Thanks for the Inauguration Tickets!!! None Required for Saturday

A few weeks ago we entered the inauguration ticket lottery at Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton Office and obviously didn't "win" it. Since then, I've been searching for any option to get my hands on three tickets. We have been to two inaugurations since we moved here ten years ago, but ended up by the Washington monument when we live just two blocks from the Capitol. I really didn't want to end up near there again. So this week we stopped at several senate offices to see if anyone might have left over or unclaimed tickets. We have been going to a lot of hearings this and last week because we love living history and enjoy politics like some folks like sports events. But all the answers were NO. I came home yesterday and called Senate and Representative offices from all the states I was born in, lived in, worked in, went to college in.... nothing! A family member sent us a link from the neighborhood listserv- no luck. I asked a friend from work who knows everyone...nope. I finally wrote a note to Senator Enzi via his website, who happens to live on our block and we have met through our kids who used to live on the block. This morning we received an email from his office saying we could pick our tickets up today at his office in the Russell Senate building. We were walking over anyway for another hearing. So thank you Senator Enzi for your quick and timely response. We really appreciate it! We won't need them for Saturday's events. We can just walk over.

In Search of Inauguration Tickets

I should have thought about contacting all the other house and senate offices about inauguration tickets a long time ago. Since we moved here ten years ago, we have never had the luxury of tickets - we just don't know anyone. It wasn't surprising that we didn't win the lottery at Eleanor Holmes Norton DC office. I'm not looking forward to standing by the Washington monument again when we only live a couple blocks from the Capitol. So today after we went to a few hearings, ending up in the overflow rooms, we walked to a few offices to ask if there were any leftover tickets - especially since there are so many boycotting the event. Bernie Sanders Office is giving them away to the VFW; Corey Booker's office said to check back in the morning; Elizabeth Warren's office said to check back tomorrow night. After several more no's, we came home and I called all the offices of the states I was born in, lived in, grew up in, and spent my entire career in. One put me on a waiting list - only after I could provide my mother's home address; most said no; another said only if we still lived in her district - which we don't; two more took my contact information because the people handling them were out of the office. I'm not holding my breath, but it was worth the try. I have a feeling we will be out in left field again. Maybe next time?

Eleanor Holmes Norton = No Inauguration Tickets

Since we live in DC, our representative is Eleanor Holmes Norton. And, since we don't "know anybody," we followed instructions and requested inauguration tickets through her office a couple of weeks ago. I sent an email request and got a reply from her office that they received it. Last Friday, another email was sent from her office to say that we were in a lottery, and if we were selected, we would receive a other email with instructions about picking up the tickets. Well, Friday came and went. So here we are - the third Inauguration since we moved here without tickets. We should get tickets just for putting up with all the inconvenience. The most rediculous part is that we can't figure out how we can walk to the mall to get to the area for non ticket holders. We ended up by the Washington monument eight years ago - which is annoying because we live two blocks from the Capitol. All I know is that we will record the event on TV so we can see what we will undoubtedly miss, wandering through the barricaded streets to find the first viable entry way on to the mall. Ah, but that is the beauty of living in this town.