Inaugural hell

The PIC has promised that the Obamas will attend ten “official balls”—but these specially sanctioned venues won’t be available to the general public. And even those ball tickets aren’t quite as hot as you may think. “The official balls are basically like bad proms,” says the wife of one well-connected congressman. A less-generous view comes from a local D.C. Democratic Party activist: “These are probably the worst parties in the world. You are packed cheek-to-jowl, people spill drinks on you and step on your dress.” At her last ball, she says, “I wore a top and a skirt. One of my friends from out of town wanted to get all dressed up, and I said, ‘Don’t bother.’ After we had been there for about ten minutes, she looked at me and said, ‘You were so right. Now what do I tell my friends back home about my glamorous night?’ I said, ‘Just make something up.'”