trains! As if a fool's-length gown isn't hot and cumbersome enough in an overcrowded space, never think of wearing a dress with a train when thousands are expected. If you don't want everyone stepping on your pricey gown as you move through halls at a snail's pace, don't give the invitation.
• A coat, if you can help it. After checking 5,000 coats and filling a couple of entire rooms, the gala stopped accepting them! >> See all inauguration coverage More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
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Posted by: Denise Michelle, Jan 28, 2009 09:19:42 PM
We paid $500/piece for our tickets and attended the reception, dinner, and ball and had a great time. I think we left around 1am. The reception and dinner was fantastic. I like the fact they left the bars open during dinner so those of us that do not like wine could drink what we wanted with our dinner. After dinner we went to the elevators and took our bags to our cars in the parking garage and then re-entered the galal from the elevators (do not know why more people did not use the elevators). We met people there at the ball part of the evening that paid $300 for their tickets. They did exactly what the organizers told them to do - ARRIVE EARLY. They got there around 7pm - stood in line until 8:30pm (90 minutes is not a long time to wait for a historical event such as this) and at 8:30pm were let into the event (they were in the tent). They got their blue bag, checked their coats and got a glass of champagne, because they followed the instructions on their letter they received with the tickets. We must have walked around the entire place at least 3 times, checking out all the rooms, food and drink (I think everyone at some point tried all the signature drinks and specialty drinks at all the locations). Several times we sat down in the country ballroom to watch the dancers and to rest our feet (thank you for havig a place that people could rest and NOT be in the thick of a crowd). Yes, it was crowded - but it should have been. This was a historical event and everyone wanted to be there. And when you get 1.4 million that want to attend a ball on either the 19th or the 20th - you are going to get crowded events. All in all I think the organizers did a great job, the decorations were fantastic, the entertainment was great (loved the characters) and I would definitely attend another event put on by the Illinois State Society.
Posted by: R. Hughes, Jan 28, 2009 07:50:30 AM
Today was an incredible day in our nation’s history! I was moved to tears on numerous occasions. And last night was one oh Those nights, full of promise, electricity and excitement, for my sister and me and for tens of thousands of others, who traveled from far and some from just inside the Beltway. For the first time in our lives, my sister and myself were getting dressed to go to an inaugural ball! And not just any inauguration or just any ball, we were celebrating Barak Obama’s inauguration and we were to attend the Illinois State Society Ball! My sister has lived in Chevy Chase for the past 10 years and has never even contemplated attending an inauguration, let alone a ball! This inauguration is different, obviously and so we wanted to take part of the celebrations.
So we got dressed in our silk taffeta gowns, did our hair and make-up, kissed my nephews goodnight and we were off. As we ascended the subway (driving downtown seemed ludicrous) our excitement increased, there were hundreds of people dressed dazzlingly! Full length ball gowns and minks coats were abundant. It was so much fun to be in the crowd with everyone just sparkling! We arrived at the front of the Renaissance Hotel and really did not know what to expect, it was 8:30pm and we were on time for the Ball or so we thought. As we searched for the correct line we were confused, but thought we had made the correct choice.
Slowly over the course of the next two hours, our patience wore thin and our feet grew numb. I mean, who on earth leaves women dressed in ball gowns and heels in frigid 19 degree weather for two hours? Clearly this was an event planned by, actually I have no idea who could ever have planned an event so poorly, no analogies come to mind. There were thousands of us being snaked around, inside and out. All those earlier hopes were dashed by 10:30pm. Cold and frustrated, without food or beverage (now that would have been brilliant – someone serving the thousands in line cocktails! That would have tamed the masses and showed proper courtesy to the guests) my sister was shivering and felt as though frost bite was setting into her lovely, yet scantily clad feet, we left ... And in our gowns, heels and furs went to Five Guys for burgers, now if only they would have had cocktails too.
For me, and for thousands of others, the Illinois State Society Ball was a disappointing, frustrating and a terribly cold evening without any denouement. I have no idea if they over sold the event (though I suspect that was part of the problem) or that they just did not have enough staff (at no point during those two cold hours did any staff come outside to give us direction or information) or if they hired the wrong people to run the event (which is clear regardless of the other options). What is clear is that they did not respect the people who were coming to the event enough to treat them with the courtesy that they deserved; a clear and simple, well marked path to get into the event that they paid for. And yes, we paid for our tickets and I assure you we will be requesting a refund.
