Will You Party Until Dawn During the Inauguration?

Our RSS reader was on fire this morning with news that the DC council passed emergency legislation to allow bars to serve alcohol until 5 AM and food 24 hours a day during the inauguration. Though the bill was spearheaded by councilmember Jim Graham, whose ward includes bar-heavy Adams Morgan, Graham ended up voting against it in solidarity with Mayor Adrian Fenty. The final version included an amendment, opposed by the mayor’s office, which includes nightclubs in a list of establishments eligible to extend drinking hours.

But in the end, Graham’s support didn’t matter; the bill passed 9-4, making late-night drinking official.

The Washington Post reports that Adams Morgan residents may not be thrilled with the prospect:

The legislation quickly drew the ire of civic leaders, who complained that the council did not seek public input.

“I see the potential for why you’d want to do it, in terms of this being a historic election, but to just throw this down on neighborhoods?” said Bryan Weaver, head of the Adams Morgan advisory neighborhood commission. “To have 3 1/2 days of 24-hour service without any input from the community — there’s going to be hell to pay from a lot of neighborhood associations.”

How do you feel about extended last call hours? Take our poll after the jump and sound off in the comments.

>> All Washingtonian.com Inauguration 2009 coverage

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Emily Leaman