Humorous round up of 2008 and 10 Gadling posts connected to this year’s news

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a humorous round-up of news stories that made it big in 2008. Uncle Jay, whoever he is, sings a medley of carols with the words changed to offer a unique twist in the explanation of some of this year’s major events. His cast of characters and happenings include Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, gas prices, the economy , the Olympics and more. While watching the video, I thought of Gadling posts that also made reference to the themes of these stories.

Here are 10 Gadling posts by 10 different bloggers that have related to the news. There are scads of other posts. This is merely a sampling.

Get close (enough) to the inauguration

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You want to witness the dawning of the age of “hope” and “change” first-hand. You want to be their in person when President-Elect Barack Obama drops the second half of his current title. But, there’s a problem. You’re not alone. In fact, as many as two million people are expected to attend the inauguration, and hotel rooms are disappearing as far away as Pennsylvania, according to the latest from the Wall Street Journal. Airlines are adding flights. To make sure your trip to Washington goes smoothly, however, you’ll need to do more than grab a room and arrange travel to our nation’s capital. Heed the WSJ‘s tips, and you’ll start this new era without a hitch.

Whether you get a great spot close to the Capitol for the ceremony or a street-side view along the parade route, bring a sandwich – and nothing else. Umbrellas and strollers, it seems, are particularly prohibited. Metal detectors will be in abundance, and I suspect that patience will be in short supply. So, be prepared for some degree of inconvenience. I’m not talking the mild irritation of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (to draw an example from my neighborhood). This is serious, much-worse-than-holiday-flying aggravation.

A lot of people are excited to attend the inauguration and related events. After the jump, you’ll find a video that shows the level of excitement involved, as well as a few tips on finding a hotel room (yes, it is possible).

Your chances of finding a reasonable hotel rate are pretty slim. Hotwire, everyone’s favorite anonymous deal website, is tapped out. The hotels have no excess inventory to move. But, you can find some action on Hotels.com. You may have to be a bit flexible, especially in regards to how far you’ll have to stay from the festivities. And, it won’t be cheap. The closest hotel with rooms open is the Doubletree Hotel Bethesda, with rooms fetching more than $900 a night.

Maybe it would be easier to visit his old hometown instead …

[Thanks, Wall Street Journal, for the story and Fox News for the video]

Planning to go to the inauguration? Here are some tips to be prepared

by Karen Walrond on

As I watched President-elect Barack Obama’s victory speech on November 4th, 2008, I vowed to myself that our family was going to be in Washington D.C. on January 20th — if only just to catch a glimpse of the motorcade as it went by. It’s going to be such a historic moment, I thought to myself. We should be there.

Two days later, as I was frantically googling hotels and other places to stay, I realized that my original idea of visiting the Capitol city wasn’t all that original. Prices had skyrocketed, but that didn’t seem to hinder hotels from completely booking all of their rooms. Disappointedly, I gave up on my idea of my historic trip.

Recently, however, the New York Times published a few strategies for those of you who haven’t given up on the idea of heading to Washington for the big day. For example, consider checking out Craigslist.com or Homeaway.com for some non-hotel lodging. You never know what you might get.

In any event, check it out. And if you do end up going to Washington, let me know — maybe I’ll see you there.

Obama adding umph to the Land of Lincoln and Winfrey

by Jamie Rhein on

Barack Obama’s new status as the president-to-be has added a boost to Illinois tourism. Already tourists are showing up to frequent the places Obama has frequented. Want to see where he used to get his haircut before the Secret Service said, “No way,” to the large plate glass windows? Head to Hyde Park Salon and Barber Shop. Even though Obama won’t be there, (the barber now goes to him) you can see the chair where he once sat.

If eating where Obama heads with Michelle on date nights is what you’re after, head to Medici on 57th Street in Chicago. There you can join the 3,000 other folks who have bought “Obama Eats Here” T-Shirts.

For some inspiration, tour the Old Statehouse in Springfield where Obama gave two campaign speeches, or stand in Grant Park in Chicago and imagine the crowd on election night when history was made.

The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau’s homepage has been changed to reflect the flurry of tourists interested in Obama travel. There’s a link to “Presidential Chicago” that highlights the places Obama has frequented and provides addresses and contact information. One of them is Maria Pinto Boutique, the designer who is a fave of both Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

For more Obama travel ideas and information, check out this AP article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It’s where I found out about these details, except for the info about Obama’s barber. I read about that in an article earlier this week about how Obama has had to change his patterns for security reasons. If you see a gaggle of Secret Service members, Obama might be close by. Keep an eye out.

Photo of the Day (11.08.09)

by Anna Brones on

No matter what your political leanings are, we’re all going to remember where we were on November 4, 2008. The momentous election of an African American as US President was watched around the world. This photo by pirano of various foreign newspapers all featuring President-Elect Barack Obama gives us an idea of just how “global” the American election was. Where were you?

Want your shot considered for Photo of the Day? Submit it to Gadling’s Flickr pool.