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.