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Posted by: dale b cohen , Jan 21, 2009 02:33:05 PM
My date and I arrived at the hotel just before 8:30PM. We had no trouble getting to the hotel using Metro. From King St. in Alexandria, it took about 40 minutes to get to the hotel, getting off at Gallery Place and walking 2.5 blocks. I’m glad I didn’t drive my car to the hotel and nearby parking lots (as suggested by the organizers). The streets leading to the hotel were congested with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Nobody seemed to be moving.
Once inside the hotel lobby, we joined a jam-packed throng of ticket holders trying to get into the event. I felt like a sardine in a can! It took roughly one hour and 15 minutes for us to make our way to the coat check rooms. We were part of a slow moving line which meandered outside of the hotel and into a tent before re-entering the hotel and ending at the coat check rooms. By the time we finished putting away our coats, most of the food that had originally been laid out in the halls on each of the event’s three floors had already been eaten. The kitchen staff seemed to be having trouble replinishing these. I only got to sample a few sliced oranges. However, there still seemed to be quite a bit of food left in the Country Saloon (barbeque, corn dogs, little hot dogs, & buns) and in most of the smaller rooms. My date and I particularly relished the tiramisu and other desserts and pastries in one of the smaller rooms. It seemed to me that Kraft Foods (one of the sponsors) should have provided some of their snacks (Nabisco products) for consumption in the hallways, rather than just display them on a table.
Liquor and drinks were provided by numerous open bars. These usually had short lines, but were easily accessible. My date and I had no trouble getting a couple of sodas within a couple of minutes of waiting.
I liked the way the hotel reflected the Illinois theme. I appreciated the giveaway blue cloth bags and event brochures that described some of the most important individuals the state has produced.
Too bad the Obamas didn’t show up. I was hoping to get a picture of them. My date saw Bill Murray, but I didn’t. I couldn’t tell which celebrities were present because of the large crowds.
I did have a nice time dancing in the main ballroom and at the Country Saloon. The bands were very good, although I noticed that they tended to play stretched (5 min.+) versions of popular songs rather than the 2-3 min. variety.
Unfortunately, I could only stay till midnight since my date had things to do early the next morning. Going back to Alexandria by Metro was a lot quicker than it had been coming in to town. I think it only took us little more than half an hour to get home.
Posted by: Carl L., Jan 20, 2009 10:47:34 PM
We attended the VIP party and dinner. It was great! The food was excellent, the people we all so excited to be there, and they kept the size to a minimum. It was nice to be able to walk around and say hi to Ernie Banks, Dick Durbin, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bill Murry, and George Clinton (though the later two were less friendly.)
I was able to sit and talk with Ernie Banks for 20 minutes and enjoy the atmosphere. We met so many interesting people that worked for Obama or for the media. The guys from Harold and Kumar were there hanging out, it was great to see a few basketball players, the honor guard was great to meet, we met one of Oprah’s assistants, and even did say hi to Roland.
I think it was such a great event, and then they opened it up to the larger group. It got really crowded, though was fine until around 10pm, when it was so crowded it was hard to walk around. They did a great job of setting up pizza stations, a diner with 60’s music, a country bar with line dancing, and an Irish saloon.
What a great night! I had to leave by midnight, as it got so crazy it was hard to do anything, but was well worth the 2 hours to get from Alexandria to DC (which usually takes 7 minutes.)
Posted by: Jim L, Jan 20, 2009 03:22:45 PM
After weeks of preparation and anticipation of attending this event my Husband and I were appalled by the poor planning and organization of this event.
We arrived at the hotel at 8pm to find a sea of people waiting in the hotel lobby to get to the coat check and enter the Gala.
We entered the line at around 8:20pm and slowly moved through the lobby into an outdoor atrium where we stood in the cold for over 45 minutes.
Then we entered a tent and snaked along a roped line in the tent for another 45 minutes to an hour. There was a door into another building where they were letting 10 /20 people in at a time. As we neared the door, other party guests began stepping over the ropes opposite the door and pushing to the front of the line. A shoving and screaming match ensued. When we finally were squeezed through the door, where I frantically held tight to my husbands arm for fear of being trampled, we found yet another throng of guests waiting to go down a large staircase.
At this point, with feet throbbing and disappointment in the air, we realized it was already 10:30 pm and we still hadn’t made it to the coat check. At this point we realized our patience was fruitless. With the last Metro train back home at 1am we were sure that by the time we would finally get in it would be time to retrieve our coats and head home. We decided to cut our losses and exit the event.
When we got back into the lobby where we had started we were shocked to find just as many people standing at the beginning of the line as when we had arrived two long hours prior. It is a pity that so many people who purchased tickets in anticipation of a wonderful and historic evening were met with this chaos. I am certain that many guests who stood on line after we left never even made it in the door.
Posted by: Lori, Jan 20, 2009 10:47:18 AM
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