The Party is On

January 19, 2009 – 5:20 pm

By Petya Kirkova

With the historical Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama less than 24 hours away, the festivities are well on the way. Even the sub-zero temperatures in the past several days could not keep people from preparing to attend the event in person. The freezing January weather is not very welcoming for an outdoor event, but to witness history in the making is quite an incentive.

If you can’t make it to the capital, and you still want to participate in the celebration, you have the unprecedented opportunity to host a Neighborhood Inaugural Ball. On a smaller scale, you can downsize to a private Inaugural party in Queens or Brooklyn, hosted in your own apartment with a few good friends. It’s a week day, but you can only organize such a party once every four years, so most likely the kind couple who lives next door wouldn’t mind the fuss. Even in pretentious and upscale vicinities like Upper East Side or Upper West Side, celebrating might be a reason for otherwise uptight neighbors to loosen their ties, kick off the Manolo Blahnicks, and enjoy one unusually noisy Tuesday evening.